Recap of Board of Selectmen and ZBA meetings

Recap of Board of Selectmen and ZBA meetings

The Northborough Board of Selectmen and the Zoning Board of Appeals met last week and here is the quick recap:

Board of Selectmen met on November 23.

  • The Board voted all in favor to keep a single tax rate  for residential, commercial and industrial. Any shift wouldn’t bring in additional tax dollars; the shift would just move the tax burden from one classification to another. Historically, Northborough has never voted to shift the tax burden.
  • Good news for single family home owners – you will see approximately a savings of $65 in your tax bill for fiscal year 2021.
  • Although Northborough has seen certified new growth of $65.4 million between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020; that is due largely to the new industrial developments in the Bartlett Street areas. Land for additional constructions is very limited as Northborough approaches build out.
  • Selectmen Tim Kaelin will be holding office hours on Mondays, 11 am – 1 pm in an effort to be more available to hear resident concerns. You can call him at 508-709-5556 during those hours.
  • New appointments were made:  Cynthia Moore was named to the Elderly & Disabled Taxation Fund Committee, Sherry Clark was named to the Youth Commission, and Robert Light was named as an alternate member of the Historic District Commission.

The Zoning Board of Appeals met on November 24.

  • The big news is that the Board approved the special permit for construction of two buildings on the lot of 50 Southwest Cutoff, which will continue to be used as a contractor’s yard. The vote was 4-1, with Board member Brad Blanchette not in favor.
  • What will go into these new buildings? That is the unknown and partly why the Board decided to add some conditions to the approval like hours of operation and limiting how much of an area outside can be used for storage. Their hope is that it will deter certain companies from becoming tenants and will mitigate some of the nearby resident concerns.