LETTER: Protect Wilmington’s Future – Selectwoman Lilia Maselli Urges a NO Vote on Article 1 at Special Town Meeting

Dear Wilmington Residents,

Today, I am writing to you as your Selectwoman, but also as your neighbor, friend, and fellow resident. Since day one of serving on the Select Board, I have done my very best to put the interests of Wilmington residents first. Undoubtedly, I will be doing the same at the Special Town Meeting on Saturday, December 7. However, I will need your help in protecting Wilmington’s future for several important reasons.

This Saturday, at 9 am, residents will gather at the Joanne M. Benton Auditorium at Wilmington High School for a Special Town Meeting. My focus today is on Article 1, which reads, “to see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning By-law and associated Zoning District Map of the Town of Wilmington as follows to create a new MBTA Communities Multi-family Overlay District; or to take any other action related thereto” (Special Town Meeting Warrant).

In simpler terms, if voters make a motion to pass Article 1, Wilmington will be in compliance with the MTBA Communities Act passed by the Massachusetts State Legislature in 2020 as part of a $621 million Economic Development Bill. This 11th-hour provision requires 177 communities, including Wilmington, to zone at-least 1 district of “reasonable size” for multi-family housing, without age restrictions and suitable for families with children. To stay compliant with the law, Wilmington must create an as-of-right multi-family housing zoning district of at least 50 acres with a capacity of 1,248 units. Half of the zoning must be a ½ mile from a commuter rail station. Keep in mind that many of these units are already existing and within the overlay district, such as Regency Place and Metro @ Wilmington. (Bear in mind, it is the land, not the units, that is being counted). However, it is estimated that another 175 units – given particular circumstances – could be constructed if this zoning is passed and enabled.

If we do not comply, we will lose eligibility for some state grants, such as MassDevelopment, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness, and Community Planning Grants. Keep in mind, that these grants are from discretionary grant programs. Relying on grants for a town’s budget is like basing a home budget on hitting the lottery. The loss in potential grant money will be quickly outstripped by the increased taxpayer dollars going to support school capacity, roads, resource infrastructure, and town services.

Think about it: Wilmington currently spends $22,987.85 per student in our public schools. This mandate gives us $0.00 per student for every additional school-age child who would move into a unit because of this zoning. We also receive $0.00 for additional infrastructure, personnel, and resource support for the additional zoning. So who pays? Not the state, but you, the taxpayer. Fiscally, I would much rather give up grants we *might* receive over the millions of dollars the town *will* spend in supporting this zoning, because, again: the cost of supporting this unfunded mandate, in the long run, will outweigh the grant money we would even be eligible for.

I have three sons, all of which will likely be looking to purchase a home within the next 5-10 years. Like many young people, affordable housing is at the top of their list. But, in my view, this mandate is not the fix-all for the affordable housing crisis. Look at the law. There is no mandate for affordable housing. Quite literally from the mass.gov website: “Section 3A does not include any express requirement or authorization for an MBTA community to require affordable units in a multi-family housing project that is allowed as of right.” So, under this zoning in favorable conditions, if a developer could develop units that will rent for $1,500/mo vs. $3,500/mo without the need to seek special permits or approvals (enter the stage, “as-of-right”), which development would they select to build? Easy enough. If you zone – they will build.

I am profoundly disappointed in the leadership of the state in carrying out this law in individual communities. As I stated in a Select Board meeting recently, “They’re [the state] strong-arming us… this doesn’t work for our community. We have built so much housing between condos, apartments, townhouses…that frankly, we should get credit for that alone, because Wilmington is doing more than their part to help out with lack of housing because there’s a ton of it.”). Extortion is not collaborative or unifying. It is not a resolution; it is not a solution. I was elected to represent the residents of Wilmington, not the occupants of Beacon Hill who may not fully understand the unique needs of all 351 communities in the commonwealth.

Like always, I will say things like it is, because I am not a politician – I am a like-minded resident who wants the very best for our town’s future. So, with that being said, only a few hundred residents (out of 18,605 registered voters) will probably show up on Saturday. It is in the power of our vote to decide whether Wilmington will maintain our small-town autonomy or give our rights away to the state, on our own dime. It is in the power of our vote to protect our town’s natural resources and infrastructure. And it is in the power of our vote to put Wilmington first. If there’s nothing you take away from my remarks, let it be this: 2-3 hours of your time at town meetings WILL avoid years of issues, strain, and pain on our town. If this motivates you or a neighbor to come, this Special Town Meeting will most likely not consume the amount of time required to run the Annual Town Meeting each spring.

With that all being said, I hope to stand alongside you on Saturday and vote NO on Article 1 at Special Town Meeting. If we show up strong, we will win the battle for the soul of the small town we all love.

Respectfully submitted,

Lilia Maselli