2021 Elect John Meneghini

  Q: Understanding our shared opposition to the PUD bylaw, what is your solution for redevelopment of industrial properties? Does housing belong on land zoned industrial? If so, what would be an acceptable type of housing and/or number of units in one overlay? As I have stated in a previous post, encouraging the redevelopment of industrial property through the use of the PUD zoning law is the source of the problem. I've already made it clear that I want to see the PUD zoning law repealed.  There are already a number of zoning laws available - including some mixed use overlays - which allow developers and commercial land owners to effectively "re-zone" their property for residential use. The problem is, this PUD zoning law is specifically written to allow high density development on commercial land. You don't need to read any further than the first paragraph to see this. 5.E.9 PLANNEDUNITDEVELOPMENTDISTRICT Statement of Purpose and Authority The purpose of thi...

  Q:  Currently under our zoning bylaws, Open Space Zoning does not exist. Believe it or not, Jones Forest is zoned industrial. My first question is; Do you support an Open Space Zoning Bylaw? If so, how would you define open space and put this bylaw into practice?   Do you support a tree protection bylaw for Billerica? If so, what would you like to see included and excluded from the bylaw? I would have to do more research into these topics before I can say that such proposals are possible but I am definitely in support of doing more to protect the unnecessary destruction of trees and natural habitat.  In my opinion, deleterious laws which make it difficult for home owners to care for the habitat they have on their own property would be undesirable.  However, regulating how developers unnecessarily clear-cut trees - as they did on the Pond Street solar project - is something that is within the per-view of the Planning Board and as a member of the Planning Board ...

If you watch the BATV candidate statements my video is not included.  This is because of some last minute production problems.  Specifically, I was not supposed to have my sign up in the background of the video.  However my candidate statement will be broadcast on BATV immediately following the the other videos. So if you'll stay tuned, you'll see my candidate statement, without the BATV banner at the bottom of the screen, immediately following all of the other the candidate statements. In addition, you can see my candidate statement on my YouTube channel: planning-for-billerica . For people who are interested in seeing others' candidate statement here is the link: https://billerica.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/3283?channel=3 The Committee to Elect John Meneghini 33 Timbercreek Rd. Billerica, MA 01821 https://planning-for-meneghini.blogspot.com/ Email: planning.for.meneghini@gmail.com Phone: 978-435-4224

This is an early release of my BATV Candidate Statement. John Meneghini Candidate Recording The Committee to Elect John Meneghini 33 Timbercreek Rd. Billerica, MA 01821 https://planning-for-meneghini.blogspot.com/ Email: planning.for.meneghini@gmail.com Phone: 978-435-4224

  Q: What kind of Planning Board Representative will you be? Q; Personally I’m looking for a Planning board member who is going to ask questions and who will make sure the residents questions get answered. Someone who will do their homework on the project’s that come before them. And listen to the residents someone who will have the developer work more with residents. Not the other way around. I couldn’t agree with this statement more. Any person in elected office should represent their constituents. This means the Planning Board, the Select Board and Town Meeting represents you and I - the citizens who elect them. It’s not matter of party affiliation or ideology and it’s not even a matter of agreement. Any elected town official represents the interests of our town, not the interests of a corporation or an individual, and certainly not the interests of themselves. This is why it’s called public service. As a member of the Billerica Town Meeting and Planing Board, I hope to fai...

  Q: You want to increase open space and develop parks and recreational facilities. However it directly conflicts with your desire for lower taxes as it will take considerable sums of money to achieve and maintain. I don’t think there’s any conflict here. It’s simply a matter of setting goals and working towards an objective. We have a Town Manager who has proven to be a creative and resourceful money manager. I’d like to see some of that creativity and resourcefulness directed to the problem of rising taxes and work towards the goal of lowering our taxes and our debt. The Town Manager has saved Billerica all kinds of money. We need to have an objective to give those savings back to the taxpayers. Q: What are your thoughts about the Peggy Hannon Rizza project? The PHR project impresses me as a project that needs to be finished. I don’t know much about the history of this project, so I hesitate to say more. I have withdrawn my comment about the Masonic Lodge being an example o...

Q: You state that the town needs more affordable housing. The only way to do that is to increase housing in general. No one is going to build a development of strictly affordable housing. In fact the only affordable housing that has been built in recent years has been in condo and apartment developments. The reason the only affordable housing that has been built in recent years has been   nothing but condos and apartment buildings is because that's what the current zoning laws encourage.  Town Meeting is the authority for all zoning and taxes laws. We get what we vote for. If we want more affordable housing, we can create new zoning laws to encourage that. For example, I would like to see more two-family homes built and sold to homeowners. Homeowners make better landlords and the additional income from the second unit makes the home more affordable. Renters receive the benefit of living in a home and a neighborhood rather than in an apartment building.  Will large, n...