Where The Braintree Mayoral Candidates Stand On Zoning

BRAINTREE, MA — If there's one issue on the minds of the majority of Braintree voters, it's the town's future plans for re-zoning. With the Nov. 5 election promising a new mayor and at least five new faces to the Town Council, residents and candidates alike have made the issue one of their top priorities. It's been this way since hundreds of residents protested a proposed re-zoning ordinance, arguing it would allow too much overcrowded housing and fundamentally change Braintree's "small town character."

To help voters understand where candidates stand on the town's most important issues, Patch will focus coverage on specific issues and give residents the ability to be more informed. First up is mayoral candidates Charles Kokoros and Thomas Reynolds with their thoughts on re-zoning from Wednesday night's candidates forum.

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Kokoros told Braintree residents he wants to see the proposed re-zoning ordinance rejected because he believes it would allow for too much multi-family housing and change the character of the town. He also argued that a master plan be completed before any zoning re-writes are approved.

Reynolds said he's also for updating the town's master plan, but he also tried to draw some distinctions between himself and his opponent. He argued Kokoros had an opportunity to address these issues 15 years ago when Kokoros was a member of the advisory committee tasked with developing re-zoning initiatives.

According to Reynolds, Kokoros attended just 10 percent of the committee's 22 meetings. Reynolds said Kokoros should have advocated for an inclusionary bylaw to require developers building multifamily complexes to set aside a set number of units for affordable housing, thus protecting the town from the state's 40b laws, which allow developers to bypass local zoning laws if a town doesn't have enough affordable housing.

"It's important to understand we could have addressed this problem by having an inclusionary bylaw back then ...," Reynolds said. "He's missed a golden opportunity to address these issues and hasn't offered a solution ... I would demand that we pass an inclusionary bylaw."

Kokoros said the only reason he missed those meetings was because the committee switched the meetings to 3 p.m., right in the middle of the work day. Kokoros argued he was shut out by planning board members and said they had their own agenda.

"They wanted to change Braintree," Kokoros argued.

Kokoros also argued the town is already in "safe harbor" from 40b. State officials have argued Braintree's affordable housing numbers fall just short of the the state's requirements. A state board has rejected the town's appeal of this decision, but Kokoros said he will continue the fight to court if necessary.

"They're wrong, we're right ...," Kokoros said. "We used one of the best law firms in the state … We aren't in a predicament. We have developers who are trying to circumvent the law."

Next on Braintree Patches issue election stories will be traffic and economic development.

Check back for more election coverage.

Patch Candidate Profiles:

• Braintree Candidate Profile: Thomas Reynolds Jr. For Mayor
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Charles Kokoros For Mayor
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Timothy Carey For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Lawrence Mackin For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Julia Flaherty For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: David Ringius For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Steve Sciascia For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Gisca Bonhomme For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Donna Connors For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Meredith Boericke For Town Council
• Braintree Candidate Profile: John McKinley For Town Council

Correction: The sentence: "Kokoros told Braintree residents he wants to see the proposed re-zoning ordinance rejected because he believes it would allow for too much multi-family housing and change the character of the town," was originally attributed to Reynolds. It has since been corrected.