Crux of vote: character vs. development

Anthony Troiano, Hopkinton's town manager, and planning official Elaine Lazarus have overseen the development of plans for the Legacy Farms project, spread across 708 acres of the former Weston Nurseries property. (Bill Polo/Globe Staff/FILE 2007)

In 2005, when a "For Sale" sign went up on the Weston Nurseries property in Hopkinton, selectmen made two declarations: development of the sprawling 708-acre site had to be "revenue positive" for the town, and it had to preserve the community's closely guarded character.

At the heart of the matter is geography. The town's location at the junction of the Mass. Pike and Interstate 495, its renown as site of the official start of the Boston Marathon, and its growing reputation as a suburban haven all make it ripe for smart development.

For months now, and only after years of intricate land-use studies, a host of planning, zoning, and selectmen's meetings have orbited around a complicated set of mixed-use zoning changes and negotiations to bring millions in mitigation money and traffic improvements. All of that activity was aimed at bringing Weston-based developer Boulder Capital LLC closer to beginning work on its Legacy Farms project, which is expected to take 10 years to finish.

The project, spread along Route 135 in east Hopkinton, would include 940 units of mixed housing, 300,000 square feet of commercial, professional, and medical office space, and another 150,000 square feet of retail - including a smaller Weston Nurseries Garden Center - while leaving 500 acres of open space.

Residents are talking about little else after a series of community forums and workshops. "We don't want strip malls or drive-through McDonalds," said Town Manager Anthony Troiano. "We want development of the 495 corridor that is good, wise use of the land."

But that takes water and sewer facilities, both of which are hot topics in town. Officials are mired in lawsuits related to a proposed $12 million waste-water treatment plant on Fruit Street that would open up development in the South Street area. A new plant would also ease tensions with Westborough, which objects to Hopkinton's frequent overflow of its current waste-water facility. But there are some residents and conservation groups who believe the new facility's threat to the environment isn't worth the cost of construction.

As part of its good-will offering to the town, Boulder Capital has agreed to develop a drinking-water well at Aprilla Farms that would supply the proposed development with 170,000 gallons a day, and maybe even offer surplus water for the town. That's pretty good, Troiano said.

A May 5 Town Meeting warrant article will ask voters to approve the sweeping zoning changes required by the project. If they do, though, the road is still long for the developer. State environmental reviews await, along with applications for a variety of permits.

For Boulder Capital founder and president Roy McDowell, the Weston Nurseries property is an old friend. The company has purchased materials there for several decades. "Yes, we've known this land for a long time," said McDowell, who has reached out to the community in an effort to allay fears. An extensive fiscal analysis of his plan has concluded that the project would benefit the community, he said.

Nearby residents such as Christopher Barry, who heads up the Hopkinton Citizens Association, aren't so sure. "To say we're concerned would be an understatement," he said. "The zoning was written by Boulder, and then rubber-stamped. We all agree it's not a black-and-white issue. And while we'd like to see a development come as the town has envisioned, this seems to be corrupted. The size and scope of the project, in that location, is just way too dense."

Barry and other residents see red flags, especially with reports of 16,000 cars a day in an area that currently sees 8,000. "We don't want this to be a highway from east Hopkinton to 495 . . . We are looking for compromise on size," he said.

But others, like Town Planner Elaine Lazarus, say there has been plentiful dialogue and a multitude of opportunities for residents to weigh in. "We've been talking for years about the future of the town," she said.

The main struggle for those working to embrace a project like Legacy Farms is, she said, the magnitude of the unknown.

"This is an area that hasn't had development, and change is hard," Lazarus said. "It is a quality of life and a change that can't be mitigated by traffic lights."

The smart-growth concepts incorporated in the Legacy Farms plan mirror the town's long-term goals, said Muriel Kramer, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen. "It avoids the fiscal drain on towns that that old style of growth was famous for."

Doing more on less land is key, as is protecting open space, she said. "This can be great for us. We've been working to fast-track something that's bigger than we've ever done. Most of us really love what this town is about.

"It felt rural when we moved in, and we've held on to that pretty tightly."