##VIDEO ID:https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/994DtmGEsi0VDYK3jJI2BJ72GfgNIpU2/media/915741?autostart=false&showtabssearch=true&fullscreen=false## <v Speaker 1>Hey folks.</v> Thanks for coming. Here we go. Same ground rules as before, which are treat everybody with courtesy and respect. We had a little bit of a blip as folks were going out last time where that rule was breached, but I think we all get it now. So let's follow that rule and then the rest of the rules are the same as last time. So before we get started, we have a public speak section. Does anybody have anything that's not on the agenda tonight? Okay, then we'll get going. You're on. <v Speaker 2>Thank you so much. My name is Jennifer Deso Gilbert,</v> and I am the Permitting Council for the Metro West Collaborative Development Group. Metro West is here with us this evening. Caitlyn Madden is sitting to my right and next to her is our architect Anna A. Scott from Davis Square Architects. In the audience with us this evening is Sharon Small and Chelsea Gaylord, also from the Metro West Collaborative, as well as David Vian from David Square Architects and Dave Aiken, the 40 B consultant for the team. So I wanna thank the board for taking the time to open the hearing at the last meeting. We understand that some of these hearings will be devoted to the areas where you requested peer review, and we've been working with Amanda Loomis to set that scope and we look forward to our consultants coming in and diving into the details in those areas. Tonight we'll give a general overview by the architects, but first I want to turn it over to Caitlin Madden to tell you a little bit about Metro West. They are a nonprofit developer whose mission is to build affordable housing. <v Speaker 3>Sorry. I think that's</v> <v Speaker 4>Okay.</v> Can people hear me okay? <v Speaker 3>They have it behind you too. Yeah, I just want, yeah.</v> And back there. <v Speaker 5>Am I blocking this for anybody? Can everyone see a screen?</v> <v Speaker 4>Okay, so I think everyone can see</v> and everyone can hear. We all set to begin. <v Speaker 3>Okay.</v> <v Speaker 4>All right. Hello, Mr.</v> Chair, members of the board and committed residents of the town of Natick. Thank you for having us here tonight. Again, my name is Caitlin Madden and I'm the executive director of Metro West Collaborative Development, the nonprofit developer of five Auburn Street. I'm going to start by talking a bit about Metro West CD and who we are. Then I'll cover some of the history of the proposal for five Auburn Street. I'll provide a general overview of our proposed program at Five Auburn and I'll talk about the community process to date. I will then pass it off to Anna from Davis Square Architects to provide an overview of the design and we'll close by covering some next steps. So Metro West CD is a 33-year-old 5 0 1 C3 nonprofit organization founded in Watertown to address the shrinking supply of affordable housing in the west metro region of Boston. We are a certified community development corporation and community community housing development organization or chodo. Chodo is a federal designation, which means we have a proven track record and capacity for developing and owning affordable housing. It also means we're eligible for a specific of federal funds administered by the West Metro Home Consortium that Natick is a part of. In 2012, we regionalized in our 25 town primary target area includes Natick and is shown in the dark green on our target area map shown here we promote, sorry. That's alright. Too fast. We promote housing in the three main ways. We build it by leveraging public and private resources to create permanently affordable housing, which we will talk about in a little more detail in a moment. We connect people to it by working with low income housing holds in search of housing and administering financial and emergency rental assistance. And we advocate for it by working with community leaders to create and implement programs and policies that support the construction and preservation of affordable housing. Metro West CD has a long history of working in Natick. Since 2009, we have administered affordable housing lotteries and down payment assistance programs. We've had ongoing engagement with the Natick Affordable housing Trust, including offers to purchase on more than five sites in 2020, Metro West CD and the Natick. Affordable Housing Trust won first place in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston's affordable housing competition for pro proposed development of the Henry Wilson Shoes shop site. We are currently the recipient of a Newton Wellesley Hospital grant, which invests $1.9 million over four years into a partnership with watch CDC to address housing and security. The five town catchment area for the grant includes Natick. Given our long history of working on housing initiatives in Natick, we are grateful to have the opportunity to fulfill the town's vision of creating additional affordable housing. Through our proposal at five Auburn Street to focus in on our housing development experience, we have a proven track record of building high quality, sustainable, affordable housing in the West metro region. Our recent development and pipeline includes Glenbrook way, a 92 unit, intergenerational 100% affordable campus, and midway the second and final phase was completed early this year and received FIAs passive house certification. Passive house certification is one of the highest standards of sustainability in the industry. Both our Hudson development and our Newton development were awarded to Metro West CD through competitive RFP processes for town owned land, similar to five Auburn Packard Street Commons includes 40 affordable family rental units and as fee design certified. And we expect to receive full certification at construction completion early next year. And we were selected by the city of Newton to redevelop the historic West Newton Armory where we will be preserving the historic head house and creating 43 units of intergenerational affordable housing. The Armory is also FIAs design certified and the project is permitted and funded and we plan to break ground early next year. A quick overview of our development team. Our five Auburn Street team includes many of our long-term partners and represents a team of highly respected architects, engineers, attorneys, and consultants. Our architect, Nope, not quite yet. <v Speaker 3>Not yet. Okay.</v> <v Speaker 4>Our architect Davis Square has over 40</v> years experience and the lead architect and the lead architect for five Al Auburn. Cliff Bower, who is a co-founder and principal at Davis Square Architects is a former South Natick resident. Maloney Properties is our per professional third party property management company and they are deeply experienced and affordable and multifamily property management and they manage more than 10,000 units in the greater Boston region public public archeology laboratory. Our historic consultant is assisting us with navigating the historic preservation, coordination and archeological aspects of the project. You'll be hearing from additional team members, including Merrill, our civil engineering firm and RBLA, our landscape architect at future hearings. Okay. Excuse me. So I'm gonna talk a little bit more about the five Auburn project history and our program beha before handing it off to Anna to run through the design. There has been a significant amount of groundwork and process leading up to where we are today. Back in the fall of 2022, the select board conducted an in-depth 10 month process to select a developer for the redevelopment of the site. In September, 2022, the select board released a request for proposals to solicit responses for the sale, reuse and preservation of five Auburn Street. The selection criteria in the RFP considered the proposed reuse of the property, qualifications of the developer and ability to execute, including financial plans. In October, 2022, Metro West CD and several others submitted an RFP response. The select board conducted a rigorous review of proposals including public interviews and community input. In March, 2023, the select board voted to enter into a development agreement with Metro West, noting our response as the most advantageous proposal. And in summer of 23, we signed a development agreement. Since selection, we have conducted a significant amount amount of due diligence, which has informed the advancement of our plans. We filed an arad or abbreviated notice of resource area delineation with the Conservation Commission, which formalized the river resource areas and informed the footprint and orientation of the new building. We completed a sensitive and intensive archeological survey as authorized by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and prior to the survey work, the tribes having dur jurisdictions were notified of the work. The results of that survey led MHC to determine that no further archeological studies are warranted for the development as proposed. We completed building envelope and initial environmental and hazardous material survey and stormwater infiltration testing, which informed our stormwater design, which also completed a traffic study Ensure and insured it was performed during the school year so we could capture peak traffic volumes. We submitted applications for state and federal historic tax credits and we also submitted an application for a project eligibility letter to the state, which is the first permitting step for affordable housing projects. The state approved our application and provided the letter of eligibility in late September. This approval allowed us to move forward and submit our comprehensive permit application to this board, which we did on October 1st. We will be going through the project in great detail over the course of the ZBA process, but at a very high level, I wanna highlight the handful of key benefits our proposal provides to the town of Natick. We see the five Auburn Street proposal as a once in a generation opportunity to preserve a cherish cherished historic community resource while providing the added benefit of affordable housing. First, our proposal creates 100% affordable housing. All 32 units of affordable family rental housing will be available to households making up to 60% of area median income with a set aside for those making up to 30% of a MI. Providing this level of affordability helps advance the affordable housing goals set by the town of Natick, the town of Natick's, updated 2021 Housing production plan and 2030 master plan. Both identify the need for increasing the local affordable housing stock in addition to increasing housing for the full range of income levels. According to the housing production plan, nearly one third of the town's renters and homeowners are cost burdened, which means they pay more than 30% of their income towards housing. It is also important to note that most income restricted housing created under Chapter 40 B and included on the subsidized housing inventory is that 80% of area median income leaving households at 60 and 30% and below underserved. Another important note on the SHI When a market rate project of say a hundred units includes 15% of units as affordable, all 100 units are counted on the SHI. So 85 of those units are actually market rate units. 