Business & Tech
Who are The Friends of Stoneham?
Find out about the Friends of Stoneham in our latest You Ask, Patch Answers story.
In our latest You Ask, Patch Answers story, we tackle this question: Who are The Friends of Stoneham?
With the possibility of Weiss Farm being sold to a Braintree-based developer John M. Corcoran and Company to potentially construct 300 apartment units, including an affordable housing component, at the 26-acre farm property, The Friends of Stoneham formed to show their opposition to the plan.
"Our goal is to inform the public that this land deal is happening because a lot of people don’t know," said Dean Manchester, a Stoneham resident and member of Friends of Stoneham. "We’re obviously trying to prevent the overall development from taking place. It’s just too big for Stoneham. We are trying to raise public awareness about the project and turn public tide against it so we can stop it from being built."
The Stoneham Independent 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.
"I have been holding on to the farm primarily to preserve and honor the Weiss family legacy; however, I find that I can no longer shoulder the ongoing cost, stress, uncertainty, and fears," Weiss wrote in the letter. "I have fought the temptation to sell the farm for years. My friends, family, and advisors have ultimately helped me to see that selling is the only realistic option.
"After five years of court fights and the prospect of further litigation with the Town and the state, I have decided to sell the farm."
Signature Drive
The Friends of Stoneham, which meets regularly at Stoneham Public Library and typically draws around 50 people, has about 100 members working to get the word out about the project and also collecting signatures, according to Paul Armano, a Stoneham resident and member of the group. In about two weeks, the group collected more than 1,200 signatures on the petition which will eventually be submitted to local and state officials, according to Armano.
"We have volunteers going door-to-door so this is our ground campaign for us and we feel personalization is important for us," Armano said. "It’s important for us to get out there, meet all our residents and give them an overview of what’s happening and talk to them about our position and hopefully they will have the same position.
"We’re gathering signatures right now and I think we have a pretty good amount now to state our case, and we are going to send along those petition signatures along with a cover letter to our local elected and appointed officials, as well as to (State Rep.) Jason Lewis and (State Sen.) Katherine Clark."
Manchester added that he would like to see every registered voter in Stoneham sign the petition.
"I have to tell you I have not met a single person yet who has not signed on," Manchester said. "I have not met a single person in town that wants this project."
Reasons Not to Back the Project
Armano provided some of the reasons the Friends of Stoneham are against the project.
"One (reason) is definitely the increased traffic," he said. "The overcrowding that this could create to our schools. This project just isn’t right for Stoneham, it’s not right for Weiss Farm and we’re looking to put a stop to it."
Manchester added, "A 300-person apartment complex on Franklin Street is a huge safety concern for the children who go to Colonial Park (Elementary School), which is less than a half-mile away, and for the high school students who are right across the street. I think our main concern is for the safety of the children. That’s my main concern. It’s already a very busy and dangerous street and to add possibly another 600 cars to the road every morning? It’s just asking for an accident to happen."
No formal plans have been reportedly submitted by the developer.
Letter to the Editor
The following is a Letter to the Editor from The Friends of Stoneham:
Editor:
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
This letter concerns a quality of life issue here in Stoneham that a newly formed group, "The Friends of Stoneham" would like other citizens to be aware of. Specifically, there is yet another "too large for Stoneham" building project in the planning stages under 40B guidelines on the Weiss Farm property on Franklin Street. It is believed that a developer, John M. Corcoran and Company of Braintree, is envisioning at least 300 rental units. This is just not “smart growth” for Stoneham.
This project is expected to have a serious financial impact on all the citizens of Stoneham. This project will add more rental units to a town that already anticipates increased low income housing at the proposed Fallon Road project as well as the yet to be built "hospital project."
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
The most obvious impact of such a huge development is that of increased traffic on an already busy commuting corridor in town; namely, Franklin Street. Our School Committee recently used new traffic data to determine that any additional use of the existing high school property would severely impact the day-to-day traffic on Franklin Street. About a dozen years ago, a local doctor wished to re-locate his practice to a property on Franklin Street adjacent to the Weiss Farm property and was turned down due to concerns about increased traffic. The day care center, Dunkin' Donuts and the new assisted living center have also been the subject of traffic reviews. A new building project with 300 [or more?] units would suggest at least 300 vehicles to an already clogged traffic artery.
In addition to traffic issues on Franklin Street there is also the possibility that the Commonwealth would mandate that new roads be "cut through" to existing neighborhoods. At this time, it is unknown if such cuts would be through Tamarock Terrace, Landers Road or Beacon Street. In any event, an increase in traffic in those established neighborhoods would affect the quality of life in that part of town.
The next, and perhaps the most expensive impact for all the taxpayers of Stoneham is the massive affect that such a project would have on our entire school system. We could anticipate increased demand at the elementary, middle and high school levels requiring marked increases in our teaching staff, support staff, school supplies and building space. Crowded classrooms at any level are not what this town desires or needs.
Additional impact would be felt in other town-wide departments, most notably the need for more firefighters and more police officers. Our need for more personnel on duty would definitely impact our tax obligation.
We are hopeful that citizens from throughout the town will attend "Friends of Stoneham" meetings to find out the ways in which they can help to shape the future of development in this fine town. Questions need to be answered;
1. Who would be the "target population" of people who would be encouraged to live in these rental units, especially the 40B units? Is there a large group of area people who are waiting for this additional project?
2. What role would the developer have in establishing and continuing to maintain a presence at the project to ensure that this project maintained landscaping and the integrity of the buildings once the project was complete?
3. Is the developer contemplating building a variety of residences in the project such as individual home sites, condominiums or it is just anticipated to be 40B rentals in a town that already meets state mandated 40B guidelines?
4. What do the Selectmen envision the future of development plans for this town?
Meetings have been held at the Marcy Room at the Stoneham Public Library. For further information as to when the next meeting will be held please contact Paul Armano at FriendsofStoneham@yahoo.com.
Sincerely,
Mary and Joe Pecoraro, Walsh Avenue
Paul and Kristen Armano, Landers Road
Angelo Mangino, Landers Road
Caroline Colarusso, Patrick Circle
Russ and Linda Wilson, Tamarock Terrace
Bob Verner, Tedford Drive
What do you think about the possibility of hundreds of apartment units being developed at the Weiss Farm property? Do you agree with The Friends of Stoneham? Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment in the comments section below.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
