Folks, I’ll be at the 19 February 2025 Sterling Proposed Zoning Changes Forum—
Hope to see you there. First up is the proposal to re-zone Performance Zone 1 along Route 140 near Dana Hill Road to Commercial. Don’t be fooled by the deceptive euphemism ‘Gateway Enterprise District.’ MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT— IF APPROVED AT TOWN MEETING THAT AREA WILL BECOME A COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE PERMITTED USES TABLE INCLUDING “MAJOR COMMERCIAL PROJECT” LEFT UNDEFINED CONVENIENTLY ON PURPOSE BECAUSE THE PROPONENTS ARE WEASELS–
AND THOSE WEASELS include the Self-Dealing Developer and Chair of the Sterling Planning Board, Carl Corrinne; the Planning Board’s Carpetbagger Make-Work Talking Sock Puppet, Town Planner Stephen Wallace; and the Crony-Zoning Packards whose Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) own ALMOST ALL of the parcels in Performance Zone 1 easterly of Dana Hill Road.
The Packards and the Planning Board tried to get that area re-zoned to Commercial in two back-to-back recent Annual Town Meetings but failed. Obviously they have utter contempt for Sterling Town Meeting Voters’ twice-voted will. It is time that we Sterling Annual Town Meeting voters stick it to THEM—EMPHATICALLY—by shooting down this proposed re-zoning AGAIN.
For those of you who need a refresher, or weren’t around when Performance Zone 1 was zoned the way it is, THE REASON IT WAS ZONED THAT WAY BY STERLING ANNUAL TOWN MEETING VOTERS YEARS AGO WAS TO PROTECT THE STILLWATER RIVER WATERSHED, INCLUDING NEARBY TRIBUTARY STREAMS, ITS AQUIFER, AND NEARBY WETLANDS.
To see those sensitive resources for yourselves go to Sterling GIS mapping and ZOOM in on that area—
https://next.axisgis.com/SterlingMA/
Next, click on “Layers” then “Conservation 2.” Also, click on “State Data” then on “Aquifers,” “DEP Wetlands,” “Drainage Basins,” “Outstanding Resource Waters,” “Public Water Supply Map,” and “Surface Water Supply Watersheds.”
Do the Packards, the Planning Board, and Town Planner want you to know about all those sensitive areas??? OF COURSE NOT. They’d be happy to build and pave over them. They don’t give a rat’s ass about protecting sensitive environmental resources.
Moreover, check out ALL the abutting homes—
They don’t give a rat’s ass about the abutting property owners or their families either.
In solidarity with those abutting homeowners and their families it behooves the rest of us to teach the Packards, the Planning Board, and the Town Planner an EMPHATIC LESSON– YET AGAIN–AT THE MAY 2025 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING. LET’S DO IT!
Stay Tuned.
J.G.
STERLING, MASSACHUSETTS, OVERWATCH 