100% of the 32 units in our proposal are income restricted for affordability. The next benefit, key benefit is historic preservation. So we are committed to doing the substantial work that is required to preserve and renovate the Elliot School in accordance with the Secretary of Interior standards for the rehabilitation of historic properties and great news we heard today from the National Park Service that they agree with the design elements of the Elliot School and our proposed rehabilitation of the building. The next key benefit is open space. Our proposal maintains the lawn at the corner of Elliot and Auburn as open space. This has the added benefit of preserving the historic sight lines to the school from Elliot Street. That area, the lawn area represents a significant portion of the site and other responses to the RFP proposed building buildings in that area, which we have not. The next key benefit is around sustainability. We will be incorporating energy efficiency improvements for the existing building and will pursue passive house certification for the new construction building. We will also be significantly improving site storm water management to benefit the Charles River. Currently there is no existing storm water management system on site and storm water runoff from the existing southeast paved parking lot and driveway areas flow untreated towards the river. And finally, in terms of accessibility, we will also be enhancing accessibility by making accessible upgrades at the historic building. And the new construction building will be fully accessible with many units having an enhanced accessibility features. Okay, this is a little hard to see, so sorry to folks in the back. But just to zoom in a little bit on the affordability benefit of the proposal. Affordability will be deed restricted in perpetuity for households earning up to 30% and 60% of area median income. The income and rents are listed here for the 36 30 and 60% area median income units. These are for 2024 and are set for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and Change annually. Income limits also depend on household size. You can see a number of examples here that that demonstrate who might live at five Auburn Street based on real salary data. For the 30% a MI units, a retired senior receiving the average monthly social security benefit would qualify for a one bedroom apartment for the 60% A MI units, a family of four. One parent working full is a full-time experienced Natick high school math teacher earning $70,000 a year. The other works part-time as a retail associate associate at the Natick wall making minimum wage, they would qualify for a three bedroom apartment. Okay, and finally, before I pass it over to Anna, I'd like to cover our community gate engagement process to date. Since being selected as the developer engagement with the community and town staff has been a significant focus of ours. We have held, held open houses. We have engaged in direct a better outreach, including one-on-one meetings, flyering and providing email updates and communication for work happening on site. We've had a significant amount of town engagement, including presentations to the select board, the Natick, affordable Housing Trust, the Historic District Commission, the historical Commission, and a number of meetings with the Town Design Review team, which includes staff from the fire department, police department, DPW, board of Health, sustainability and Conservation Commission. We also created a website for the development where we have a detailed list of frequently asked questions and folks can sign up to receive updates through our email list. And all of this work has informed the advancement of our proposal. Throughout the process, we've received significant comments from the public. I'll briefly summarize those here. On affordability, we've heard about the need for affordable housing options and consistency with the Natig master plan and strategic plan. We've also heard a lot of interest in living at five Auburn Street, including from people who work in town but can't afford to live in town. Seniors who would like to downsize but remain in the community and longtime made residents whose adult children would like to live more independently, but they can't find options that meet their accessibility needs. We've also heard comments on density and design, which we will be addressing tonight. The number I wanna highlight that the number of apartments has not changed since the request for proposal response and the new building has been designed in consider consideration of the scale of the neighborhood and the school, the Elliot School. We've also heard questions and comments regarding environmental operations, traffic safety, and access to amenities and public transportation. We believe we have largely addressed these concerns and the materials that have been submitted to the zoning board. But we will be understand there will be dedicated meetings to address these topics as we move through the zoning board process. But tonight we were asked to focus on the big picture program and design. So with that, I will pass it to Anna to talk through our proposed plans. <v Speaker 6>All right, great. Thank you Caitlyn.</v> So my name, can everyone hear me? So my name is Anna aco. I'm a designer at Davis Square Architects. I think this will be the easiest. I also have a laser pointer. All right, I'll just use the mouse. Okay. So I'll start by just giving a brief, some brief photos of the existing context. So here are two aerial views. So just to orient the street in the back here, this is Auburn Street and then we have the Elliot School right in the center. And then the proposed lot for the new building is on the right. And then the photo on the right is just taken from the other side. So Auburn Street is running through the top right corner. So staying at this aerial view, we use these views to kind of examine the proposal in context. So these views really help to study local context, the relationship to the existing neighborhood and to the Charles River. You can see the development is highlighted with this red arrow. So these views were incredibly helpful to us in informing where we locate the building on the site. And also just looking at the scale of the surroundings. So the, the neighborhood around the site has a variety of different scales and we, there's, there's a lot of different three story buildings that we have noticed a variety of different uses, educational, religious, commercial, and residential. We'll go to the next one. So now to zoom into the proposed site plan. So to orient again, we have Elliot Street, route 16 on the left, and then we have Auburn Street on the on the top and the Charles River to the right. And we're showing the existing building in yellow and the proposed building in orange. So just to talk through the site layout a little bit, I'll go from left to right. One of the main, the primary design goals of this project is to really highlight the existing school. And so a lot of the things that I'll discuss are really focusing on that element. So one thing that Caitlyn mentioned was that we will be preserving this front lawn we could have developed here, but we wanted to preserve these existing site lines and really give the visual priority to the school. So that's why we'll have this new building that is on the other side of the school. Moving further in, we have, there's an existing flagpole and drop-off circle that's next to the school. So we'll be preserving that and expanding it with more parking. And then the parking will, the driveway will wrap around the back and include 45 parking spaces across both buildings. The entrances to the buildings will be be right at this crosswalk in the center. So the entrance to the new building on the right and the entrance to the existing building on the left, both of them will be accessible. And this the footprint of the new building. We really carefully located to be, you know, there's the 40 foot no build zone that we are abiding by. And we also wanted to pull it further back from Auburn Street than the school, which is also reinforcing that visual priority. So to talk about landscape a little bit, we have this existing lawn, as I've said. And then we're also keeping these existing trees that are on Elliot Street and Auburn Street. And we're continuing this line of trees down Auburn Street, kind of at the edge of our site, which will also provide enhanced screening. There'll be native evergreens and shrubs throughout the rest of the site. We'll also have other landscape planting beds, perennials, low ground cover primarily at the building foundations. Kaitlyn mentioned the stormwater that will be adding to the site. So currently there's no stormwater treatment and we'll be having several bio retention areas that will help with stormwater treatment. And we also have a carefully designed lighting plan that really is sensitive to the neighbors and is dark sky compliant. So that was in our ZBA submission. I just wanted to mention it here. Okay, so now zooming into the elevation. So here is the existing school. So this is an adaptive reuse that will restore this beautiful but vacant building that is really in need of upgrades. So as Caitlin mentioned, we've purs, we're pursuing the historic tax credits and we've been working with Massachusetts Historical Commission and National Park Service, and we just were given approval today, which is great news. So we also have a historical consultant who's been assisting us through this process. And so just a couple features to point out will be preserving the existing slate roof, upgrading the windows, and various other interior preservation areas as well. Okay. So here are the floor plans for the new school line. I'm sorry they're, they're kind of small. We can, let's zoom in. So one thing I wanna note is these are flipped 180 degrees from the site plan. Just to give you some context. So this building will have nine one bedroom units primarily using the existing classroom layout for, for the units. So one classroom will turn into a one bedroom apartment. So the blue you can see the living space. And then the orange is the community amenity space. So we'll have some storage and laundry rooms in these support spaces. And then in this area in the back, the larger orange area, this is where the existing auditorium gym currently is. So we'll be preserving that existing stage. And the mo, most of this room will be used as a community room. We also have some areas for management offices. And then we also have a bike storage room. And so this is a really nice amenity for residents because in addition to the 45 parking spaces, we'll also have 36 bike parking spaces. So Caitlin mentioned accessibility. So this room, this community area will be fully accessible and will be used by both residents in both buildings. And then we'll also have, we'll be installing a wheelchair lift to get to the second, or to get to the first floor, excuse me, which will make these first floor units visitable. And then lastly, we have a sustainability consultant who's been assisting us in making this building more energy efficient. So things like adding insulation, upgrading windows, and replacing building systems to make this run a little bit better. So now we'll get to the new building. So here are two elevations. The view on the left is the elevation that's facing Auburn Street. And the view on the right is the opposing side of the building. And so one thing we really wanted to keep in mind while designing this was using na using materials that you'd find in the neighborhood. So we're using horizontal collaboratives, decorative trim. We are not using double hungs, but we are using awning windows that will look like double hungs to try to bring it down to a, a more residential scale. And so here are the elevations in the other directions. So this top view is the view that faces the Elliot school and then the, the other view is facing the river. And so I have a rendering that will help show kind of our intention behind this a little bit better. And so here's just a overview, very schematic floor plans for the new buildings. So 23 units, a mix of one, two, and three bedroom apartments. Very little amenity space in this building. Just some laundry and storage. We really wanted to keep it smaller so we, we put this community room in the existing building where we had extra space. So that's why it'll be used by residents in both buildings. And as Caitlyn mentioned, this building will be designed to pass house standards. And so here we have the renderings. So this top view is as if you were standing on Auburn Street looking at both buildings. And the bottom view is standing on Elliot Street, looking at the school. So in this top view you can see the general design of this new building. And again, to emphasize this primary design goal, which is to, to keep the school as the center stage and to not try to upstage or mimic the, the his, you know, historic building with this new construction. So we're using kind of, you know, muted neutral tones. We're using these window bays that repeat along the facade, make it look a little more residential and also break, break down the massing a little bit. And we can al you can also see the, the trees. They're in a lower opacity so we can see the building. But they give you that, the idea of the screening that, that I mentioned before. And then, so this lastly this view on the bottom is as if you're standing on Elliot Street. And so you can see the, the new building just in the corner over the existing school. And so this really reinforces this idea of maintaining the visual sight lines and the visual priority of this existing school. So it'll be largely unchanged from Elliot Street. So I'll pass it back to Caitlin to talk about next steps. <v Speaker 4>Okay, thank you Anna.