Too High a Cost

During a recent Traffic Advisory Committee meeting which concerned the proposed Brightview Assisted Living facility (BV), I asked Town Administrator Steve Maio where the concept of including Independent Living units originated, causing the BV facility to burgeon from 90 to a whopping 130 living units. Mr. Maio said ‘ Selectman Brian Falvey and I thought Independent Living would bring vibrancy to our downtown.’

Let me understand this; a handful of folks is going to inject vibrancy into our downtown? Did the Town Administrator and the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen study and evaluate the spending habits and shopping trends of independent living residents in order to determine that BV senior apartment residents are going to effectively invigorate our downtown? That’s a lot of pressure on those unsuspecting seniors. I wonder if they will be notified of this expectation when they sign up at the proposed Wakefield BV. Will they know that they are being charged with such a lofty goal in addition to the lofty monthly fee?

I find it very odd that BV’s own Director of Development Michael Glynn was somehow not able to answer the question about the increased size when it was first posed to him at a Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting. He’s the Development Director for crying out loud. But, after having two weeks to consult with Brian McGrail, attorney for BV, Mr. Glynn was finally able to inform us that BV is trending toward the ‘continuum plan’ - making bigger facilities that include Independent Living units. When pressed for more details, Glynn also informed us that it isn’t economically feasible to include independent living units in a smaller facility. This translates to mean it messes with their profit margin.

Regardless who it was who introduced the idea of adding Independent Living to the BV, whether it was Steve Maio, Brian Falvey, Michael Glynn or Brian McGrail, they did this with full knowledge that Wakefield people voted twice last spring for the smaller facility.

Whoever is to blame for the ensuing debacle must realize that this gargantuan complex will permanently infect the Crescent and Eaton Street neighborhood with disproportionate urbanization. No matter how you feel about the Brightview project, ladies and gentlemen, this is not leadership. Leadership honors the voice of the public and does not aid and abet the effort to overturn a town-wide vote, nor does it bend over backward for developers at the expense of the citizens. Yet this is exactly what we have come to expect as ‘business as usual’ in Wakefield.

Those who are forced to bear the consequences are the ones who always end up taking the brunt of greed and overdevelopment – Wakefield residents who provide the salaries of those whose responsibility it is to protect our interests. Perhaps even more troubling is that our own Zoning Board of Appeals is charged with ensuring that “The requested use will not impair the integrity or character of the district or adjoining districts…..” How could this behemoth not impair the integrity or character of that district? It is inconceivable to me that anyone can honestly think that such an enormous, nearly five story fortress on less than two acres is a good fit for that residential area. Based on size alone, this project never should have gotten this far in the process.

The question that each of us should be asking is this - what is it that is driving this preposterous monster forward? And more importantly – why isn’t anyone doing anything about the onerous size and density of this project?