EAST LONGMEADOW –   The East Longmeadow Town Council met on Feb. 27 for a regularly scheduled meeting, tackling numerous important issues to the town including an update on trash pick up concerns, upcoming improvements at Meadow Brook Elementary School and the continuation of two Public Hearings, once concerning recreational marijuana and the other the creation of a mixed-use district for 330 Chestnut St.

During the Town Manger’s report, Denise Menard shared that the town has been receiving plenty of emails and phone calls about potholes on the roads. Menard explained that the towns Highway Department is diligently working on filling them however they’re generally temporary fixes and with more rain or snow the fixed holes can open up.  Menard asked for the patience of the town on this matter.

Menard noted that she met with public services to discuss the town’s trash pick-up concerns. Over the holidays multiple residents in town were left with weeks worth of trash, as the service had not picked it up on schedule, or at all. Menard said they’re working on developing procedures going forward so that there is a “clear path of communication to residents” to keep everyone in town apprised of future concerns regarding the pick-up.

Continuing on with the meeting, there was an announcement regarding the appropriation of $2,796,805 for the purpose of capital project to replace windows and doors at Meadow Brook Elementary School.  

At 6:30 p.m. there was a Public Hearing for a new general bylaw prohibiting the use, growth, cultivation, manufacture and/or sale of recreational marijuana in town. Under this bylaw, Council member Mike Kane read the bylaw and provided definitions to manufacturing, marijuana accessories, marijuana cultivator, marijuana establishments, marijuana products, marijuana testing facility and marijuana retailer, providing a clear definition of what would not be allowed in the town should the bylaw pass.  

There was no public comment following the bylaw reading.  To listen to the first reading of the bylaw, go to ELCAT’s YouTube video at hour 1 minute 19 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYc0KzJU-XI&t=10272s.

The bulk of the rest of the Town Council meeting was dedicated to the continuation of a Public Hearing for the creation of a mixed-use district from industrial garden park district for parcel 18-38-0, known as 330 Chestnut St.

On Feb. 13 at the first bylaw reading the Council shared that the re-zoning of 330 Chestnut St. would allow for the property to be redeveloped as a mixture of market rate apartments and condominiums with co-located retail establishments.  This parcel of land on Chestnut St. comes to 40.35 acres.    

At the first reading Thomas Florence read, “The purpose of the mixed use district are to A: revitalize struggling areas and spur economic development. B: To promote a village-style mix of retail, restaurant, offices, civic uses and providing more housing opportunities and choices. C: to promote pedestrian and bicycle travel and a sense of community. D: to encourage economic and increasing revenues.”

He continued to read that toward those ends, the Planning Board is authorized to the review of site plans in the mixed-use district.

Additionally, property developer John Taikina of M & M Realty had explained their vision for the property.  To read more about his visualization, go to https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/eastlongmeadow/public-hearing-continues-on-chestnut-st-re-zone/.

At the last meeting the Council asked Taikina to bring back photos of his other developed properties so those in attendance could visualize what a property in East Longmeadow may resemble.  He came prepared on Feb. 27 with a slideshow. To see the visuals for yourself, tune into hour 1 minute 26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYc0KzJU-XI&t=10272s.

During the visual presentation, Taikina spoke of the caliber of quality M & M’s projects are.  He showed both interior and exterior photos.  Later, he showed a visual of what they believe the East Longmeadow property could look like.

In an attempt to dispel rumors that the condominium and apartment units could be the host of an influx of school-aged students, Taikina shared statistics from his Cherry Hill property in New Jersey.

“At Cherry Hill we have 287 units overall, in our multi-family we have 112. In those 112 units we have three school-aged children. In the balance of the 287 minus 112 is 165, in the balance we have another nine [students].  It’s much closer to one and two percent, not 12 percent,” Taikina explained.

When it came to public comment, numerous residents stood to voice their concerns or support for the development of 330 Chestnut St.  During this time, the Town Counsel James Donahue tried to enforce that the Town Council is reading about a bylaw and voting on a bylaw, not on a specific project.

“There’s no guarantee that once you approve the zone change that any of the proposals that you’re hearing tonight are ever going to take place. Their rights could be sold off to another developer and another project could be put in place. So what you need to look at is the bylaw the Planning Board has presented,” Donahue said.

Resident Ralph Page asked the Town Council they consider the way that the bylaw is worded since there could potentially be 640 condos.

“I did some quick numbers, we have 40 acres of land at 43,560 feet per acre, 40 percent coverage of buildings, four stories high, what you’re going to be looking at is 2,508,000 square feet of residential living space.  If you divide that by 640 units the maximum, you could have 3,920 square feet per unit. With units that big or the possibility of units that big you could be talking three and four bedroom units easily,” Page said. “If we went down to three stories, you’d be looking at 2,090,000 square feet or a possibility of 3,267 square feet per unit, that’s still over 3,000. I think that’s something to stop and think about, and that’s more to put into the bylaw.”

Resident Elizabeth Boucher shared her experience in the past with wanting to put an additional outlet for a second oven in her home many years earlier and was told she couldn’t because a second oven would make her home a multi-family home.

“There’s rules for a reason, and you know what? I didn’t put the extra outlet in. I appreciate something’s got to be done with that property, I understand it, but I couldn’t put a second outlet for an oven in my home, and we’re going to let somebody build a house with 600 ovens in it?” Boucher said. “Think about that. This is huge. Don’t let the sparkly little dollar signs that you see all around you, because with every dollar that this town gets there’s always something attached to it and it’s never as simple as it looks up front.”

Additional residents shared their support for the project, mentioning how the property has been sitting for many years untouched, and that having this property could benefit local empty nesters that want to downsize without moving out of East Longmeadow.

As conversation dwindled, Council Chair Kevin Manley suggested they form a subcommittee to go over the verbiage of the bylaw itself as well as the suggestions and comments that residents made at the Public Hearing.  The Council then voted to continue the hearing on March 13 at 7 p.m. with the understanding that a subcommittee is being formed to “iron out various points brought forward this evening and make a recommendation to Town Council.”  Following the 7 p.m. hearing on the 13th, there is a continuation of a Public Hearing for a zoning map amendment to rezone parcel 18-38-0 at 7:10.