</v> So we recognize that there is a lot of local interest in this project. Tonight's plan was to cover the big picture and design and it's our understanding that we will be asked to cover other specific topics including traffic and a detailed site plan review at future meetings. We appreciate that the ZBA is doing its due diligence including peer reviews of the traffic and civil design. And as Jennifer mentioned, that is work is underway. We will also be back in front of local boards including the select board, the historical commission, and the conservation commission. So there will be many opportunities for public comment on the project. I just wanna mention a couple of funding milestones that are coming up. We will be submitting a funding application to the West Metro Home Consortium next month. We also have the most significant funding milestone for the project, which is submitting the application to the state executive office of housing in livable communities. The state funding round is extremely competitive and to prove, to show readiness, we need to show significant progress in zoning. With that in mind, we've worked hard to provide a very complete and comprehensive application to this board that anticipates questions and concerns. Having zone zoning approval before the February funding deadline deadline would be a significant benefit to the project. And with that, I'll turn it to Jennifer for any final comments. <v Speaker 2>Thank you Kaitlyn. And thank you to the board.</v> My only comment is it would be great to get at the end of the hearing some further direction from the board so we we can line up the consultants. We know you've given us the hearing schedule, but topics of discussion would be really appreciated. Sure, thank you. That's it. <v Speaker 1>I actually have a couple quick questions.</v> I 45 parking spaces all at grade. Can you just go back to that one there or, or just point me out where on the site plan would be the, oh, here we go. I think the layout sheet C 200, that's probably it. <v Speaker 6>So</v> <v Speaker 1>Yeah, just walk, walk us around that for a moment.</v> It's just, it's hard to see 45. I'm certain they're there somewhere, <v Speaker 6>Right.</v> So we have some at this drop off area and then we have double loaded parking down here at the, at the back. Double <v Speaker 1>Loaded.</v> How like this one behind the other? Just <v Speaker 6>On either side of a drive file at</v> <v Speaker 1>The drive aisle.</v> Oh, they're not, they're not tandem, just to be <v Speaker 6>Clear.</v> Right, right, exactly. Oh I see <v Speaker 1>Here.</v> Faced in and here faced that aisle. Yes, exactly. Yeah. <v Speaker 6>Okay. Gotcha. And then we have just single</v> parking single loaded on, on the right over here, but they total 45. 45. <v Speaker 1>I counted. Didn't got 46,</v> but I'll kind of get you counted. Four six, we got, we got a calendar. Okay. Anybody on the board have any questions on what you saw? <v Speaker 7>Yeah, I'm looking at that 40 foot buffer zone.</v> It looks like it's going into that little nook in the building. Is that correct? Talking <v Speaker 1>About back here?</v> <v Speaker 7>Yeah, there's a green line</v> that comes right up against the river right there. What's gonna happen when we remove the dam? Is the river gonna expand in that 40 foot <v Speaker 1>Look that way?</v> <v Speaker 4>So aware</v> <v Speaker 7>That we're taking the ndic dam</v> <v Speaker 4>Now.</v> Yes, we, we are very aware of the, the proposed project. And I know that we're gonna talk about this in in more detail when we have our civil engineer and our landscape architect at a future hearing. But we have certainly taken that into consideration and our understanding that it's is that after the dam is removed, it will actually benefit our proposal by reducing any potential flood risk. <v Speaker 7>So the river's gonna get more narrow.</v> <v Speaker 4>That is beyond my area of expertise.</v> We can have someone who understands the, the dynamics of the change in the river. When <v Speaker 7>Does the dam go down?</v> Do you know? <v Speaker 4>I'm not sure if Amanda has any</v> knowledge of the timeline there. <v Speaker 8>We're still working on</v> <v Speaker 1>Work in progress.</v> Anybody else have any questions here on the board before we turn it over to, to the public? No, no, no. Okay. Not yet. Okay. We have lot. So any other comments before we, we let the folks have a, have some say? <v Speaker 4>Sure. I just wanted to highlight on parking,</v> you pointed out that we now have 45 spaces. So our original response to the request for proposals included 33 spaces and we did hear some comments from the community about the need for additional parking. So we were glad that we were able to accommodate that request and, and create more parking on site. And the 45 spaces actually meets the, the base zoning requirement under the residential zoning district. <v Speaker 1>Good enough in a multi-family setting.</v> 45 would be the number. I'm looking over here. I'm spread, <v Speaker 2>I believe we don't need that waiver anymore.</v> <v Speaker 1>Okay. Okay. I'm seeing a nod over here.</v> Agreed. No waiver for the parking, no wa no waiver necessary for the parking. Okay. Okay. So we're gonna ask people to come and, and, and speak if you sow desire at the podium and there is a sheet that's there, is that correct? Yes. With a pen. Two, two pens. If you could just give us your name and address for the record, but also write it on the sheet and then we'll just go one at a time. I'll let you folks select who should go first. Come on, <v Speaker 9>I'll write my name first in case I</v> <v Speaker 1>Forget Ky do</v> <v Speaker 9>Okay.</v> Can you hear me okay? Yes sir. Okay. My name is Mark Bugden. I live at 32 Elliot Street, which is the corner house of the intersection of Elliot in Auburn. And we've been there for about in our 29th year. It's a lovely neighborhood. There's four houses on the street and we're the second newest people. So people stay, there's approximately 12 people on the street right now and that kind of depends on which adult children are moving back home because there is a housing crisis and we're very sensitive to it from day one. We've never been a not in my backyard thing. We always welcomed some kind of housing here. Affordable, fine. That was always on the table. What I find challenging is the scope of the project. We had the sleepy little dead end street with four houses. It's 430 feet long, less than 500 feet typically. And I've done some research on dead end streets and housing. You never would have a project this size at the end of a dead end street. There's one way in, one way out. Part of it's pre case of emergency. You have a tree goes down, I have a gas line going into my driveway. My driveway is the right at the corner, right the first in you go about 30 yards. My driveway's there. Heaven forbid if there was a, some kind of a line issue. How you gonna get to back of the building? How are you gonna get to Ed's house at the end of the street? These are real issues. Snow time, if that's enough parking in the winter, fine. Is that enough for residents and visitors? I don't know. There's over no overnight parking. And again, I, I'm not trying to have scare tactics, but safety's is a real, real issue here. Safety, pulling out onto Elliot Street right now, if there's more than two cars, maybe three in your peak time, you could go through two light cycles before you get out that afternoon. And morning traffic lasts a couple hours and you have to let someone has to let you out and stop before they already jumped up to the end of the line. So that is a real deal. We got some pictures over there and I, I I think you guys do good work. You're providing valuable housing, necessary housing. It's all about the scale of the project. Again, I've worked with affordable housing in the past. I've worked with people with housing insecurity in my previous jobs. I'd like to show something here. This is a ca a example of something that was recently done in New Bedford. Yes, new Bedford. 15 unit in an old school building. Bang, nothing in the back, nothing on the side. 15 units in the city of New Bedford. We would love something like that in the building. That's what was discussed before the RFP process. When we met there with Martin Kessel and Andy Meyer and a couple other people early on, we were thinking, okay, what what could go in there? Housing? Great what? 12, 13, 14 units, maybe 15, you know, somewhere in that ballpark. Randy Johnson. Randy, did I get his name right? The local architect. Randy. Okay. Not the baseball pitcher. Okay, get that name mixed up. He, his original drawing was 19 units in the building and then he wanted to have some more. But really, and I was on a commission committee that was commissioned by the select board and the finance committee back in 2007. What to do with the building. I've gone to meetings before that particular board gone to meetings afterwards. Never has it ever been considered other than how can the town dispense of five Auburn. How can we make it work for the community and the town this time? I think in some level it's helping the community but it's not helping the immediate neighbors. And I've gone and was involved with the 2030 master plan and I talked about the affordable housing and we worked on that. And again, it had to do with what's best for all the stakeholders. This I see, yes, you do only the school building, you don't get as many apartments, but you can get apartments put everywhere. I don't think in the history of the town in Natick has there been a project of this scope on a dead end street that's only 430 feet, less than 500 feet long abutting a river. And I know that's specific and on top of that, going out to a major road. Route 16 is not a sleepy little street. Maybe at midnight it is, but during the day, during the morning, everybody's going towards the Wellesley 16. In the afternoons they're going towards Dover Sher and they disperse from there. It, it is hard to get out. Now again, we have 12 people living on the street and we have a hard time getting out. Maybe if there were 10 or 15 units we'd figure it out. You put 32 with that many cars, that much activity. And now with the online world of Amazon trucks, UPS, federal Express going up and down, i I just really think we're creating a nuisance. There's such a thing as too much of a good thing. We need affordable housing. This is a great site for affordable housing. But let's take a reasonable approach and make it a, a win-win for everybody. The existing neighbors, the people in the back could have more parking, they could have a playground back there, whatever it would be. There could be, you know, we always, for years the gate used to always be open. That's the way we connect the South Natick walk to the dam. We don't walk on the main street, we walk to the back of the school. If you look over there, the picture to the right and I'm gonna just walk over here for a second. Hope that's okay. This picture right here is a closeup from the bacon free library. Okay, looking at Ed Sugar's house, where's Ed? Okay, ed and Susan, they live there. That connects over by the river and back at the bacon free library to the neighborhood. Gives a sense of space. This is a crowded, highly active square. As you mentioned earlier, there's a schools, maybe less schools soon because the new school on union. But there's schools, there's businesses, there's lights, there's people taking shortcuts, there's all kinds of activity. But on a nice afternoon you can look over here and look right back. And that's the way I used, I usually walk over back home on Auburn Street. That's connection. It's connecting the whole community together, which we're gonna lose right now. This is typical traffic. Traffic. That's not a fake thing. That goes all the way down to the wealthy college president's house, some afternoons. And by time they get to Elliot Street, people might lose patience of letting people cut in front of them down in our part of the neighborhood. So this is not an imaginative thing. It's not a not in my backyard. This is real. And this is some of the open views, which may be gone for good. You can look over here and you can hear the kids playing ball field over on Pleasant Street over next to the river. You can actually hear the games and actually see kids in the distance with no leaves at times. But anyways, this is, this is not imaginary, it's not made up. It's not like we don't care. Put a great project in the school building, we'd be thrilled. Be better for everybody. It would still be more increased traffic. We might have a few extra lights we're waiting for here and there, but it wouldn't be the scope. There wouldn't be as many Amazon trucks. Believe me, they're everywhere. We all know that. Who doesn't see 'em all over town? Federal Express UPS people order a lot online. This street has probably not changed that much. Well it was, my house is new at the corner house. It used to be on Leach Lane. It was moved over to my site in 1970. In fact, we got pictures of one of the flatbeds, whoever brought it over, I think the Mel Curies did it. They bought the land and they moved the house over from where? Next to the gas, next to the Gulf gas station behind there. It was like two to four Auburn Street. But it again, that's new. The other three homes have probably been there 1860s. Yeah, they look very similar. The porches might be different. They're built in the 1860s. This is 1924. 