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Uxbridge Select Board delays vote on 10‑acre Millville Road sale after resident objections
Summary
After a presentation by Railroad Construction Corporation about a rail spur and 15,000‑sq‑ft maintenance facility, the Select Board voted to postpone a sale decision on a roughly 10‑acre town parcel at Millville Road and requested a site walk and community meeting with abutters.
The Town of Uxbridge Select Board on July 28 delayed action on a request to award a purchase under an RFP for a 10‑acre town parcel on Millville Road after residents and board members asked for more detail on potential noise, traffic and buffers.
Mark Schmidt, director of strategic investments for Railroad Construction Corporation, told the board his company seeks the parcel to support a rail spur and a maintenance/lay‑down operation. "The estimated appraisal price was $50,000," he said, arguing the company’s offer and proposed investment would support MBTA and Amtrak contract work in the region.
Residents and several selectmen pressed the firm on operational details. Resident Steve Crodo said the posted $200,000 figure equates to roughly $20,000 per acre and called the number “not fair market price,” adding that he had seen no independent appraisal or traffic and noise studies.
Town Planner Jack Hunter and selectmen said the RFP process had been publicly advertised and bids opened according to procurement rules, but board members nonetheless asked the developer to meet nearby homeowners and for staff to arrange a site walk. Selectman Peter Demers, noting the parcel’s topography and the property’s potential effects on nearby homes, pressed that the building owner and abutters be engaged before a final vote.
The developer said the company does not plan to build on the steepest green portions of the town lot and emphasized plans for buffers and adherence to local setbacks. Adam Schmidt, the project engineer, said the firm would keep a small portion of the lot for a spur and use nearby blue‑labeled parcels in the Zip Industrial Park for its 15,000‑square‑foot building and equipment laydown.
The Select Board voted to defer a final vote and directed staff to organize a meeting with abutters and at least one planning board member before the next board meeting. The matter remains scheduled for further consideration at the board’s next meeting, and the board encouraged the developer to return with clarified proposals on traffic mitigation, operational hours and any proposed deed restrictions or covenants.
What’s next: staff will schedule a site walk and an ad hoc outreach meeting with neighbors and planning staff; the board will revisit the RFP at its next regular meeting.
