HomeMy WebLinkAboutTown of North Andover Mail - 40b - pubilc comment - Kelley Sarnie - Correspondence - 0 Prescott Street 5/28/2026 5/28/26, 11:30 AM Town of North Andover Mail-40b
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Terri MacNeil<tmacneil@northandoverma.gov>
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40b
1 message
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kelley sarnie <doublekthe2nd@hotmail.com> Thu, May 28, 2026 at 11:11 AM
To:Terri MacNeil <tmacneil@northandoverma.gov>
Mr. Chair and the ZBA,
We know the entire state and not just our town needs affordable housing. We are strong
supporters of affordable housing. After reviewing the videos of the meetings,the impression the
ZBA, attorneys and developer give is that we are trying to reject this project. That is farthest from
the truth. We have said multiple times that we know something will be built. We expected to have
more back and forth with the developer and we do not feel that has happened in this process yet
other than the 16ft setback. The only back and forth has been the peer reviews.
On May 26th, I spoke with Mr. Shapiro to ask the reasoning that an Appearance of disclosure form
was not filed as he dealt with Mr. Steinbergh in 2017 in Salem,Massachusetts?
We are not saying he has done anything illegal, however the lack of transparency gives the
appearance of a conflict.
We have not heard a response back from the ZBA about the questions we posed over 2 hearings
ago. The fact that residents still have concern over the density,height,traffic and infrastructure, the
ZBA has not pushed back on the developer other than the 16ft setback. The developer has worked
with the town to create and approve subdistrict A historic mill zoning and downtown study project.
The town granted these approvals. All of this also creates a conflict. We certainly hope the town
has the residents concerns as a priority rather than a developer. In 2018, it was recommended to
have an inclusionary bylaw. It took the town until 2022 to put it as an article for town meeting.
This was after the subdistrict A downtown overlay was passed in 2021. This allowed Avalon bay to
be built without affordable housing.
Based on the comments made by the ZBA in the last meeting, it seems that moving the setback
to 35ft was all the ZBA was looking for. The residents have asked for a proforma to be done. To
hear that it is too late in the process to ask or do is not okay. Again, it gives the appearance that
there is a conflict of interest and the residents concerns not being heard.
The fact that Berry Farms, a 40b, is feasible at 196 units on 8 acres as they preserved 20 acres
speaks very favorably that this project can be reduced and feasible, especially as RCG owns the
land. If RCG had financial concerns, I don't think they would have purchased property in Lowell in
2022 for 3.1 million dollars. Please note Berry Farms does not have a parking garage and they had
to purchase 28 acres. To hear the ZBA state a reduction would make it infeasible without pushing
back on density and request a proforma with the reduced density gives the impression that
residents concerns don't matter.
I watched the presentation of Attorney Murray multiple times. She states that it is rare that a 40b
project gets done in 6 months and the longest is 2 years, extensions are usually needed. At the
beginning of this hearing,the residents were told to bring their concerns here. We, as residents,
have done that but the appearance of our concerns being heard is minimal at this point. In August
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5/28/26, 11:30 AM Town of North Andover Mail-40b
of 2025, 1 went to town hall to inquire about the project. And to be told not by one but two
employees that it will pass but the ZBA needs to hear it was disheartening. And one of those
members was from the planning board. I now regret not stating this in the first hearing as I felt we
would have a fair and just process.
The fact that the residents are given 5 minutes to speak and very rarely given the ability to speak
or ask questions again seems not fair. I could understand a time limit if there was a lot of residents
requesting to speak but it really has only been 4 residents speaking.
We are requesting that everything is being explored thoroughly and that the residents' voices are
truly heard. To rush to get this approved before members terms expire is not ethical. More hearing
dates should have occurred.
We still have significant design concerns, especially when Berry Farms made their buildings look
colonial to better fit in with the neighborhood. And based on the parking study, it does not seem a
large parking garage is needed as there is plenty of parking.
As this bisects two different zoning areas and will be a residential building, we respectfully ask to
decline waiver for height and setbacks that the developer is asking.
We find it very hard to believe that if board members lived in our houses,they would be okay with
this design.
Kelley and Andrew Sarnie
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