2024. I'm going, geez, I skipped a jet. I skipped a century. That's how old these homes have been. That's how established this little sleepy historical street been. They were there before the school building. And that was built to be a neighborhood school, which closed years ago. And it's been rented out as a school pretty much ever since. But this is not, we're not, I feel like we're putting in adverse relationship when we want housing. We want what's good. We think it's a prime building. But we much have rather have the school building look like that or yard drawings of it and stop right there. I don't think Natick is that desperate, that they have to overwhelm an existing community. Small as it is, we're extra cars, extra everything and change it. We're doing well with the, you know, the affordable housing rates, whatever that's all about. But again, it's not even just that in the past and in the history, I don't think there's ever been a project attempted like this scope at the end of a dead end street. Yes sir. I'm <v Speaker 1>Just gonna stop you there 'cause I,</v> <v Speaker 9>Okay. I agree.</v> <v Speaker 1>But, but thank you. But before you go Yep.</v> Anybody who, who wants to say exact, I'm sorry. Your name again sir? It's Mark. <v Speaker 9>Mark,</v> <v Speaker 1>Mark Den.</v> Who wants to sign on to what Mark just said? Did he raise your hand? Okay. Okay. Alright. So I guess we'll, to just rule one from rule one from the last time we were here was we don't need to hear everybody go up there and say exactly what Mark said because we see the overwhelming numbers of people in the, in the assembled. Agree with what Mark just said. If you have, and it was well said. And if you have anything else you'd like to add other than what Mark said, then we'd invite you to come up. <v Speaker 9>Did I talk enough?</v> <v Speaker 1>Very well, yeah.</v> <v Speaker 9>Perfect. Okay. I I can keep</v> <v Speaker 1>Going.</v> Got you Right on the nose. We got it. Perfect. <v Speaker 10>Ask a question. Yeah.</v> <v Speaker 1>Mark, mark, mark, mark. We're gonna have you come back up.</v> I i, there's a question here. I just have, <v Speaker 5>So you said there's lack of access</v> or you have access now to, to something and I, I, I missed out where exactly you were saying you could walk to <v Speaker 9>Where from?</v> Oh, we used to like walk behind the school. There's a gate there. You could kind of squeeze in some years it's locked some years it's not. But that was ju just historically we would walk to the dam cutting through the back. <v Speaker 5>Okay. Through, through the day.</v> The preschool there? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. <v Speaker 9>Yeah. I mean this in the evenings on the</v> weekends and things like that. In fact, you know, my kids were little, that was the town soccer field. That was where they had the little kids. 'cause it wasn't a full regulation field. They used to play soccer there. Then they'd have games and you know, basketball inside there sometimes. So it's been a community resource. And when I chaired the committee, we were looking for a balance between, you know, at the time lease versus sell. What would we do, what would be the best usage? But again, it was only the building. And I, and, and for the record, nobody really liked the tracks project project in the sense that they were building in the back and the front too. It all had to do with the density less people. And we would be even back then, we said we'd be just as happy with whatever type of program you have here for affordable housing. 'cause it's surely needed, believe me, in the school building and solely in the school building. <v Speaker 1>Gotcha. Thanks very much.</v> Okay, who else would like to be heard? Come on up sir. We'll just have you write your name and address on the sheet and then we'll have you say it for the record as well. <v Speaker 11>Hello, my name is Roger Scott.</v> I live at 40 Water Street Next Street over a couple of things I wanna present here is I am a town meeting member and last fall I presented at a town meeting Article 23, which I felt was a safety issue. Now, safety not just for the neighbors who live on the street, but you're putting people in, men in housing that you have to consider the safety. It was a nice presentation about the beauty of it all and what they had it planned. But you also have to look at the safe aspect. And so my article 23 was saying that any dead end street in Natick should be limited to 15 units. I I don't, I'm <v Speaker 1>Sorry. The number again?</v> <v Speaker 11>15. Yeah.</v> So if we had 15 units, it's probably manageable for the police and the fire department. I mean, the street I believe is only three 20 feet wide right now. So it's gonna have to be adjusted. And there's only the one axis in, and I would have to say we have to get, I, I would think before you do anything, and you would have to have some kind of signed document by the fire chief, the police chief, any of the safety officers of in this town that they're going along with this proposal. 'cause you might have some lawsuits down the road if something dangerous happens to the tenants that you're putting in these, this position. It's like not looking out to the future is what could happen. And you have to protect them as well as the neighbors are currently living on the street and we already know about the traffic situation. That could be a, an accident based on somebody being in a hurry to get off that street and heavy traffic that, you know, people are flying down there. It says a 25 mile zone, but you see people going 35, 40 miles an hour right now. And I, I really think you have to look at that safety thing. An ambulance getting down there, you're gonna have probably a lot of elderly people down there. So you, you need to have that ability to, to add to that. Now my, my article didn't pass and I was told because I haven't approached the finance committee and the zoning board before I went ahead with proposing the article. It was a short notice deal. It's like why isn't this being dealt with? So here I am, zoning board is here and I think you really have to handle the safety issue. And once you realize that these people are gonna be safe, the neighbors are gonna be safe, then you go ahead and do what you have to do. But I think you really shouldn't be going over the 15 units in any, any dead and street in the town of Natick. Thank you. Okay. Thank you very much. <v Speaker 1>Okay. Who would like to sign on to that comment?</v> Raise your hand. Okay. So I think that's the same, the same people who raise their hand for comment one, raise their hand for comment two, who else would like to be heard on issues that have not been raised? Come on up. If you could just write your name and address on the sheet there. Sure. And then just give your name and address for the record. Yeah. <v Speaker 12>Hi everyone, I'm Rose Coman</v> and I live at six Auburn Street. Don't hold that against me. I'd like to talk a bit about the RFP process and the whole process because I think context is important. One of the things we haven't talked about yet is the Natick 2030 plan and the RFP specifically called for proposals that further the goals of the Natick 2030 plan. This includes maintaining open space in important wildlife corridors. And five Auburn Street is identified as being in one of those important wildlife corridors. As you know, it's waterfront property on the Charles River. It's open space. There's tons of wildlife that live there. The 2030 plan also has a goal of maintaining the village character of South Natick. And the scale and design of this project, specifically the second building, are not in keeping with that village feel. The whole point of having a master plan is to inform development so that decisions are not made piecemeal. The whole point is to prevent this from happening. Metro West has made reference to being the most advantageous of the options that came from the RFP process. But I'd like to remind everyone that being the best option doesn't mean it's actually an appropriate option. I think the history and context of the process here matters now because you have the important job of offering checks and balances to decisions that have been made so far. As a brief recap, the RFP process outlined objectives of one, preserving the historic building and two, preserving open space. It indicated that other favorable characteristics of a proposal would include a use that serves community needs such as affordable housing, civic space arts and cultural amenities, educational facilities, et cetera. But it is very important to clarify that the RFP did not require that proposals include affordable housing. The reason this is important is because when voting for the MetroWest collaborative proposal, members of the select board actually said, and I encourage you to check the videos, that they didn't think this was an appropriate development for the location, but they felt they had to vote for the only option that was affordable housing. They also did the bare minimum advertising required by our, by our bylaws during this process, not even listing this on a public listing service. So you're already just limiting the options that there are to choose from. Lastly, the select board members mentioned being threatened with physical violence if they didn't vote for the affordable housing option. So this decision was made under duress. You now have an opportunity to write a series of decisions that were made with wrong pretense and motivations now for the good, the neighborhood unanimously supports converting the existing building to affordable housing. The plan looks great. I think the team is strong. I would love to have Metro West develop the existing building. The overwhelming objection to this proposal is based solely on the inappropriate scale and density, including the second building on what is now open space within a wildlife quarter. Metro West has stated that they need to build the number of units they've proposed in order to hit their profit targets. But we ask you to please not put the profit targets of a private company ahead of your own town residence. Surely we can find a way to develop this property appropriately limiting it to the existing building. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Thank you.</v> Okay, let's use raised hands. I we don't need to go through that, but Andy <v Speaker 13>Yeah.</v> Could you elaborate on the comment about the threat of physical violence? What was that about? Yeah, <v Speaker 14>I heard during the meetings for the,</v> the select board meetings that they said people had written in and actually threatened them if they didn't vote for the affordable housing option. So I'd say follow up with them directly. 'cause I don't wanna say the wrong thing, but that was a comment that was made during the select board meetings. <v Speaker 13>Thank you</v> <v Speaker 1>Mr. Chair. Nope.</v> <v Speaker 5>Can you elaborate on the purpose of the master plan was</v> to prevent stuff like this from happening? <v Speaker 14>Yep. So I specifically mean the building</v> of the second building in a wildlife corridor. 'cause the master plan specifically states that a goal is to maintain open space in the wildlife corridors. <v Speaker 5>Can we have her go to a microphone? A goal or the eagle?</v> <v Speaker 8>Oh wait, once hold one second. One of many goals at home.</v> Can't hear unless she has a microphone. Yeah, they can hear. <v Speaker 5>Yeah. Sorry, sorry.</v> <v Speaker 12>So the master plan has many goals outlined.</v> One of those goals was to maintain open space in wildlife quarters. <v Speaker 5>And</v> <v Speaker 12>What do you mean?</v> <v Speaker 5>What was the, what was another</v> primary goal of the master plan <v Speaker 12>To maintain the village feel of the South Natick village.</v> <v Speaker 5>And</v> <v Speaker 12>I'm not sure what you're getting at</v> <v Speaker 5>This.</v> The creation of affordable housing in the town of Natick. Sure. Thank you. <v Speaker 7>And one last question.</v> You've mentioned the pursuit of profit. You, you're a nonprofit if I'm not mistaken. Can So <v Speaker 1>What was that?</v> Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. That the question addressed to these folks. <v Speaker 2>Correct. Metro West is a nonprofit.</v> There are no profits here. The reason why the statement may have been made about 32 units is because that's the economic feasibility. The fiscal reality not to make profits, not to hit profits. Any profits go right back into the mission, which is to create 100% affordable housing. So this is not like a private developer <v Speaker 1>And you are the owner and operator?</v> <v Speaker 2>Caitlyn is</v> <v Speaker 4>Metro West would be, yes.</v> The owner, developer and long term or term owner. Excuse me. <v Speaker 1>Okay. Thanks very much.