PEABODY — At a community meeting Tuesday evening in which residents of Huntington Woods repeatedly decried a proposed retirement community on Route 1, Mayor Ted Bettencourt made it clear that their concerns were not falling on deaf ears.
The event drew a standing-room-only crowd to the condo community’s clubhouse and was attended by both candidates for the Ward 6 city councilor post, Ryan Cox and Michael Higgins. The proposed development would see 128 units of 55-and-older age-restricted housing constructed at 0 Newbury St., a parcel comprising nearly 5 acres. The developer, United Group of Companies, is seeking variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals, including for the density of the project, which does not meet the city’s zoning bylaws.
Adding to the outrage from residents, the developer has launched a website for the proposal, and dubbed it “The Arbella at Newbury.” Already, a “lunch and learn” event was held at Toscana’s to “learn about an upscale 55+ apartment community coming soon to Peabody,” and another is set for Thursday at Capone’s. All this despite the fact that the project has yet to be voted on by the ZBA.
Also fueling concerns about the impact of the proposal is the fact that the ZBA earlier this year approved a 180-unit apartment complex at 128 Newbury St. proposed under Chapter 40B, which allows developers to bypass local zoning regulations in communities where less than 10% of the housing stock is designated as affordable. The combined impacts of the 180-unit project and the retirement community, residents say, would shatter the quality of life in an otherwise peaceful, quiet area.
Bettencourt offered remarks at the start of the meeting, garnering applause when he said he would “definitely” vote against the proposal as currently constituted.
“It’s way too big,” Bettencourt said. “If there was a smaller version of it, it is something I could possibly support.”
Gwendolyn Tyre, the president of the Huntington Woods Board of Trustees, delivered fiery remarks, accusing the developer of trying to “buy support” by asking those that attended the “lunch and learn” events to speak in favor of the proposal before the ZBA. No representatives of the developer were in attendance Tuesday.
And, Tyre said, putting 128 units next to 180 units would be akin to “putting little sardines in a can.”
Responding to concerns from residents about why the ZBA is still even considering the proposal, Bettencourt said the board is obligated to conduct a thorough review of proposals, including traffic and environmental studies, to protect the city from potential litigation. As mayor, he said, he has no power to overturn a ZBA vote.
Both Higgins and Cox spoke during the event, with Higgins thanking residents for their advocacy and persistence on the issue.
“Keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll get this over the goal line,” he said.
Cox, a staunch opponent of the 40B project who spoke against the proposed retirement community during a ZBA meeting last month, said he was concerned about the future of other parcels in the area, including the former billiards-hall site. He asked Bettencourt if the city was aware of any additional proposals for the area, and Bettencourt confirmed that there were no plans in front of the city.
One Huntington resident, Dave Gaffey, called on Bettencourt to send a memo to the members of the ZBA, whom he appoints, expressing residents’ concerns.
Nick Magliano, a fellow Huntington Woods resident, said he was hung up on the idea that a proposal that should occupy 25 acres might be squeezed into a parcel that is less than 5 acres.
“I don’t know how that works or how that makes sense,” he said.
Bob Upton, a member of the Huntington board and a resident of the area for 25 years, said if the development is approved it could drive residents away from the area, which has become a slice of peace for those who live there.
“We’re proud Peabody residents. We want to make Peabody a better place, West Peabody a better place, we go to these meetings. This is what you would want, I would think. We’re participating in the process,” he said. “We really truly hope that you hear us and you help us to protect our neighborhood.”
