Opinion: 'Long-Term Approach' Needed For Braintree Zoning

The following is a letter to the editor from Braintree Town Council Candidate Meredith Boericke:

A comprehensive rezoning of the town is a big deal; it impacts every resident in our community and is a blueprint for our future. Nobody should feel blindsided by any initiative coming out of Town Hall, especially one as important as this. Elected officials have an obligation to actively seek out alternative points of view, to leverage the expertise and insights of our residents and to include diverse coalitions in the conversation from the get-go. After twenty years in business, I know the best way to get things done is through proactive communication and broad-based consensus building, skills I will bring to Town Hall.

When I walk down Washington Street or drive around the rotary I see so much opportunity and so much potential and by listening to residents’ ideas and innovations we can maximize potential and assess pitfalls. We need meaningful, up-front communication between Town Hall, developers and broad-based community coalitions – from neighborhood associations, to Sustainable Braintree, to the Commission on Disabilities – to ensure new development is responding to our needs and has a positive impact on residents and our economy. We should demand concessions from developers to help us mitigate our traffic woes, improve our infrastructure, and provide high-quality jobs as a “cost of doing business” with our town. We need to adopt a long-term approach that will welcome thoughtful development, alleviate congestion and increase green space. Vibrant, thriving communities continually adapt, change and grow. Thoughtful development, is about building a sustainable, economically viable community that is prosperous and welcoming, and to do it right requires communication, collaboration and consensus-building.

Running for office? Or do you just want to share your feelings on Braintree's zoning proposal? Email Braintree Patch at jimmy.bentley@patch.com to submit a letter to the editor. Or sign up for a free account or use our Neighbor Posts to share what issues matter to you.