Rezoning sparks concern as Newbury Court eyes expansion

Newbury Court’s parent organization wants the retirement community to expand, but a related rezoning plan is drawing mixed reactions. 

While some celebrate expected town revenue increases, neighbors are uneasy about what the zoning might allow. Others fear the expansion won’t provide Acton with affordable senior housing.

Attorney Mark Bobrowski said the New England Deaconess Association expects a robust permitting process if the rezoning succeeds. After pushback from abutters, he also welcomed an effort to firm up details about the expansion before voters consider the zoning at Town Meeting. 

“If you’ve got specific concerns, we’re not done talking,” he told residents at a packed public hearing last month. 

New plans

Deaconess’ ambitions center on a 12-acre property between Old Marlboro Road and Old Road to 9 Acre Corner. The non-profit bought the land from Emerson Health last year for $18 million.

The mostly wooded land has seven vacant homes. Deaconess’ Town Meeting petition would lay the groundwork for 200 residential units. 

At an April 9 Planning Board hearing, Bobrowski said Deaconess wants to build both townhomes and multi-unit buildings. 

Zoning would cap townhome height at 35 feet, but multi-unit structures could reach 85 feet. Bobrowski said Deaconess would place the shorter structures around the property’s perimeter. Taller buildings would be set back further.

Newbury Court has long provided care services for older residents on its 18-acre campus. Bobrowski said the proposed expansion mirrors what’s already in place.

“If you like Newbury Court today,” he said, “you’re going to like Newbury Court tomorrow.” 

Property value fears

Neighbors praised Newbury Court’s offerings. They still balked at the presentation by Bobrowski and Deaconess CEO Chris Sintros. 

Bobrowski said placing tall buildings at the new property’s center would partially shield them from the view of neighboring residents thanks to a dip in the site’s topography.

But Old Marlboro Road resident Jim Jackson worries the plan could change and said zoning could let Deaconess place an 85-foot-tall building 40 feet from the property line. 

Jackson, who has urged the Planning Board to oppose the proposal, told The Acton Bridge he wished Deaconess had a more detailed development plan before seeking rezoning.

Fellow Old Marlboro Road resident Jennifer Hurley-Wales said she’s worried about the expansion’s visual impacts. 

If buildings rise too close to her neighborhood, she told Bobrowski and Sintros, “we would lose our property values greatly and not be able to move into your incredible complex that you’re building.”

‘Attainable housing’

The zoning pitch could reserve 10% of new units for “attainable housing.” Bobrowski said people making less than 150% of the area median income would qualify. Officials would consider assets in the calculation. (Current federal data says 150% of Acton’s area median income for a single person is $173,700.)

Bobrowski said Deaconess knew it would get questions about affordability. Acton Housing Foundation president Frank “Rich” Feeley said he was glad to see some commitments, but still had questions. 

“How are we going to know that Newbury Court is really housing some of our elders who really need this kind of care but don’t have that kind of capital and monthly income?” he said.

Sintros previously discussed Newbury Court pricing and emphasized that the cost covers services, not just housing.

Bobrowski said “attainability” isn’t meant as a low-income option.

Development agreement

Deaconess has paid property taxes of more than $800,000 annually on the Newbury Court property, records show.

Sintros said he expects the expansion would also be taxable. Amid a townwide budget crunch, Finance Committee member Peggy Briggs said new revenue “is of critical importance.”

While neighbors worried on April 9, town planner Elizabeth Hughes suggested creating a development agreement with Deaconess. Bobrowski said the team was open to a discussion.

Hughes told The Bridge that an agreement could be in place before Town Meeting. It would be a binding contract that could lock Deaconess into its commitments around building locations.

Sintros did not respond to questions from The Bridge on April 17 asking about the status of development agreement talks. 

Jackson said he might back off his opposition if Deaconess inks a satisfactory agreement. He said he and other neighbors don’t oppose redevelopment outright. And he said Acton needs more senior housing for the many older residents who want to stay local as they age.

“I think if they do this right, it could be good for our property values,” he said. “But if they do it wrong, it could devastate our property values.”

The Planning Board was to start discussing its positions on Town Meeting articles during an April 29 meeting. Even if rezoning passes in June, Deaconess would need approval from multiple boards before it breaks ground on an expansion. 

Erin Tiernan contributed reporting.