</v> I think we the same people sign onto that. I think we heard that from the applause. Anybody else have any questions here before we keep going? And, and did you have something I I what I thought we would do is, is hear everybody if questions come up, we can address them as they come up rather than have you respond to every comment. Because unless you, you want to, you'll have an opportunity to listen and then come back and, and make whatever presentation to address these concerns in a, in a more, <v Speaker 3>You know,</v> <v Speaker 1>Thoughtful way.</v> <v Speaker 2>That's fine.</v> <v Speaker 1>Okay.</v> If you wanna say something, just let me know. Well, <v Speaker 2>Certainly we don't wanna be known as the one, the,</v> the entity that threatened the select board. No. Right. So I, I think, but I think as I, as I did not hear it was them, just make that clear. I know. Yeah. Thank you. I just wanna Yeah, fair state that for the record. Okay. <v Speaker 1>Yeah. Okay. Thanks very much.</v> Who else would like to be heard, sir? Again, we'll just have you write your name on the sheet and then just announce yourself. We'll get you next. <v Speaker 3>Thank you, David.</v> <v Speaker 1>Okay.</v> <v Speaker 15>My name is Rob Dunleavy.</v> I am on Front Street, which is actually a cross route 16. And I'll try to make this very quick and, and this may seem a really frivolous or trivial thing to add there, but I have spent the last 10 to 15 years, virtually every morning down at the dam drawing. I'm an artist. And in that time I have seen skunks, beavers, muskrat, snapping turtles, white-tailed deer, mallards, wood ducks, ganzer, bald eagles, osprey and fish. Did I say Fisher cats. Fisher cats in that stretch of the river. So imagine it's just nice down there and I'm sure the new residents of Auburn Street will really appreciate that fact. That's all. <v Speaker 1>Thanks very much. Thank you hands. Anybody?</v> Okay, a couple hands. Who else? Oh, we have one. Yes sir. Come on up <v Speaker 3>Here.</v> <v Speaker 16>Hi guys. Dan Weddle. I'm 25 Leach Lane.</v> Been here since 98. And lemme write my name down. <v Speaker 1>There we go.</v> <v Speaker 16>I'd ask the audience here,</v> how many people actually read the entire 217 page is a 217 page plan. Anybody, a few of you, we want to focus in on traffic. Traffic. Traffic is gonna be a big, big one for, for me guys, it was alluded to, but I did not see enough of the future plan or, or I should say how the future that we as a community have agreed on building down in South Natick from the corner down here at the end of Union Street, the next one, the new, the new building that is the school in the plan and how you are going to be adding or subtracting from the, from the overall traffic flow. That's, that's a big one for me. But let, <v Speaker 1>Let me just stop you for a second.</v> Yeah. Just, I want to get you to concentrate on this site Yep. As opposed to sort of the town writ large. <v Speaker 16>Yeah. This is definitely part of that, of that,</v> of all of that is going <v Speaker 1>To be pushing, I'm trying, try to focus in on Elliot</v> Street, Auburn Street, front Street down there, if you would. <v Speaker 16>Yep. Which does have all the traffic</v> that's coming from Union Street to compete with in a crossway as well as taking lefts and rights. Right. So there's a lot, a lot that is going to be impacted by what's, what is going on in addition to what's going on with the, with this development. I, I also am bad at hearing my, I've been drumming for 40 years and I thought I heard 45 spaces plus 36. <v Speaker 1>No, 45 total. Total.</v> <v Speaker 16>That's inclusive of workers</v> and everybody, everybody. That would be that, that's 45. Okay. Staff. I thought I residents another thank you for, for clarifying that with regard to the traffic report data points that had been taken over the course of the time that the test and, and the report was done seems very sh not enough data points. I'd like to see that expanded over the course of a couple weeks and have a third party expert. You, I, I know last time we were here Dave you mentioned, and it looked like everybody, everybody did the, on the, on the board shake their head to having a third party. <v Speaker 1>It</v> <v Speaker 16>Will be consultants, right? It</v> <v Speaker 1>Will be, yeah.</v> <v Speaker 16>You will be having that for sure.</v> I would push forward making sure that there are more data points because I'm not sure that the, the number of data points that are, are in that report are reflecting reality. <v Speaker 1>I'll tell you that, that our</v> peer review consultants will be doing it in strict accordance with the requirements of their industry standards, let's call <v Speaker 16>It.</v> Awesome. Yeah. With regard to safety, I'm gonna, and this is, is a corollary to this. If anybody's ever driven in New York City, you see these spots right? Where you cannot box. Right. I don't see anything in the report that says we're going to add to safety by having some of the traffic. Don't block the box and help out all of our neighbors who are all of on all of those streets that are off of 16 in that specific locust that you're talking about, Dave, right? I cannot tell you how much quality of life I have lost in the last 10 years for having to come out the end of my street and try to get a kid to wherever the heck they're, they're supposed to be going and thinking that I have to do this by taking time off of my work, by taking time off of consulting, that I do by time, taking time off of whatever quality of life that I want to have with my kids and my family because I have to get out and hope that somebody's going to let me out the damn street. I cannot do it, can't do it left. I can't do it right at the end of my street depending on the, on the, on the time of day. And I would imagine that everybody here has that damn same, same issue, right? So if you could add to your plan some sort of, don't block the box. It might, it might be every 10, 10 feet down that area, but I'll tell you what, I think that that would go a long way in helping us out, right? Still on six to eight minutes, additional quality of life reduction per car. That is there, is what I read in that, in that report, it's not per household because they're probably gonna be more, more cars per household. So however that is, is worded. I'd wanna make sure, again, with your third party consultant, that that is very much looked at with regard to how many minutes, additional time that I'm gonna lose in my quality of life that, that any single car is gonna add by coming in and out. And oh, by the way, that doesn't include the, from what I can see in the report, the construction vehicles. So how long is it going to be, add that construction time, add the number of vehicles, and that amount of time per day, one way or the other, add that onto the quality of life or reduce the quality of life that we have down in that area. Lastly, I will say the, I don't know if the, if the report looks at a cumulative amount of traffic that would've added to what we're dealing with today from all the construction that has gone on in the last bunch of years, but that would help me out and figure out that how much time I've, I've lost in my quality of life is not really as bad as it is. But I'm, I'm, I'm thinking that it probably is. I'll tell you a story. I'm in clinical research for pharmaceutical and biotech. In 2004, I did my big SWOT analysis. I started my own, my own company. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Not everybody can put in what every damn threat is going to be for an earthquake or a tornado to whatever come and take away the opportunity that you try to try to build here. But Merck put a product on the market called Vioxx, and they only looked at individual studies. They didn't look at a meta-analysis. When they looked at a meta-analysis, they had to take the product off the market because in that review, they actually found out that the product killed a lot more people than what was shown in the individual studies. So I would like to have that thought about in a major, major way because it's not just the individual little teeny weenie studies that are gonna be part of what I would say is important, but the overall meta-analysis. And I thank you. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Okay. One second.</v> <v Speaker 5>He did take into account future birth</v> and 89 Union Street into traffic state. <v Speaker 1>Okay? Yes ma'am.</v> <v Speaker 17>My name is Patty Malone</v> and I live at 31 South Lincoln Street. And I just have a question if it's Kaitlyn, if you've, you could just answer. So you're the owner and operator of the project, so you would operate it as well that if the <v Speaker 16>Questions could go to the board,</v> <v Speaker 1>We prefer it. Yeah,</v> <v Speaker 17>That's right.</v> I'm so, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's okay. <v Speaker 1>That's, that's, I didn't, that's what I was just asking.</v> I didn't repeat the rules at, so all the questions should be addressed to the board and then we'll direct perfect the applicant to, to, to answer if appropriate. Okay. So your question again is are they the Oh, yes, <v Speaker 17>No problem.</v> Yes. Are the, are they the owner and operator of the, of <v Speaker 1>The, I think that's been asked and answered, but</v> <v Speaker 17>I, you know what? Yeah,</v> <v Speaker 1>No problem.</v> <v Speaker 17>I too have terrible hearing.</v> So that was, I just wanted, I get it. Clarify. <v Speaker 1>The answer is yes, you are the owner and the operator.</v> <v Speaker 4>Right. But we do have a third party professional</v> management company. Maloney, <v Speaker 1>Yes, owner operator,</v> but professionally managed by a company called Maloney who manages 10,000 units in the Massachusetts area or the operator Boston area. Okay. <v Speaker 17>Probably. Okay. That was, yep.</v> I just wanted clarification on that point. Yep. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Thank you. Does anybody else wish to be heard?</v> I see a hand here. Yes sir. <v Speaker 18>I will put my</v> <v Speaker 1>Name here. Thank you sir.</v> <v Speaker 18>My name is Ed Shuri.</v> I live at eight Auburn Street in Natick. I'm a town meeting member from Precinct 10. I have a challenge for you gentlemen. And ladies, do you know that someone drowned on Auburn Street just off of our house in the river? So my question becomes, first, what is gonna be done by the collaborative to prevent a kid living there from drowning? It's serious and I am very acutely aware of the problem. I will continue. <v Speaker 1>Please do</v> <v Speaker 18>I have</v> a, another question. Is Almond Street proposed to be widened? Because I thought I heard that the trees aren't gonna be taken down. <v Speaker 1>Hold on one second. Sir,</v> do you wanna answer that question? Do we know the answer to that question as we stand here? So <v Speaker 2>I think we're waiting to discuss traffic</v> with the traffic consultant and the engineer and I think we'll get into that in more detail <v Speaker 1>Then on the, it's a question</v> that will be answered, but not tonight. Okay. <v Speaker 18>Thank you. Is there, just</v> as a follow up, and you may not have the answer tonight, what's the proposed width that Auburn Street would be? <v Speaker 1>We're gonna get that answer to you too.</v> <v Speaker 18>Thank you. I'd also like</v> to ask the proponents through you, sir, what negative feedback has been received from anybody and is it in any of your reports? <v Speaker 1>I think what we, I'm gonna,</v> I was gonna answer part of that. Yes sir. I just tell you this, what what I heard was that there was some community input, they feedback they to it and what you're seeing before you is responsive in large part to those concerns <v Speaker 18>That that said, oh, just, I'm</v> <v Speaker 1>Sorry.</v> That's okay. Do you want to add anything to that for the time being or just hold it? <v Speaker 3>Do you wanna add anything?</v> <v Speaker 4>No. Mr.</v> Chair, I think you pretty well covered it. Thank you <v Speaker 1>Sir.</v> <v Speaker 18>Has there been an, been any thought given by you folks,</v> the board to the diminution in value? The tax revenue would be decreased because of what's going in there to the surrounding homes because I firmly consider that there would be a diminution in value of the homes. <v Speaker 1>Okay.</v> <v Speaker 18>Tax wise. Alright.</v> Has any thought been given to that? <v Speaker 1>Well, this is just a, the very start of this project.</v> So I think everyone's thinking about all the impacts, but we're learning about the project tonight in detail. And so these are some of the considerations that the board will make. I'm not sure if the net effect on the tax base in the town is an appropriate element for the board to consider, but we appreciate you bringing that to our attention. <v Speaker 18>Thank you. Next. And if I'm over by question limit,</v> tell me, I think there was a proposal, I think I heard correctly that the windows in the school are gonna be replaced. Those windows I thought were historical, so I'd like some clarification on that. <v Speaker 1>Can we answer that?