My View of an Overbuilt Town, Clinton at a Crossroads'

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My View of an Overbuilt Town, Clinton at a
Crossroads.

• J.P.Notaro Jr.
• July, 2005

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• Clinton has experienced a great population growth
  in the last 10-15 years due to the extremely high
  rate of residential construction. I do not
  believe this is reflected in the towns census
  numbers. In fact I believe these numbers are
  highly inaccurate due to the fact that they are
  voluntary and also not reflective of the
  transient portion of the population that resides
  here.
• Zoning changes in the 1990s have not slowed
  Clintons growth, on the contrary residential
  growth has increased way beyond what anyone would
  have ever believed possible. Since then,
  population growth has occurred although it is not
  accurately depicted in our census data.
• When I was born in 1958 the population of Clinton
  was approximately 12,800 people. Since then there
  have been numerous housing booms during times of
  economic prosperity and also when developers
  found that Clinton was an easy mark, due to its
  lax zoning laws.

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• This table illustrates the census numbers in five
  year increments from 1945 to 1995

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• Open Space
• The unwillingness or ambivalence of the Town
  to acquire open land other than what the Clinton
  Greenway Conservation Trust (CGCT) has done
  around the Nashua river watershed area has only
  helped exacerbate the overbuilding problem in my
  opinion. This has also had an effect on the
  quality of life many residents have previously
  enjoyed. Our small town look and feel has been
  compromised and in some cases obliterated.

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• Mill Conversions
• I personally believe the town should cease to
  allow mill conversions to condominiums and
  apartments as this commercial space will be gone
  forever. Commercial property is taxed at 1.70
  of residential property. Converting this property
  will only diminish our tax base vs. services and
  infrastructure needed.
• There is a proposal currently being floated
  before the Planning Board to convert the old
  Bigelow Mill building on Green Street into 210,
  one and two bedroom apartments. In my opinion,
  this is absolutely not in the best interest of
  our Town. There are many apartment vacancies
  listed in the newspaper and also posted outside
  apartment houses in town today.

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• The Planning Boards Report - Clinton Annual Town
  Report, 1985.
• Honorable Board of Selectmen, The year 1985
  has brought tremendous pressure to develop the
  remaining land and existing structures for
  housing in Clinton. The town is rapidly becoming
  overcrowded and we have reached the point where
  we will create substandard housing and
  overcrowded conditions if our current zoning
  bylaws are not revised.
• The community, in the future, must strive for
  quality, rather than quantity. Restrictive zoning
  bylaws in the surrounding towns will continue to
  bring more pressure on Clinton, due to our less
  restrictive laws, if this condition is not
  corrected. We basically have little or no land
  left, so our challenge must be to rebuild with
  good planning.
• The Zoning Board of Appeals' decisions are
  limited to the laws of the town and Commonwealth,
  and changes must be initiated for the Board to
  become more effective and create a better
  community for all. Respectfully submitted, R.
  Carter Breed Chairman

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• We as a town did not heed Mr. Breeds warning
  from 1985. Our town has now become overcrowded
  and reached the saturation point. We cannot
  afford to ignore the fact that we have precious
  little open land left and are allowing
  residential building on ridiculously small plots
  of land.
• If we have little or no land left then I dont
  even know what to call it nowMaybe a deficit of
  open land.
• Some rebuilding of old dilapidated buildings has
  taken place and no, I dont mean mill
  conversions. Im talking about the rebuilding of
  some condemned older homes. This has been a good
  usage of resources.

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• ZBA
• As for the ZBA, the re-codification of the
  Zoning Bylaws has had little or no effect on the
  boards effectiveness. As I mentioned earlier in
  this document developers found that Clinton was
  an easy mark, due to its lax zoning laws, small
  building lot size and the fact that Clinton has
  town water and sewerage. The outlying communities
  do not, thus making Clinton a magnet for
  development. Developers can build homes and not
  incur the cost of drilling a well and installing
  a septic system, but sell the home for the same
  dollar amount increasing profit.

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• DPW
• For developers this is great, for the town it is
  a huge burden from both a services and
  infrastructure point of view. Our DPW has to
  maintain more roads, water and sewerage systems
  and trash collection all with a decreasing
  percentage of the overall budget.

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View of an Overbuilt Town

• Schools
• The effect that all this building has had on the
  school system is reflected in the school budget
  graph on the next page. Within the last 10 or so
  years we as a town have had to fund the building
  of a new high school (already overcrowded) a new
  elementary school and an overhaul of the middle
  school. In total the cost incurred has been
  approximately 45 million dollars. To break that
  down it was 15 million for a High School, 25
  million for an Elementary School and somewhere in
  the realm of 5 million for the Middle School
  overhaul. Oh yes, I forgot the millions of
  dollars it cost to develop and maintain the
  Veterans Memorial Complex Fields. I cant
  remember the cost of that, but it was large.

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View of an Overbuilt Town
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View of an Overbuilt Town

• My concerns also include
• Increased traffic continues to be a major
  concern, and needs be addressed in connection
  with any proposal.
• Stronger economic actions are needed to encourage
  business tax base growth. Remember, businesses
  are taxed at 1.70 of residential property.
• The need to slow or stop overall residential
  construction.
• Strengthen Clintons neighborhoods and existing
  business districts
• Promote all types economic development, including
  Industrial, office space, commercial and clean
  businesses such as the Mill in Maynard.
• Expand the ways to get around town without a car
  such as new sidewalks to our outlying
  neighborhoods.
• Provide a transportation system that is
  environmentally sound, safe and convenient