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Update: September 27, 2019

Fill The Room at Town Meeting Oct. 7 Forward This E-mail to 10 Friends

The need to fill the hall at Town Meeting is more important than ever following Developer Nick Yebba's public call for North Reading citizens to vote "no" on an appropriation that would allow the town to defend itself against his legal appeal to North Reading's Safe Harbor declaration. Do you believe a single developer should influence a vote that could clear the path for him to build a project that is detrimental to the environment, abutters, public safety, and the small town character of North Reading? Without your YES vote on Article 7, that's exactly what could happen. Please forward this e-mail to interested friends and arrange to pick up three YES voters on your way to Town Meeting on Monday, Oct. 7. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at North Reading High School's Performing Arts Center. Click here for Town Meeting warrant. The vote will come under Article 7, which will amend the legal budget for fiscal year 2020. The dollar amount will be detailed in the motion at Town Meeting. DON'T BE CONNED BY A GREEDY DEVELOPER! Nick Yebba's recent Transcript ads mislead voters, as the project poses significant environmental risk and will be a net drain on the town's finances. The only person a "no" vote benefits is Yebba himself, so that he can quash the town's legitimate Safe Harbor declaration and earn millions for himself from this oversized project.

DIRC to File Wetlands Appeal

The North Reading Conservation Commission issued the Order of Resource Area Delineation (ORAD) for 20 Elm Street on Sept. 17. The ORAD sets the wetlands lines and identifies other areas on the property that will determine buffer zones for building and site work. DIRC's attorneys are filing an appeal of the ORAD with the Department of Environmental Protection in line with state regulations. The appeal focuses on the identification and classification of a perennial stream on the property. While a successful appeal will not stop the project, it will make the developer file a Notice of Intent with the Conservation Commission each time work is anticipated inside any buffer zone and it may pose limits for work on the site now and in the future.

What to Know About Town Meeting

Here are some key takes for Town Meeting on Oct. 7: The request for additional funds related to 20 Elm will allow town legal counsel to defend against the appeal of the town's Safe Harbor declaration by the ZBA on Aug. 22. Learn more about Safe Harbor here. The request comes under Article 7 on the Town Meeting warrant rather than in its own article. This article allows for amendment of the fiscal 2020 operating budget. Funds will come from free cash and passage requires a simple majority. Property taxes will not increase due to this vote. North Reading residents must be registered voters to cast a vote at Town Meeting. Presenting your driver's license at meeting check in will speed entry. Please bring the warrant received via USPS, and please stay for the entire meeting. Article 14, the last article and one that related to preliminary discussion of rezoning 20 Elm Street, is expected to be passed over, but will need your vote to do so. Another reason to stay until Town Meeting's end is that any "no" voter could wait until the hall empties and ask for a "reconsideration" of Article 7 to change the initial vote. It's a tricky tactic, but it's been tried it before and could lead to another vote without any "yes" voters still in attendance.

Help Spread the Word DIRC needs several volunteers to encourage neighbors to attend Town Meeting on Oct. 7. If you can spare an hour or two to distribute information and help defend against this project, please e-mail us here . Many residents are still unaware of this project's potential impact, so forwarding this e-mail to friends and talking to your neighbors is critical.

About the 20 Elm Street Project

Nick Yebba, owner of Teresa's Prime and Grille 19, has proposed a 200-unit apartment complex in 5 five-story buildings adjacent to the Resorts North pools on Route 62 near the Middleton, Lynnfield, and West Peabody lines. The project will sit on the banks of the fragile Ipswich River and contain a septic system that discharges 35,000 gallons per day of outflow near the river and private wells. The project will endanger the environment, stress public safety, and add significant traffic to busy Route 62. The proposal is made under Chapter 40B, the Massachusetts affordable housing law, which gives 40B developers broad latitude to avoid local zoning bylaws. If certain thresholds are met, the town can decline the project. Based on data supplied directly by the state, the ZBA declared Safe Harbor from the project, asserting the town meets these required thresholds. However, Nick Yebba has appealed this declaration, forcing the town to hire legal counsel to defend its position. The town and Defend Ipswich River Communities support affordable housing in line with the town's approved Housing Production Plan , which identifies affordable housing solutions that are responsible for the town and considerate of the people who would call such housing home.

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