</v> <v Speaker 6>Should that, that is something</v> that we are still investigating. So working with historic, we have a couple, I said window upgrades because we're not quite sure whether we're going to be preserving the windows and adding a storm window for increased efficiency or if we would be replacing the windows to match how they look now. So that's important <v Speaker 18>To, those are historical windows</v> though, as I understand it. <v Speaker 1>So let, let me say that,</v> that all historical will will have to be approved in some form or fashion and that's gonna be a specific issue that they'll address with and their historic consultant. So, but we're, we're gonna note it for the record. <v Speaker 18>Thank you sir. Respectfully. Yes sir.</v> I'm the old guy that lives at the end of the street. That was not a joke. I'm also the guy that's had the wonderful fire department responding four times to care for me and they had a heck of a time coming down the street on one occasion at least that's gotta be changed. That situation is awful. And I know it's not per se for you folks tonight, but in the overall scheme of things, with all that addition to housing, I often say there's gonna be a police fire substation at the end of Auburn Street. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Thank you. Hands.</v> Hi there. Your name and address for the record? <v Speaker 19>Ganish Ram Chandran 30 Spring Street Natick. Thank you Mr.</v> Chair. Members of the board, friends and neighbors. I have a background in architecture planning, urban design. As a professional I had worked in more than 30 municipalities and cities across the country. And I also happen to be the chair of the Natick Affordable Housing Trust. So I, I just wanna, you know, to the chair, we had already sent a letter of support, which I hope you'll share in the future meetings as part of the agenda packet. Let me, <v Speaker 1>Let me just stop you right there and just address</v> that everything that's being, that's submitted to this board by both the applicant and by the public at large is where <v Speaker 20>It's in your notebooks.</v> Okay. But it's also online and OpenGov under the five Auburn project. <v Speaker 19>Thank you. Appreciate it. Okay,</v> <v Speaker 1>Sorry to interrupt.</v> <v Speaker 19>So I, I wanna talk about the big picture</v> need for affordable housing. Answer some of the questions about the location density traffic and the larger argument for having affordable housing. But one third of households in Natick or cost burden, as the propent said, they pay more than a third of their income for housing. This is not sustainable, it's not sustainable for our town, it's not sustainable for their region and it's not sustainable for our country. You know, you just have to open the newspaper every day to talk about affordable housing crisis. And this project is a once in a generation opportunity to provide an answer to that need. 32 units is just a drop in the bucket. And boy, we do need the drop to have the kind of people whom they said they're gonna live. Whether it's a employee of the town of Natick or it's a single mom supporting kids or a senior who wants to downsize and stay in the town or someone who's disabled and who wants to have a roof over his, her or their head about the location. You know, we've heard a lot that it's a dead end street. You know, everything has multiple perspective. I'll also make an argument, it's a property on a state highway. You know, it's a prop, it's a corner lot. One end happened to be a dead end street. The other side also happened to be a state highway route 16. And I have to command the architects for making sure you preserve the open space, you preserve the views and vistas to the existing building while at the same time tucking the new building behind. So it does not become a visual aberration of sorts. And for traffic, I would just ask the board, trust the facts. You know, you are going to, you know, there's this traffic study which has highlighted that there's not gonna be significant traffic impact. You're gonna have a peer review tra I'm not a transportation planner and I won't be surprised if that comes with very similar results In planning. We speak a lot about missing middle. A missing middle is the kind of housing typologies that aims to fill the gap between a single family dwelling, which is predominantly the unit type in these suburban neighborhoods, as well as the large apartment buildings. Four to five story, something you see down the street. Let's talk about density. A single family housing prototype ranges from a density of around four to eight dwelling units an acre, depending on how you calculate these Ned densities. Let's say we go with the number five dwelling units an acre, the property is about six acres, six times five is 30. So if you were to rethink this development as a development of single family homes, you are gonna see a density of 30 to 35 dwelling units an acre, if not more, if you consider a small lot single family home. So in terms of the growth and the net density, we are not talking about a huge density unlike a larger single family home sub development. And, and finally I wanna wrap up with what I think is a moral argument. Someone with my skin color about 75 years ago would not be able to buy a house in Natick because of redlining. Their realtors wouldn't show me units. Banks would refuse to lend mortgages even if the person has the economic means. And here we have an opportunity to have the kind of people or you know, it doesn't matter who the race is, to have to have an opportunity for someone who does not have the economic means to be able to afford a home in Natick, the median income in Natick is about $130,000, give or take. And you probably need about $200,000 as a household income to be able to afford a home and to have a development that can cater to people making up to 30% of a MI or 60% of a MI. It's extraordinary and I think this is something we should celebrate rather than a post. And just to wrap up, I also was one of the members of the Natick 2030 master plan. And I do not remember us like identifying any properties and saying this is not a place for housing. We identified the South Natick as a neighborhood center and as a potential place to encourage housing. I mean, there's a library, there's retail, it's going to be a walkable neighborhood and, and this is an extraordinary opportunity for the town to do this. Thank you folks. <v Speaker 1>Folks, please, please.</v> Did I, when when folks are talking, give them the courtesy of letting them speak, it's just respect. Does anybody wish to raise their hand and support the point of view that was just indicated? Okay. Okay. Very good. Thanks very much. Thank you. Thank you. Does anybody else wish to be heard? Yes, the hand in the back. <v Speaker 21>I'll take the time to sign in</v> after my remarks if that's okay. Very good. Good evening. My name is Judy Dixon and I live in another very busy neighborhood of Natick at 94 Oak Street and I work as a housing equity advocate for Family Promise Metro West. I want to stress the dire need we face for affordable housing options in our area. We serve families with children who experience housing insecurity in Natick and the wider metro west area. We provide shelter as well as subsidies to prevent homelessness when families find themselves at risk of losing their housing. We partner with families over the course of several years and coach them toward financial stability, teaching them financial literacy. We work with caregivers to increase their earning potential through career planning and accessing training and education that can lead them toward more lucrative employment. We work with working families. The primary cause of housing insecurity is the high cost of housing juxtaposed with income that has not kept pace with the cost of living low and middle income. Families who stretch to pay market rate rents in our area are ca housing cost burdened in a way that leaves them vulnerable to setbacks. The kinds of setbacks we can all likely relate to car troubles that keep them from getting to work. Health crises, loss partner separations and divorces, layoffs and reduction in work hours. A crisis like any of these can be devastating for a family. With no financial safety net at Family Promise, we are noticing more families seeking our support. This year to date, we have served more than 150 families, which represents a 36% increase over the number of families we served last year. And an 81% increase over the number of families we served just two years ago. At the same time, we are scaling up our services to help more families work toward financial stability and minimize trauma and uncertainty for their children. We are having a harder and harder time locating affordable housing where they can stabilize and build toward a more secure future. The five Auburn Street Project is important to our community because of the actual affordability of its planned units, while other development in our town is adding to our housing stock and will hopefully help people feeling the overall squeeze of the housing shortage through supply and demand adjustments. Those developments set aside at best 10% of their units as affordable and target and target households that are earning up to 80% of the area median income for a family of four, that would be annual earnings of up to $130,000 per year, which might be seen as a stretch for the families that we work with. But five Auburn. But the five Auburn Street project plans, housing units to be offered, as has been said for people at 30 and 60% of the area. Median income for that family of four I've been talking about that means annual income from 45,000 to $98,000 per year. That's the kind of affordability that will create access to housing security for struggling families and couples and individuals, young people and our elders. A roof over their heads that they can sustain. I implore you, the members of the zoning board of appeals to do, please hear the concerns of my fellow Natick residents to mitigate them wherever possible and then to enthusiastically support this project. <v Speaker 1>Thank you. Thanks very much. Same thing.</v> Who would like to sign on to that? Okay, thanks very much. Who else would like to be heard tonight? Come on up. <v Speaker 22>So I'll sign when she's done. Yeah,</v> <v Speaker 1>Yeah. Great. Okay, thanks.</v> <v Speaker 22>Yeah. Hi. So my name is Brandon Butler.</v> I am a resident of 25 South Lincoln Street and I agree with a lot of the points that have been made in opposition to the scale of the project, but I wanted to make it a point related to pedestrian safety specifically. So this is related to the car and vehicle issues that that have been raised, but I wanna urge the board to specifically think about the pedestrians that could be impacted here. So my wife and I have lived in South Natick for seven years and we have two small children, one of whom attends the Riverbend School. And so we walk him to and from school every day. And I can tell you that Elliot Street is already a dangerous road for children to cross. And the addition of a significant number of residential units and the associated vehicles directly across from the children's school would exacerbate the situation, not just for cars, but specifically for children and the family pedestrians. I can tell you from my personal experience being a pedestrian with small children, that the area already feels unsafe at times, specifically during the morning and evening rush hours. And the addition of more traffic directly where families traverse with small children could be a detriment to the community and the future. South Natick current and future South Natick residents. <v Speaker 1>Thanks very much. Hands on that.</v> Okay. Who else would like to be heard? Yes sir. The hand in the back. <v Speaker 19>Hi, good evening. I'm Mark Huel Tovan.</v> I live at Five Water Street and I I just had a a a couple of short well one short question and and one comment expanding on the last speaker. I guess the, the, the question I had is we've referred to some documents and reports. I just want to clarify whether or not these are actually on the ZBA website that the town maintains specifically archeological resources and correspondence with native tribes. Is that also in the Google Docs that we can get access to? <v Speaker 1>Again, this is all on one more time. It's</v> <v Speaker 20>All in OpenGov through the town website.