Gardner City holds joint hearing on rezoning 6.13-acre parcel for industrial expansion

Gardner City Council and the Planning Board held a joint public hearing Monday on a petition to rezone a roughly 6.13-acre parcel at 77 Sub Lane from COMM1 (commercial) to IND1 (industrial) with the Summit Solar overlay to allow expansion of an adjacent business.

The petition, submitted on behalf of the parcel owner by Attorney Christine Entree, seeks to shift the IND1 boundary used by the Summit Industrial Park so the petitioner’s recently purchased lot would be included in the industrial zone. Attorney Entree told the boards the parcel is vacant, abuts the Summit Industrial Park and that the petitioner’s existing business occupies about 15,000 square feet in the park, employs roughly 20 people and expanded with a second building in February 2008. "This is a petition ... to change the current zoning, which is COMM1, to IND1 with the Summit Solar overlay," Entree said.

Why it matters: Entree said rezoning the parcel would increase the city’s industrial land and economic opportunity while making use of existing utilities and private drive access from the industrial park. Entree described the parcel as long with a "tail" that reaches Dinan Drive, noted a possible wetland area in the middle of the lot and said access and utilities would come from Zub Lane in the industrial park. She also addressed spot-zoning concerns, saying spot zoning "occurs when there is a parcel that is rezoned and it benefits the owner and no one else," and argued the request instead slides an existing district boundary rather than creating a lone, out-of-place district.

Attorney Entree identified the owner as CB Realty Trust, through trustee Bruce Blessing, who also owns Blessington Corp in the Summit Industrial Park. Entree said the petitioner is not proposing immediate construction; the presentation noted any new building likely would not be constructed within the next five years. She also said the petitioner would be open to the city formally taking over the dead-end portion of Dinan Drive, which the city already maintains, if the council wished to do so in the future. Entree said she had not received any communications objecting to the petition.

What happened at the hearing: City Clerk T. T. Sarafin read the joint public hearing notice under General Laws Chapter 40A, Section 5. Attorney Entree presented the petition and answered preliminary questions. The council president declared the public hearing open for item 11591; no members of the public rose to speak in favor or opposition, and the hearing was declared closed the same night. No zoning vote or formal action on the petition was taken during the meeting.

Routine business: After the hearing closed the council recessed to adjourn; Councilor Giussoni moved to adjourn, Councilor Kazinskas seconded, and the motion carried by voice vote.

Next steps: The transcript records only the presentation and the close of the joint public hearing. The council and planning board did not vote on the rezoning at this meeting and no timetable for further action was announced during the hearing.