Published in the June 25, 2020 edition.

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD – The four proposed zoning changes on the 2020 Annual Town Meeting warrant met with mixed success. Two of the changes were approved and two others failed to garner the two-thirds majority needed to pass zoning changes.

Article 22 was sponsored by the property owners as well as a citizens petition. The article aimed to change a parcel of land on North Avenue near the Knights of Columbus building from Single Residence to General Residence zoning in order to build all the proposed two-family homes.

Representing owners Dana Lopez and Raymond Nickerson, attorney Brian McGrail explained that the property abuts the business district. He said that his clients considered a 40B affordable housing project, but ultimately decided that the best use for the five-acre parcel would be three two-family homes. His clients would agree to donate a four-acre piece of land in the rear to the Conservation Commission. They also agreed to build a sidewalk along North Avenue in front of the property at their own expense.

McGrail said that the Planning Board had four public hearings and voted unanimously to approve the plan.

Elm Street’s Jim Scott spoke against the article and “overdevelopment” in general. He brought up an unrelated proposal on Quannapowitt Parkway. Scott veered off the article and made personal remarks against McGrail and suggested that Town Moderator William Carroll was “a buddy” of McGrail’s. He also asserted that the use of a citizens petition was a “sneaky way” to affect zoning changes and claimed that there was a “little group behind the scenes calling the shots” to overbuild the town. Carroll stepped in to bring Scott back to the article.

Several other residents spoke against Article 22. Ultimately, the vote was 63 in favor and 46 opposed, so the article failed to get the required two-thirds majority.

McGrail also represented property owner Joseph Tavano in his effort to change the zoning of a parcel on New Salem Street under Article 23. McGrail noted that the parcel is at the end of the industrial district and is split between the Industrial Zone and the Single Residence District, making it impractical for either use.

McGrail said that his client wished to have the parcel re-zoned to General Residence so that he could put a two-family home on the site.

After several residents spoke, Town Meeting voted 90-12 to approve Article 23, easily surpassing the required two-thirds majority.

Article 24 was sponsored by The Savings Bank as well as a citizens petition. McGrail represented The Savings Bank in its effort to change the zoning on areas of Main Street, Chestnut Street and Avon Street that were split between the Business District and the General Residence District. The bank sought to place them entirely in the business zone.

McGrail explained that the change would allow the bank to expand its current building to encompass a property at 3 Chestnut St. that the bank had acquired.

Town Meeting voted 90-2 to approve the zoning change under Article 24.

Article 25 was a related zoning article that would allow the Zoning Board of Appeals to grant to financial institutions in the business district relief from certain dimensional requirements of the Zoning Bylaw.

McGrail argued that the banking world is changing and financial institutions need flexibility in order to survive.

But after several residents spoke for and against Article 25, the vote was 46-35 in favor, so the measure failed to attain the necessary two-thirds majority.

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In other business last Saturday, Town Meeting:

• Approved $1 million in capital spending as recommended by the Capital Planning Committee under Article 3 with no discussion.

• Unanimously approved a $10 million long-range roadway improvement plan along with the necessary borrowing under Article 6.

• Approved a maximum expenditure of $75,000 for the Road Repair revolving Fund with no discussion under Article 7.

• Unanimously approved under Article 8 a $1.6 million expenditure for a new roof for the Greenwood School. (The town will be reimbursed approximately 50 percent of eligible costs by the Massachusetts school Building Authority.)

• Unanimously approved Article 9 to authorize the appropriation of $500,000 and the needed borrowing to make repairs to the Town’s drainage system on New Salem Street including the design, renovation, upgrading and reconstruction of the culvert located there.

• Voted to appropriate $4,664,796 for the Capital Projects Fund, also known as the Debt Service Fund.

• Voted under Article 11 and 12 to approve three-year contract agreements between the town and the Wakefield Police Officers Union and the Superior Officers Association respectively.

• Approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement between the town and the Wakefield Firefighter’s Union under Article 13.

• Voted under Article 14 to approve collective bargaining agreements between the town and the Wakefield Municipal Administrative, Supervisory and Professional Employees’ Association for the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023.

• Approved a betterment project to improve Walton Lane under Article 19.

• Approved a number of routine articles that were grouped together under a “consent agenda.”

• Voted indefinite postponement for Articles 26, 27 and 28.