</v> If you click on the left hand side, there's a a button that says permits and licenses. It'll bring you to our online permitting system. And then there's a, a search button at the top right. You click that and you type in five Auburn Street and everything. Today the applicants have submitted any emails that we've received from people, from residents throughout town have been uploaded. So everything is publicly available. <v Speaker 19>Okay. And the comment is to expand on the,</v> the last speaker and some other speakers. If you know Elliot Street, the street changes with dramatically in that short distance between the Square and the Wellesley Townline. And yes, people drive way too fast. I know someone said 40, but you might recall a couple of years ago somebody driving down 16 hit the John Elliot Memorial Rock, which weighs about four tons and actually moved it a few feet when they just ran straight into it. That gives you an idea of how fast people travel down Route 16. But my concern about the changes in width are just practical for me as a driver living in the neighborhood when I'm coming off of 16, making my right turn to get into the house or left turn to leave, they're always going to be kids on the sidewalk, people on bicycles, even adults on bicycles. Bicycle traffic is actually huge in that part of South Natick. And if you've ever seen some of the guides to biking in our area, that particular square centers largely in a lot of the maps and trails. But because of the, the changing width of the street and the narrowness of the sidewalk, it's actually a very unsafe place for people to bicycle. It's fairly difficult. And now that the, on the Wellesley side, route 16 has been significantly narrowed, I don't know if you guys are familiar with that. They've cut the width of the street by about two and a half feet at that location. So that's really impacted people's safety in using that. And I, I, I honestly, I have difficulty understanding, I'm an engineer, civil engineer. I'm not sure how we're going to go about making that roadway safe for all users and, and I hope people pay attention to that before they make their final presentation. Thank you very much. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Does anybody else wish to be heard? Yes sir.</v> <v Speaker 22>Hi, I'm David Parrish.</v> I'm a resident of South Natick and I've lived in Natick for over 30 years. <v Speaker 1>We get your address,</v> <v Speaker 22>Oh I'm sorry, 21 Farm Hill Road.</v> I'm not in a but, and so that takes me out of a fair amount of the conversation here. But I spent all my professional life working in the de design development and finally implementation of affordable housing. Many different places around the country. And my experience is, I've been in many meetings like this, they're never easy. They're always a lot of difficult questions, a lot of different points of view involved and that it's a process that is always complicated, always controversial and more than anything else, always expensive. And that's something that needs to be taken into account here on two levels from my perspective. One is the, the information that we just heard about the population of Natick and the need for affordable housing. And I think we probably all recognize that. The second part of it though is it's extremely difficult and expensive to build good quality, affordable housing. And in order to do that, often developers have to be working from a certain number of units, a certain density in order to make the finances work. The last part of my professional career, I worked for a large financial institution and we financed a lot of affordable housing and a lot of it had sources many, many different sources in order to make the project work. So I'm not here to, I'm not in a position physically in terms of proximity and make a judgment about this, but I do hope that if nothing else comes outta this process, that we all keep a focus on both the need for affordable housing and the reality of what it is that's involved in producing it. When people learned that I had moved here with experience that I had in this area, I was an invited into countless conversations about the development of affordable housing and aid. And out of that came a consensus in many different settings, various strategic plans and so on of a strong commitment on the part of the community to affordable housing, the understanding of the need and the understanding of the value in what it does for such a community. But over the years very little has happened. And whether or not this is the golden project that is going to turn everything in a different direction, I don't know. But I do know that there is a need and I do know that we need to be pretty thoughtful and pretty sophisticated about what it takes to actually be able to do something like this. And again, you know, many good points have been raised here in terms of the impact on local people in a project like this. And I'm not standing here to deny any of that. All I'm saying this is the beginning of a process. As we talk through it, as we think through it, let's do it together and see if we can find a way to make this the beginning of affordable housing united. <v Speaker 1>Thanks very much. And</v> I did see another hand up in the Yes ma'am, come on up. <v Speaker 23>My name is Stephanie Smith, I live at 15 Water Street.</v> I'd like to add to what the previous speaker said and elaborate on some of the things that my neighbors have expressed. This project will forever alter the character and the beauty of this neighborhood and not necessarily in a good way, 32 units will not solve the problem of affordable housing in Natick. So I fail to understand why the town would choose to proceed in a relatively antiquated approach to affordable housing project One where we create an urban environment in the middle of a suburban community by cramming as many units as possible and creating an adversarial relationship with the existing neighbors. If that isn't backwards and repressive, nothing regressive, nothing is not only that, the design of the rear building is rather unimaginative. This is one of the few waterfront properties left in Natick. You were proposing obstructing that view, building out almost every square inch of usable space on the lot and leaving what remains that front lot to leave those residents with their barbecue grills and their lounge chairs on busy Route 16. As I said, this is an old school kind of project. It's four times the density of the existing neighborhood, taking a narrow little street of three homes and building an industrial apartment complex across the street. The proposed new building, the three story monolith resembles nothing in the rest of South Natick except for a factory that can't be seen by the general public. But it always comes down to the dollars. It doesn't work if we can't do 32 units. They say, well maybe it's not supposed to work. Bad design is bad design and bad zoning decisions set the precedent for more bad zoning. What everyone except my neighborhood is missing is this project could be the model for the future affordable housing. One that has neighborhood support and one that could be an example for other projects throughout Natick and the rest of the state. But as it stands now, it's the same old, same old. The people in Natick said they wanted a keep the village feeling in South Natick and to save the landmark buildings using adaptive reuse and preserving open space. We could do that here. Reuse the existing building, build 10 to 12 units, save the building and the open space and save Auburn Street. You could have the support of the neighbors and you could use this approach for projects that are more likely to be welcomed by the community with and would be the neighbors would be part of the process and wouldn't just be railroaded by developers and people with an agenda to you. Members of the zoning board of appeals, your, your fellow native residents. Is this what you want for your community? What if you lived in Auburn Street and Metro West Collaborative? Is this the best? You have a three story building that you're gonna finance to save the that existing school building. What about saving the open space around it? I challenge you to work with us and not against us. Reconsider something more reasonable in size and scope. The choice is build a fortress or create friends, be a nemesis or create neighbors wreck havoc on a community or be willing to do something really wonderful. I implore you not to do this just because you can do the right thing for the neighborhood and this town because you should. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Anybody else wish to be heard? Yes sir.</v> <v Speaker 13>I'm Bob Murphy, I'm on Badger Ave in South naic.</v> Just a couple of thoughts. We talked about traffic and that kind of stuff as recently as last Thursday, I was coming outta Wellesley 12 minutes bumper. Bumper to bumper to bumper to bumper to bumper. And that wasn't all that unusual. The traffic is terrible, terrible. Not kind of, it's more or less bad. It is terrible too frequently trying to get outta Wellesley and na really, really a problem. If we look at the need for affordable housing, I think everybody here agrees that that's needed. But how do you do it in a way that is good for the neighborhood too? And if this group can't do, can't make money, they need to make with less than 32 houses units, get another group to do it. We need, and we know the need, but we need a group that can do it, that will meet the need. And that's, that's the real problem. I think it's so that someone talked about, well several have about the need for affordable housing and people who can't get ahead. A lot of us have spent our lives, you know, working, getting the money to get our houses, keeping our houses up and that kind of stuff. And so then to say, well fine, we don't care if you're, your whole area gets kind of trashed down because other people need housing. We don't want to deny people housing. But why do people here have to lose the value of their things they worked so hard to get? Because other people need housing. So a 13 use of that school, 13 use of the school seems sensible. But to do a lot more than that doesn't seem sensible for the people here, for the community, for communicating, for transporting to get it back and forth in the community is just terrible now. And it won't get better with 32 more houses in there. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Thank you.</v> Does anybody else wish to be heard? Oh, we got one more. <v Speaker 3>Do you have any comments?</v> <v Speaker 22>Hi, my name's Benjamin King, 19 Glen Street.</v> I one of the open houses. I'd asked someone from the collaborative about construction. I have a history of with that building. I went to elementary school there as a kid. I was part of buildings and grounds with the Elliot church for the parish hall, which is abutting this property. And I know as a kid there were days we went in there and the boiler was flooded because there's a high water table and I know it, the buildings and grounds for that hall in the springtime we had, we had double sump pumps in the basement after it was redone. And if, if the power went up, whatever the, the basement would flood. So my question was to them, and I'm asking the board to ask if, if, first of all, is there a basement in this building or is it slab? And if there's been a park test or a soil test to see if, if the water table is high, that may change the you need a, you need a footing below frost grade. So fill may be have to be brought in. That may change parking situations if things are brought up high and everything else. <v Speaker 1>Okay, I'm gonna stop you there just for a second.</v> Is that something you want to address now or wanna wait on that? <v Speaker 2>Do you wanna answer the basement question?</v> <v Speaker 6>Sure. There is a lower level, but the, the water table</v> and any soil conditions will be talked about at the future civil hearings. <v Speaker 1>Could you hear that? Yes,</v> <v Speaker 22>But I'm just saying that building,</v> is there a basement in, oh, <v Speaker 6>Sorry, lower level of the school.</v> There will not be a basement or lower level of the proposed new building. <v Speaker 22>So So it's on slab, right? It's on slab, yes.</v> Okay. All right. Thank you very much. <v Speaker 1>Thank you. Does anybody else</v> wish to be heard tonight? Okay, seeing none, does the board have any questions or follow up that they would like to address before we deal with some what the, what the next hearing might look like? Which we're gonna have to talk about? That was my next question. Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna do that. Any other questions? Any questions here for anybody? Would you guys like to say anything before I make a few comments? <v Speaker 2>No, just briefly that many of the comments, I mean we,</v> we took copious notes here. We heard everybody. I think that a lot of the questions and issues that were raised are gonna be dealt by civil storm, water and traffic when we really get into that. So we're looking forward to that. And at the next hearing, we'll next hearings we'll address those good enough, more, more, more detail. Thank <v Speaker 1>You.