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Sunrise Senior Living seeks MWRA sewer extension to build senior housing in Sharon; legislators told special act needed
Summary
Sunrise Senior Living told the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on Oct. 12 that special legislation is needed to authorize MWRA to consider providing sewer service from Norwood to a proposed senior housing development in Sharon.
Sunrise Senior Living representatives told the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on Oct. 12 that a special act is needed to authorize the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority to provide sewer service from the Town of Norwood to a proposed senior housing project in Sharon.
What sponsors said: Clyde McGraw, vice president of real estate for Sunrise, described the company as "1 of the largest owners, operators, and developers of senior housing in North America" and said the Sharon project includes assisted‑living and memory care that the company says is in high demand. David Liberdoni, outside counsel for Sunrise, explained the legal issue: Sharon is not an MWRA community, so special legislation is required to permit MWRA to provide sewer service outside its member communities by connecting to an adjacent municipality's sewer system.
The bill's terms: The draft legislation would authorize MWRA to consider and (if approved through its board and permitting processes) permit a connection to Norwood's sewer system for the project; the proposed legislation would limit wastewater discharge from the project to a maximum of 10,000 gallons per day and make the developer responsible for connection engineering and possible connection fees.
Context and precedent: Liberdoni noted prior similar special‑act connections were approved for projects in Sharon and elsewhere (examples cited: a multifamily project and other developments that connected to neighboring municipalities in 2006, 2007 and 2016). He said the project still requires local permitting in Sharon and that the state Water Resources Commission has approved an interbasin transfer for the proposal.
Decision points: Committee members asked clarifying questions; no formal vote occurred at the hearing. Sunrise asked for a favorable report to allow the local permitting and MWRA review steps to proceed.
Sources: Testimony by Sunrise Senior Living representatives Clyde McGraw and David Liberdoni, Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Oct. 12, 2025.
