When is the Special Town Meeting in Stoneham?

By Mark Ouellette

In our latest You Ask, Patch Answers post, we answer a reader's question concerning when the Special Town Meeting related to the proposed housing development at Weiss Farm will be held in Stoneham.

In July, the Stoneham Board of Selectmen had set a date of Wednesday, Sept. 4 for the Special Town Meeting related to a proposed housing development that could bring hundreds of apartment units to the Franklin Street area at Weiss Farm. However, the Selectmen recently received a request from a resident to change the date because the meeting falls on the same day as the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashana.

On Aug. 13, the Selectmen approved having the Special Town Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 at Town Hall. The purpose of the meeting will be to see if voters will support allocating funds to hire an outside attorney to represent the town in handling chapter 40B housing matters related to the proposed development. Chapter 40B housing is an affordable housing component proposed in the Weiss Farm development plan.

While the proposal has had its mostly detractors, one woman did contact Stoneham Patch to inquire about how she could show support for the project, as well as apply for an affordable housing unit proposed at Weiss Farm.

Previous Report

The Stoneham Board of Selectmen recently approved having a Special Town Meeting in September related to a proposed housing development that could bring hundreds of apartment units to the Franklin Street area at Weiss Farm.

The Special Town Meeting will be held Sept. 4 to see if voters will approve allocating funds to hire an outside attorney to represent the town in handling chapter 40B housing matters related to the proposed development. Chapter 40B housing is an affordable housing component proposed in the Weiss Farm development plan.

The Stoneham Independent previously reported obtaining a letter from Weiss Farm owner Donna Weiss to the community, stating that she has reached an agreement with John M. Corcoran and Company, of Braintree, to sell her parcel of land for a development that could include upwards of 300 apartment units. The property is located at 170 Franklin St. near the Melrose line.

Prior to the vote, Russ Wilson, one of the organizers of the Friends of Stoneham, a group opposed to the development which could bring upwards of 300 apartment units to town, asked the Selectmen to support spending "a little money to protect ourselves. This has been done before in other towns and it can be done again."

"We've been early and we've been fortunate and we've had people say we should wait because we don't know enough," Wilson said. "It's wrong. The information is out there, everyone has seen it and there is no secret here. We need to act quickly and effectively and we need to let these people know that we want to keep them out the way it is coming in.

"Three hundred units at Weiss Farm is totally inappropriate and you can't sit back on your haunches and wait..."

In a matter of weeks, the Friends of Stoneham have collected more than 2,000 signatures from Stonehamites opposed to the potential Weiss Farm development, according to organizer Paul Armano.

After hearing from residents, Selectman Frank Vallarelli made it clear that he does not want to see any affordable housing units built along Franklin Street.

"I grew up at 141 Franklin St., lived there (for) the better part of my life, I used to work down at (Weiss) Farm...that's my old neighborhood and I don't want to see (the proposed development) go in either," Vallarelli said emphatically. "For the record it's not about numbers with me, I don't want to see a (chapter) 40B. I don't care if it's 10 units. We don't want to see a 40B.

"They all start at 300, they negotiate down and settle for 200. We don't want 200 units either. We don't want 40B, that's what we want," he said, receiving an applause from the packed Hearing Room at Town Hall.

Selectman Tom Boussy concurred with Vallarelli.

"I do live on Ellen Road and I will have the best view of this...disaster near my house," Boussy said, adding that he is also opposed to the proposed development. "It's not right for the area. I drive through that traffic every morning...and I'm fully aware of the traffic concerns."

Town counselor William Solomon stated that the town has dealt with large chapter 40B housing proposals in the past, including winning a legal battle with a developer proposing to build two seven-story apartment complexes roughly 100 yards long near Friendly's.