Eaton Lakeview: 3 Buildings, 4 Stories, Many, Many Concerns

Led by attorney Ted Regnante, the members of the Eaton Lakeview development team made their pitch Tuesday night to the Board of Selectmen and a room packed with concerned residents. Regnante said all the right things, at one point remarking, "it makes sense for all of us to work together."

His confident team talked about a traffic study, storm water, wetlands, and the design of the three-building 120-unit complex slated to be built within a stone's throw of Jordan's Furniture. Then residents let'em have it.

It started with, "It's going to be an absolute nightmare," then became "a sewage disaster" and soon took a left turn to the traffic abutters said was already horrible in the Walkers Brook area. The addition of more cars would make a bad situation even worse. In short, the game hasn't officially started but if Tuesday's meeting was any indication it's going to be ugly.

Before the development team had their say, Reading's assistant Town Manager Jean Delios gave an overview of the project with regard to 40B, the Massachusetts General Law that allows a developer to build housing where and how they want if the community is not at 10 percent affordable housing. Reading is at 8.78 percent right now but if all known projects go forward, Reading could be at 10.99 percent based on the 2010 census. The town has earned safe harbor status, meaning that until Feb. 22 of 2019 the town is exempt from new 40B applications. According to Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, the safe harbor status was achieved because of the progress made toward the 10 percent annually. You get a one-year moratorium for adding 0.5 percent and two years for adding 1 percent within the year. Reading accomplished both and the second year was added last fall.

The question the town faces then is fairly straightforward. Does Reading want to allow the Eaton Lakeview project to go forward now when it has a say in the project, or does it want to play the safe harbor card and delay the project. But if it does that, the developers can just wait until Feb. 23, 2019 and do whatever they want then.

"If you deal with it up front now, maybe the project can be improved," said Delios. And if the town delays the project it will be waiting for them Feb. 23 when, as Delios explained, "We don't have the ability to tell the developer what to do. We won't have that tool in our tool box anymore."

Despite their presence in the Selectmen's Meeting room, the town officially has not had any contact with the developers. The first step is for the developer, former Reading High football player Joe Guy Fodera along with Joe and Guy Fodera, to apply for a comprehensive permit before the Zoning Board of Appeals. That could happen next week, next month, or next year. And that safe harbor card? It's the Zoning Board of Appeals seven members who will decide whether to play it.

Earlier in the meeting the board accepted a $10,000 donation from the Fulchino Family Trust to the Elder Services Division for capital improvements to the Pleasant Street Center. The board also heard from Reading Little League about its plans to replace the current batting cages at Birch Meadow with two new ones. The current cage is named after Ernie Mello and will be rededicated upon completion while the second cage will be named after Nick Diranian. Also, RCTV announced a new program called "Hello Reading," a talk show which debuts Wednesday at 8 p.m. with selectmen Barry Berman and Andy Friedmann.

Photo by Bob Holmes