LYNNFIELD — Special Town Meeting convened Wednesday at 7 p.m. to decide on seven articles that would determine the appropriation of funds, as well as changes to the town’s bylaws. The most comprehensive and controversial article was the fourth, which would add a Multifamily Overlay District to the zoning bylaws.
Other impactful decisions included dedicating $12,850,000 to the 10-year roadway improvement program. The costs for the project would consist of “engineering, designing, constructing, reconstructing, and paving various roadways throughout the Town, and for the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto,” as said in the Town Warrant for the meeting.
The fourth article, which took up five and a half pages of the seven page warrant, concerned adding the Multifamily Overlay District bylaw to comply with the MBTA zoning laws. It was passed with a majority vocal vote. Support was given by the Select Board, Finance Committee, Planning Board, and the MBTA Zoning Advisory Committee.
Leading up to the vote, Select Board Chair Dick Dalton laid out what this Multifamily zoning would entail, in particular emphasizing the implications of not complying with the state’s mandate. This would include the loss of significant funding, which Dalton stressed by listing out grants that the town would lose if they didn’t comply with the zoning bylaw.
Article five and six both concerned funding of large-scale projects, the former for renovating the Lynnfield Public Library, and the latter for funding a 10-year roadwork project.
Despite a recommendation not to pass these articles by the Financial Committee which stated that “financially it’s just not responsible,” article five passed with 305 ‘yes’ votes that surpassed the two-thirds majority needed.
Similarly, article six was not recommended by the Financial Committee, yet netted itself just enough yes votes for the two-thirds majority needed, winning by just two votes as confirmed by Town Administrator Rob Dolan.
