Select Board declines to endorse demolition-delay clause; directs manager to renegotiate Primrose School sewer memorandum of agreement

The Select Board on July 21 reviewed a proposed memorandum of agreement (MOA) addressing sewer betterment units, community contributions and historic-preservation concerns related to a proposed Primrose School childcare project on Mass. Avenue adjacent to RJ Grey Junior High.

What the applicant asked: The Primrose representatives asked the town to allocate additional sewer betterment units (SBUs) to serve a proposed 200-child childcare facility. Under the town's sewer betterment policy the applicant would pay for new SBUs; Primrose proposed paying the privilege fee (privilege fee amount in packet) and contributing $60,000 to inflow-and-infiltration (I&I) work in the Kelly's Corner sewer district. Primrose also offered a limited set of scholarships to Acton residents for spots at the center (two scholarships per year for five years in the draft MOA) in exchange for SBU allocation. The property currently has a historic house on it; Primrose said the home interfered with preferred site layout and asked for the town's support in any request to the Historical Commission to reduce the demolition delay.

Board concerns and direction: Several Select Board members said the board should not include a commitment in an MOA to lobby or support a reduction of the Historical Commission's demolition delay process; members described that as a matter for the Historical Commission and said the town board should not promise to lobby the commission on behalf of a private applicant. Members also asked that the applicant provide a more detailed analysis showing why the house could not be retained or incorporated (cost/structural analysis) and to consider alternate site layouts (for example shared access with adjacent schools or different driveway arrangements) to address traffic and safety concerns. Board members expressed interest in childcare access but said preservation, traffic, and sewer-capacity questions remain unresolved.

Sewer capacity and next steps: The draft MOA would have allotted an additional six SBUs; staff noted the town's remaining disposable capacity in the district is finite and asked for updated engineering numbers. Several board members asked town engineering to confirm the precise current remaining capacity, the I&I savings expected from donor I&I work, and whether the $60,000 contribution and privilege fee sufficiently offset operational or ratepayer impacts. The board did not approve the MOA. Instead the board asked the town manager to return with a revised MOA that removes the paragraph committing the Select Board to support reductions in the demolition-delay period and to seek a clearer plan demonstrating whether the historic house can be saved or reasonably incorporated.

What was not decided: The board did not grant final sewer SBUs and did not authorize an MOA with the demolition-delay support language included. Staff will return with revised language and, where possible, additional engineering and traffic details for board review.