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Officials debate rezoning and possible sale of Allen Avenue School property
Summary
Town meeting participants debated whether to rezone a Route 1 property and discussed the future of the Allen Avenue School, with concerns raised that a sale to Sturdy Health could make the site tax‑exempt; speakers proposed issuing an RFP under current zoning before rezoning.
Speaker 1 opened the discussion by rejecting the idea that the group acts as a "rubber stamp," saying prior decisions were made after deliberation. Speakers discussed a contested Route 1 property and an upcoming multi‑use zoning bylaw that one speaker said "is coming before us now."
The most immediate dispute centered on timing and approach to changing zoning. Speaker 1 said the timing made the earlier proposal difficult to pass and that neighborhood opposition was strong. Speaker 2 suggested testing the market first: "let's do an RFP based on the current zoning, see what happens. If we don't get anything, great. Then we can rezone it." That RFP‑first approach was offered as an alternative to immediate rezoning.
Panelists also discussed the Allen Avenue School property. Speaker 3 warned the town "will eventually have to sell that property" and raised concern that "if Sturdy Health buys it, then it would be non taxable, right?" Speaker 1 and others said a tax‑exempt sale would be undesirable for town revenue.
No formal motion or vote appears in the transcript. The body noted a new multi‑use zoning bylaw is forthcoming and indicated the bylaw may provide additional information to guide any sale or rezoning decision. The meeting record shows the group debating options—issue an RFP under current zoning, wait for the new bylaw, or consider rezoning later—without a final decision documented in the transcript.
