ZBA Approves Pulte Homes Variance after Support from BOS & Planning Board

Pulte Homes (developer of the 55+ Del Webb community on the former state hospital land at Lake Chauncy) had their zoning variance request *approved* by the Westborough Zoning Board of Appeals at their Monday, December 2, 2019 meeting. The decision by the ZBA directly followed a joint Board of Selectmen/Planning Board meeting earlier in the evening in which both of those boards voted affirmatively to each send letters to the ZBA in support of the proposed plan. Click here to watch the joint Board of Selectmen/Planning Board meeting.  Click here to watch the ZBA meeting (the Pulte discussion can be found at minute 30:45 through 58:00 in the ZBA meeting).

The decision comes after many meetings and much discussion throughout town as well as on various town boards/committees. For those interested, the first 15 minutes of the BOS/Planning Board meeting includes Town Manager Kristi Williams presenting a concise summary of milestones during this state hospital property project, going back to October 2013 when the town first purchased the property on Lake Chauncy from the Commonwealth and concluding with the proposed variance and mitigation plan. Both boards then discussed some of what the variance and mitigation would entail and some of the issues to be considered. The approved plan with Pulte includes the following: 

-All 700 units will maintain the 55+ older and no one under 18 age restrictions;

-The Town of Westborough will get zero (0) additional affordable housing at this location; all 700 units will be market-rate units;

-For the variance, Pulte will pay mitigation to the Town in the form of $9M in 14 equal payments over the next several years (all of it by 12/31/2028).

For additional information, please watch the meetings at the above links.