It is abundantly clear that the Sterling Planning Board, chaired by self-dealing developer weasel Carl Corrinne; their out-of-town, carpetbagging, utterly useless, make-work talking-sock-puppet ‘Town Planner’ Stephen Wallace; and the crony-zoning Packards, have utter contempt for Sterling Town Meeting voters because, for the third time in 5 years, following TWO (2) previous Sterling Annual Town Meeting REJECTIONS, they are attempting to re-zone ‘Performance Zone 1’ to COMMERCIAL by means of 2025 Annual Town Meeting Warrant Article 36, in conjunction with a proposed new ‘Table of Uses’ set forth in Warrant Article 37.
SEE https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/news/05_05_2025_atm_warrant.pdf
HISTORY OF PERFORMANCE ZONE 1 AND REASONS THEREFOR:
In 1992 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act was passed. It protects the Boston metro water supply watershed, including the Stillwater River, running through Sterling, its tributaries, associated wetlands, and associated aquifers.
SEE https://www.mass.gov/info-details/watershed-protection-act
Regulations were promulgated thereunder.
SEE https://www.mass.gov/regulations/313-CMR-1100-watershed-protection
THEREAFTER, AT AN ANNUAL TOWN MEETING MANY YEARS AGO, STERLING VOTERS, IN THEIR WISDOM, APPROVED THE ‘PERFORMANCE ZONE 1’ ZONING DISTRICT TO PROTECT THE NEARBY STILLWATER RIVER, ITS NEARBY TRIBUTARY STREAMS, AND ITS NEARBY ASSOCIATED WETLANDS AND AQUIFER FROM POLLUTANTS AND EXCESSIVE RUNOFF, INCLUDING HEATED RUNOFF AND POLLUTANTS FROM LARGE ROOFS AND PARKING LOTS.
Performance Zone 1 is located around Route 140, Dana Hill Road, and John Dee Road. Don’t be fooled by the deceptive euphemism ‘Gateway Enterprise District’ set forth in 2025 Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles 36 and 37. MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT— IF APPROVED AT TOWN MEETING THAT AREA WILL BECOME A COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
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 Wallace want you to know about all those sensitive areas??? OF COURSE NOT. They don’t give a rat’s ass about protecting sensitive environmental resources.
MOREOVER, check out ALL the abutting homes—
The Planning Board, Wallace, and the Packards don’t give a rat’s ass about the abutting property owners or their families either.
SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE PERMITTED USES TABLE SET FORTH IN ARTICLE 37, INCLUDING “MAJOR COMMERCIAL PROJECT[S]” that would be permitted in the euphemistically named ‘Gateway Enterprise District.’
IF ARTICLE 36 PASSES, MULTIPLE MAJOR COMMERCIAL PROJECTS COULD BE LOCATED IN THAT NEW COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
By the way, the crony-zoning Packards’ Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) own ALMOST ALL of the parcels in Performance Zone 1 easterly of Dana Hill Road. No self-dealing there folks, NOOOOO SIRREEE…
To continue protecting the Stillwater River watershed, AND in solidarity with all those abutting homeowners and their families who would be affected adversely by the proposed new COMMERCIAL zone, it behooves the rest of us to teach the Packards, the Planning Board, and Wallace an EMPHATIC LESSON– YET AGAIN–AT THE 5 MAY 2025 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING BY VOTING DOWN WARRANT ARTICLE 36. LET’S DO IT!
Stay Tuned.
J.G.
STERLING, MASSACHUSETTS, OVERWATCH 