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Select Board pauses LAU sign‑off for 2 Dana Drive; seeks EOHLC response and corrected application
Summary
The Select Board voted to take no action on a Local Action Unit application for 2 Dana Drive (Village Commons) and to revisit the application after the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities responds and missing or corrected documents are submitted.
The Westborough Select Board voted to take no action and continue consideration of a Local Action Unit (LAU) application for 2 Dana Drive after planning staff said state review and incomplete application materials leave outstanding questions.
"We are recommending that the Select Board continue this until we hear from EOHLC," Planning Director Jenny Gingras told the board, referring to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Gingras said the Planning Board previously approved a 19‑unit Village Commons project with four affordable units but that enforcement issues tied to the developer's other project (Zara Gardens) have prompted EOHLC to review compliance with the regulatory agreement.
Developer Mohsen Ansari asked the board to sign the LAU form to avoid delaying his Village Commons project. "I was gonna ask the board to sign the LAU application because it's just holding me up from making further progress," he said, noting that he expects the state to complete the regulatory documents later.
Board members raised technical and compliance concerns about the packet: a Select Board member said the local tax rate listed on the application was incorrect, unit composition and ownership/rental designations were unclear, and condo‑fee and utility‑allowance figures did not follow state or HUD guidance. Several members argued the application lacked supporting documentation required by EOHLC, such as the proposed master deed, affordability restrictions, and demonstration of how condo fees and utility allowances were calculated.
Outcome: The board approved a motion (seconded) to take no action on the LAU application and to continue the matter until EOHLC indicates whether it will accept the packet and until the applicant submits a complete, accurate application with required supporting documents and regulatory information.
Next steps: Planning staff and town counsel will await the state's response and ask the applicant to resubmit corrected materials before the board considers the LAU again.
