Special Town Meeting To Address Bylaws To Build Senior Housing In Westborough

WESTBOROUGH, MA—Westborough voters will have an opportunity to vote on changes in zoning bylaws that would allow developers to construct senior housing at the former Westborough State Hospital site.

This Special Town Meeting will be held in Memorial Hall on the upper level of Town Hall on Tuesday, May 23 at 7 p.m.

The meeting, as Town Moderator John Arnold explains in a letter, addresses a proposed update to the
Zoning Bylaws to allow 4-story construction of Senior (55+) housing on the portion of the former
Westborough State Hospital property that the town is selling.

The town manager’s statement that accompanies the Town Meeting warrant indicates that this was a recommendation of the Westborough State Hospital Re-Use Committee and that a table in the town’s Zoning bylaws needs to be updated by Town Meeting vote to implement this recommendation, said Arnold.

The full text of the Town Meeting article and the Town Manager’s statement can be found here.

There is a quorum of 50 voters needed at the meeting since this is not one of the 2 regularly
scheduled Town Meetings that are specified in the Town Charter, explained Arnold.

"Whether you are a Town Meeting regular or a voter who wants to see what Town Meeting is all about and how it works, everyone is encouraged to attend this 1-article Town Meeting," wrote Arnold. "This is also a chance to be part of history during Westborough’s 300th birthday year. It’s been a very long time since we’ve had a Town Meeting in Town Hall. So, this Town Meeting will be a special throwback to when Town Meeting was commonly held in Town Hall."

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