</v> Alright. And and I just wanna say thank you to everyone for, for their input. It was, it was very valuable. These are difficult questions that will need to be answered. There's no question. I mean these, these folks are here and they're listening as is the board. And these concerns are real and they will be addressed in some form or fashion during this process. I don't know what spits out the other end, but these comments are, are, are invaluable to the decision making process and this is how it works. It's happening exactly as it was designed. So thank you. Now what's the, what's the next hearing? So Amanda, you want to help us with that or December 9th? May what? It's December 9th. No, no, not when it is, but what it is. Did you have a thought on that? <v Speaker 22>That's not plugged in.</v> <v Speaker 24>It is hopeful</v> that we will have the traffic peer review on board. So we would have traffic as the point of discussion and hopefully the civil as well <v Speaker 1>Next time.</v> Okay. How's that sound? Good. Will, <v Speaker 22>Will the traffic peer review be completed</v> or just on board? <v Speaker 24>They would be on board</v> and hopefully have one round of discussions with the applicant. 'cause the goal is to usually the peer review reviews. It goes back and forth with the applicant's team. <v Speaker 5>Okay.</v> <v Speaker 1>Are they gonna do their own count?</v> <v Speaker 24>Not unless they find the numbers not to be adequate,</v> but they do not go back out and recount anything. If they were to require that they would have the applicant do that. <v Speaker 1>Okay. Good enough. So December, anybody? Nine? Nine.</v> December nine. Traffic civil. <v Speaker 2>Yeah, that sounds good. I just wanna make sure Amanda,</v> that we have the reports so we have adequate time to prepare and respond. <v Speaker 1>Got it.</v> <v Speaker 24>Yes, we will have</v> hopefully have the reports and everything. We will send those over as soon as we get them. <v Speaker 2>Great. Thank you.</v> <v Speaker 1>Okay, let,</v> let's just keep going for a sec. I'm gonna get you, we're gonna keep going for a second. So Decem, who's, who's taking notes? December 9th. December 9th. December 9th. Traffic civil. Well let's keep going next. Hearing January. Teenth. So civil is gonna be storm water, drainage, roadways, transportation. Well the traffic, transportation, parking. <v Speaker 24>So the goal would be to have traffic</v> and civil come together kind of as more like an intro and then we can divide 'em up as necessary because they are two big topics. Yeah. <v Speaker 1>Yeah. Those are gonna take up a lot of,</v> they kind of a lot of space. <v Speaker 24>Part of the civil goes into how the site circulates.</v> Sure. As well as trafficked. <v Speaker 1>Unquestionably. So do we want</v> to denominate another night now or No? <v Speaker 24>I believe we have January 13th. 13th</v> <v Speaker 1>Dates?</v> Yes. I'm saying assign a category to the, to the date. <v Speaker 24>I would say you would follow up with</v> those two as well on that date. <v Speaker 1>Okay. So it's gonna be a double. Alright.</v> And then after that, just so everyone has some sense of what the future looks like. Yep. <v Speaker 24>After that then you can kind of get into the more</v> like the finesse kind of thing. So like design, landscaping you, 'cause you wouldn't want those until <v Speaker 1>Yeah, sure, sure stuff.</v> Sure. <v Speaker 5>They mentioned they, the proponent mentioned having</v> a decision by February. February what? End of February. <v Speaker 1>Oh. And waiters,</v> <v Speaker 2>We would be looking for a vote</v> by mid-February if possible. Not necessarily the written decision. We just need to be able to report to the subsidizing agency the status with our application for funding. <v Speaker 1>We'll do our darnedest,</v> but I, I, we'll just see how the process plays out. So do then we're gonna have, we gonna have, did, are we gonna have a day for waivers or is that something Looking at our attorney in the back there, <v Speaker 24>We should probably put the waivers also on the</v> 9th of December so we can at least start reviewing those in case the traffic and civil art complete. Then we aren't just here. Yeah. <v Speaker 1>Yeah.</v> <v Speaker 24>Chilling with nothing. So add the waivers</v> <v Speaker 1>To the, I'll look at them a little more closely.</v> But a as I stand here today, I I see no real feasible way to waive a review. Given what you're hearing out here in the number of people who are interested in the concerns that they have. It's all on the table. Everything's gonna have to be reviewed. So, you know You mean <v Speaker 24>The list? Yeah,</v> <v Speaker 1>The wave list.</v> I'm saying one by one. I'm saying, I'm saying we can't waive a review. We No, no, no. Okay. We're not asking for that. Okay. Good enough. Alright, so cool. Cool. We good? Alright. We're just gonna keep, we didn't, we're still on. So you're up again. Just, just a quick question. Just your name, your name again? <v Speaker 9>Mark. Mark den. Okay. Okay. The traffic study.</v> How does one measure like Elliot Street is chronically full. It's challenging as many people have said, but my personal self-interest and few of the neighbors on the street, adding one or two cars per time you're getting out of the street onto Elliot is what really is hard. <v Speaker 1>I think we heard</v> <v Speaker 9>You. No, no.</v> So how does this traffic study measure that? Well they actually, <v Speaker 1>I, I'm not, I don't know. Okay.</v> <v Speaker 9>I just wanted to know. Lemme</v> <v Speaker 1>Lemme stop.</v> I, I don't know, but, but our peer review consultant does. Okay, great. Thank you. And when they, when they look at this stuff, there's a, there's an industry standard Yeah. For how these things are studied. Okay. They look at them in, in accordance with that standard and they will give us that information. Okay. <v Speaker 9>Thank you very much. Thank you.</v> <v Speaker 1>Yes sir.</v> And just one more time with your name and address. <v Speaker 18>Edward Ry eight Auburn Street. Yes</v> <v Speaker 1>Sir.</v> <v Speaker 18>Natick and a town meeting member.</v> I have a question for you Mr. Chairperson. <v Speaker 1>Yes sir.</v> <v Speaker 18>Our next meeting is gonna be December 9th</v> dealing with a traffic study <v Speaker 1>As well as civil engineering.</v> <v Speaker 18>Thank you. My point, my question specifically is</v> when are we gonna have access to that traffic study? <v Speaker 1>You have it now?</v> <v Speaker 18>What do you mean?</v> <v Speaker 1>You have access to it now You can go on open gov. Yes sir.</v> On the Natick website and everything that's been submitted to me to this board is available for your review. <v Speaker 18>And that's gonna be the final traffic</v> study? I don't think so. <v Speaker 1>That's the study that's been submitted. Okay.</v> That study is gonna be reviewed by our peer review consultant. Someone the town hired we've used in the past. They're absolute experts in the industry. They're gonna look at that study and make sure it's bonafide it that that it's that the study's bonafide and that the results of that study are accurate and that the conclusions that were drawn by their traffic engineer, they agree upon that. They agree with those results and if they don't, for whatever reason there was a methodology that wasn't used properly, the counts are bad. Whatever it is they're gonna tell us. They're gonna tell you as well. And then we're gonna, that's gonna be fodder for further discussion. <v Speaker 18>Is the expert then gonna be here?</v> <v Speaker 1>Yes. On December.</v> <v Speaker 18>On nine.</v> <v Speaker 1>December? Yes. Thank you. Thank you.</v> Does anybody have any other questions or comments? Yes ma'am. Nope. We gotta get you over here because otherwise we can't hear you. And did you already speak? No. Can we get your name and address and then have you sign that? <v Speaker 4>Yep. I'm Carol Joseph. I live at 12 Leach Lane.</v> I have to go back and reread the traffic study for some reason I'm believing it was done last May, June timeframe and for some reason I feel like the timestamp was maybe like 12 to three. Where is there any way to have the expert, whatever, from the town look at traffic in the morning from seven to 10 as well as from three till six o'clock at night? 'cause those are really the two main times that are really a focus time as opposed to, and I have to go back and reread if I read it correctly at the timestamp that they were doing it. I didn't feel like it was a good representation. We'll <v Speaker 1>Take a look at that.</v> But it is typical that they'll be looking at rush hour. Okay. They're looking at the sort of worst case scenario. Okay. Right. They don't, they don't go at two o'clock in the morning. That wouldn't be fair. Correct? <v Speaker 4>Correct. But I was, I I, I'll have to reread,</v> but I felt like the timestamp was more at a time that wasn't during. We'll, <v Speaker 1>We'll address our peer review consultant</v> will absolutely address that. <v Speaker 4>Great. Thank you. Okay.</v> <v Speaker 1>Does anybody have anything else before you wrap it up?</v> Yep. Oh, we just, we're gonna get a new comment here. <v Speaker 25>Hi, I'm Susan. I've been a resident</v> of Auburn Street for over 50 years. I don't wanna tell my age and at the end. Yeah, no, I'll do that. I can't talk and write at this time. Okay. <v Speaker 1>I'm sorry. Okay, go ahead.</v> <v Speaker 25>I wasn't gonna talk but I wanna understand the traffic</v> study because Auburn Street is not a legitimate wide enough street. Is the traffic study gonna do Auburn Street too? <v Speaker 1>Absolutely. Our trade, there's gonna be,</v> it's a full transportation analysis. Oh, <v Speaker 25>Okay.</v> Alright. Thank you. <v Speaker 1>Thank you.</v> <v Speaker 26>Can I quick?</v> <v Speaker 1>Yeah, we're gonna get after this.</v> Two more comments briefly and then we're gonna shut it down. <v Speaker 12>Rose Koman, in the spirit of moving forward,</v> one thing I'd love to have everyone think about is the Community Preservation Act and how many dollars are going to be available a year from now or two years from now. Can we subsidize Metro West to make this feasible for them in the existing building only? I voted for that Community Preservation Act because it said affordable housing and preservation of open space. We could do both here. Thanks. <v Speaker 1>Thank you sir.</v> <v Speaker 19>Thank you Mr. Chair. GaN 30 Spring Street.</v> Just wanna bring up one quick point. Valid concerns have been raised about the reduction of property values. That's empirically speaking, that's not really the case for high quality affordable housing, which we are talking here, where each unit is going to be between 550 to $600,000 in construction costs. There is a study by Urban Institute in 2022, which, which proved in high income neighborhoods affordable housing actually increases the property value by 0.11 percentage and and point and in low income neighborhood it's 0.09 i by my swapping things, statistically speaking, these are insignificant percentage, but the takeaway is it's, there's, it does not reduce the property values. It's neutral or it's higher. Thank you. Thank <v Speaker 1>You.</v> We got one more. You're la you're gonna, you're, you're, you're gonna wrap it up <v Speaker 13>Quick, quick and easy.</v> When I mentioned the coming down from Wellesley the other night, it was like 12 minutes and I'm looking where, what's happening? What's the, what's the disaster? No, it was just people making a left onto pleasant and so he just, the cars were backed up and backed up. Some guy on my bumper. That much meant what I did. He was there the whole way. I'm in terror driving, driving home because of this traffic on 16, is that, do we know the busiest street in the town? 16. <v Speaker 1>Yeah. I can't say,</v> <v Speaker 13>I would</v> think it probably longest light. You, you can come downtown and just, you know, as bad as down there. I'm sorry. The longest light I believe. Oh, the longest, you know, the busiest, <v Speaker 1>The longest half.</v> Okay. I'm gonna stop you there. Yes. I'm gonna stop you there outta here, but thank you. Okay, so that's it. Game off. Did you have something, something? Anything? Anything. Anything. We're good? We're good? We're good? Good, good, good, good. Okay. Good meeting. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And was a, you need a motion? Motion to continue? Motion to continue. Motion to continue to December 9th. Second. Second. Over here by Ari. All those in favor? We'll see you on December 9th. Thank you.