FOR THE THIRD TIME IN 5 YEARS THE CRONY-ZONING PACKARDS, STERLING TOWN PLANNER, AND PLANNING BOARD WILL ATTEMPT TO RE-ZONE “PERFORMANCE ZONE 1” TO COMMERCIAL

Many years ago Sterling Town Meeting voters voted to zone the southeasterly corner of Sterling in the area of Dana Hill Road and Redemption Rock Trail (Route 140) as “Performance Zone 1” because it is surrounded by Stillwater River/Wachusett Reservoir Watershed lands including the Stillwater River aquifer, various wetlands, and numerous tributary streams. Sterling voters did that with the aim of protecting those sensitive resources.

Go to Sterling GIS mapping– AxisGIS – SterlingMA — and, in the left margin, click on “Layers.” THEN click on “Aquifers,” “Conservation 2,” “DEP Wetlands,” and “Zoning.” You will see all the sensitive resources in that area depicted.

At the 2020 Sterling Annual Town Meeting, by “Voters’ Petition,” an effort was made to re-zone “Performance Zone 1” to “Commercial.” That effort was made after the Packards—owners of Karen Packard Realty and the Sterling Greenery—bought up most of the parcels along Redemption Rock Trail between Dana Hill Road/Legg Road and Interstate 190. Go back to Sterling GIS mapping, zoom in on that area, and click on each parcel in that area. You will see various “RRT, LLC[s].” Those Limited Liability Corporations are ALL controlled by the Packards. That re-zoning attempt was shot down by Sterling Town Meeting voters.

Thereafter, the Packards appeared before the Sterling Planning Board Chaired by Self-Dealing Developer Weasel Carl Corrinne and, lo and behold(!), the Crony-Zoning Planning Board sponsored 2021 Sterling Annual Town Meeting Warrant Article 39 to re-zone “Performance Zone 1” to Commercial– 2021_atm_final_warrant_june_7_2021_003.pdf (sterling-ma.gov) The 2021 Sterling Town Meeting voters shot down that attempt too.

The Crony-Zoners–the Packards, the Planning Board, and the Town Planner– have decided to display their UTTER CONTEMPT for YOU, the TOWN MEETING VOTERS, by yet again proposing to re-zone “Performance Zone 1” to Commercial at the 2025 Sterling Annual Town Meeting. They want to call it “The Town of Sterling Gateway Enterprise District.” SEE sterling_gatewayenterprisedistrict_2024_11x17p.pdf (sterling-ma.gov) By the way, LOOK AT ALL THE HOMES BORDERING OR INCLUDED WITHIN THAT PROPOSED COMMERCIAL ZONE. THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS, THE CRONY-ZONING PACKARDS, PLANNING BOARD, AND TOWN PLANNER DON’T GIVE A RAT’S ASS ABOUT ALL THE TAX-PAYING HOMEOWNERS THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED ADVERSELY BY SUCH COMMERCIAL ZONING.

Yeah, ‘Sterling Gateway’ MY ASS! That stretch of Redemption Rock Trail/Route 140 is mostly a pass-through for Princeton and Westminster commuters and folks traveling to and from the Regional Recycling Center in West Boylston.

Scroll down to the proposed ‘Table of Uses’–zoning_proposal_1_-_performance_zone_-_final_for_web.pdf (sterling-ma.gov)  — to see all the business types allowed (“Y” for Yes) in the proposed “GED.” Yeah, folks, it’s COMMERCIAL, only the weasels proposing it use a deceptive euphemism to describe it. That’s to be expected– they’re weasels after all.

YET AGAIN, IT’S TIME TO PUT A STOP TO CRONY-ZONING BULLSHIT. VOTE DOWN THE FAUX ‘GATEWAY ENTERPRISE ZONE’ AT THE 2025 STERLING ANNUAL TOWN MEETING.

J.G.