How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
In photos (left to right): Milton Councilman Benny Zlotnick; Supervisor Dan Lewza; Councilman Frank Blaisdell, Councilwoman Barbara Kerr and Councilman Scott Ostrander. Photos by Larry Goodwin.
MILTON – In a crowded meeting room Wednesday night, Milton officials took three controversial votes related to a development proposal on Hutchins Road, the purchase of former Boy Scout land and a town-wide property tax hike to solve budget problems.
Tom Samascott, owner of Malta Development and the popular Winner’s Circle apartment complex on Geyser Road, was present as the Milton Town Board voted 3-2 against his proposal to build 83 apartments for people aged 55 and up in a 14-acre wooded parcel off Hutchins Road.
Samascott’s project was first proposed nearly a year ago. However, stiff opposition from more than 100 local residents in the neighborhood’s existing single-family homes apparently resonated with Councilmen Frank Blaisdell and Scott Ostrander, and Councilwoman Barbara Kerr, who voted against changing the current residential zoning for the creation of a Planned Development District (PDD).
A 4-1 majority was required to pass the PDD resolution, according to Supervisor Dan Lewza, who voted in favor along with Councilman Benny Zlotnick.
“This has been a great struggle for myself,” offered Blaisdell, when Deputy Town Clerk Mary Ann Mevec had called on him to cast his vote. “But I’m a strong supporter of open spaces, low-density housing and well-settled communities with a history of caring for each other.”
Blaisdell continued: “I’m concerned that the proposed building is not appropriate for the area—and regardless of the age of the people that will potentially occupy it, the addition of 150 to 200 people in that area would be more density than we could ask the area to support. I’m voting no.”
Kerr raised similar concerns about the “density” of the apartment complex.
Zlotnick expressed disbelief that his fellow board members would turn down the offer by Samascott to spend $432,000 for an extension of water lines to homes on Red Oak Lane and White Oak Path, which are located about a quarter mile from Hutchins Road.
“The town of Milton board in the past made some mistakes or errors and people couldn’t have water,” Zlotnick said. “We have an opportunity for this developer to put something in with roads that we don’t have to pave, snowplow or pick up leaves on. We have a chance for people to get water at no cost to the town, and very little costs to residents on those two streets.”
Malta Development, Zlotnick added, has “offered us hundreds of thousands of dollars in free services to the town, and I think it’s very short-sighted to vote no. I vote yes.”
Ostrander voted against the resolution without comment. Prior to the vote, he said the decision should not be based on extending water lines only to two streets, when there are other areas of Milton that need better water service.
“Thank you all, for all of your time,” Samascott said, before abruptly leaving the meeting room with his son Wayne.
The second resolution taken up by the board was approved 5-0. It dealt with a proposed $500,000 town expense for purchasing the former Boyhaven property off Route 29.
In effect, the resolution empowered Milton Town Attorney James Craig and the town engineer to begin the formal process of finalizing a contract with the Boy Scouts of America Twin Rivers Council, which selected Milton’s bid for the 300-acre property earlier this year.
A separate resolution would be required to approve the finalized contract. Town residents have 30 days from now to collect approximately 900 signatures and force what Lewza called a “permissive referendum” allowing the town to borrow the money.
Most of the people in attendance Wednesday night favored the Boyhaven purchase at the scheduled public hearing for the resolution.
Milton Planning Board Chairman Larry Woolbright again called it a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to acquire valuable land—otherwise, he said, developers would quickly purchase it.
“It will be a development, and then it will be beyond our reach,” Woolbright said.
Jason Miller, who oversees buildings and grounds and is one of four people on the Milton Budget Committee, argued that “nobody has put forth any plan” in recent months to address how exactly the town can pay for the Boyhaven land.
“Before we move forward with a purchase, we need to do our homework,” Miller said.
The board members voted in favor of another resolution that would allow the town to exceed a state-mandated 2 percent cap on property tax increases, due to serious budget problems that Milton is facing.
If approved, the property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value in Milton would increase to $.66 from the current amount of $.33.
Lewza criticized members of the media, the public and even other town board members for presenting incorrect numbers about the proposed tax increase and the tentative $7.7 million budget for 2018, singling out those who post on social media accounts.
He produced a copy of his own property tax bill to demonstrate that the rate hike would amount to an increase of about $85.
The town’s budget committee will meet for a workshop that is open to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. The full board will hold a formal public hearing for the tentative budget on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6:35 p.m.
[Readers are encouraged to post respectful comments regarding the article below.]
