Braintree Mayor Wants Master Plan Before Rezoning

BRAINTREE, MA — Mayor Joseph Sullivan told the Town Council he will approach consultants for guidance developing a master plan if the information in the Planning Board's studies are not enough to warrant moving forward on the town's rezoning proposal. Hundreds of residents at public hearings have objected to the zoning changes over concerns it would allow for overcrowded housing developments and fundamentally change the town character of Braintree. Most residents argued that a new master plan must be completed before they'd support any zoning changes, as the town's master plan hasn't been updated since 1998.

In budget presentation to the council Tuesday night, Sullivan said he has asked the Planning Board to review all their studies that would be included in a master plan, so that data can be used to update it. Last month, the Town Council also voted voted unanimously for a resolution seeking updates to the town's master plan before rewriting Braintree's zoning ordinance.

"Should an RFP (request for proposal) process be needed, we will then move forward with retaining a consultant to offer additional guidance," Sullivan said. "I believe this info can provide us valuable information as we continue to review zoning."

Sullivan also reviewed his proposal for the fiscal year 2020 budget. The budget for the new year, which starts July 1, is $139.3 million, a four percent increase from last year. He described the budget as "steady and sturdy."

"Every budget is a challenge to meet the needs of a community and Braintree is no different...," Sullivan said. "Every budget has a question — wants versus needs."

The budget includes the school committee's request for a $70.6 million budget, representing an increase of about 5 percent. The school budget allows the schools to maintain all their existing programs. The only significant changes were the addition of two full-time and one part-time employee to accommodate enrollment increases, Sullivan said. The town also allocated $1 million to cover loan payments for the expansion project at East Middle School.

Full staffing for the 174 police officers and firefighters was covered under the new budget.

"We were able to get to full deployment staff levels over the last few years...," the mayor said. "We will see some retirement but we will be able to fill all those positions with the budget we proposed."

Other items the proposed budget covers include:

• Parks and recreation funding for a total refurbishment of the Harris Playground, including full ADA compliance and new equipment. A full overhaul is expected this summer.
• $5.9 million for road improvements, with $1 million coming from the state.
• Trash and recycling have increased about $12.50 per household for the second year in the row. The town will absorb the cost again and keep trash fees from increasing.

The council's ways and means committee will review Sullivan's proposal before making a recommendation to the full Town Council. A vote on the new budget is scheduled for May 28.