Looking ahead

Welcome back!

It’s Friday, and you know what that means. Another rainy weekend!

Things settled quite a bit after Town Meeting, but there’s still much to cover. Here’s what we have for you this week:

1. Planning Board Hears Initial Findings on Route 20 Study

2. Water District Candidates’ Forum Available

3. SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

4. Park and Rec Keeps the Hammer Down

5. L-S School Committee Reorganizes

Let’s get into it!

Planning Board Hears Initial Findings on Route 20 Study

By Kevin LaHaise

A Route 20 corridor study kicked off earlier this year, and the initial findings and recommendations were presented to the Planning Board on Wednesday, April 30. No decisions have been made, and any recommendations made regarding zoning changes would have to pass through a future Town Meeting.

The core of the recommendations is a significant westward expansion of the Village Business District. That district currently encompasses the Mill Village plaza, running from Station Road to Massasoit Massasoit Avenue on both sides of Route 20. (Shaded in BLUE in the below image.)

The expansion would extend the Village Business District all the way to encompass Chiswick Park and the Shaw's plaza, covering both sides of Route 20 along the way, and a portion of Union Avenue.

The recommended expansion, as presented by BSC Group, would look like this:

One of the key features of the Village Business District zone is that is requires parking be to the side or rear of any building. By expanding that requirement further down Route 20, such a change could facilitate a gradual transition away from the familiar site of large parking lots in front of strip malls and other commercial structures located at the back of the Route 20 parcels.

The recommendations also included modifications for the Village Business District in the Zoning Bylaw. Those included allowing mixed-use development by right, albeit it would still go through site plan review. The consultant also recommended banning development of single-family dwellings in the modified Village Business District and reducing setback requirements while capping how far a back the structures could be located.

The Planning Board discussion painted a picture of a corridor where buildings are close to the street and perhaps have more consistent sidewalk systems from parcel to parcel. Member Anu Shah pointed to the Chase Bank being built at the Shaw's plaza, saying just the metal frame alone is an improvement over the previous expanse of a paved parking lot.

The other advantage of expanding the Village Business District, according to the consultant, was that it was more likely to garner broad public support. The idea was that expanding an existing zoning concept was less complicated than inventing something entirely new. Sudbury has had its fair share of zoning controversies over the years, which may have contributed to the cautious approach here.

The board also heard recommendations for infrastructure improvements. The consultant recommended pursuing sewers on Route 20. The current reliance on septic is regularly cited as a limitation for businesses and developers.

For residents interested in walkways, the recommendations included robust investment in sidewalks along the town’s commercial corridor:

Another recommendation encouraged the Town to petition the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for the Town of Sudbury to take over a 1.1 mile stretch of Route 20 between Fire Station 2 near Whole Foods and Massasoit Avenue. Local control may make sewer, sidewalk and intersection enhancements more feasible.

The consultant also recommend that Sudbury create an Economic Development Committee, and create an Economic Development staff position. Those items have come up in Select Board discussions in recent years.

The board was careful to reiterate that it's still early in the process, and that further iteration was needed before getting to a final report. Given the nuances of zoning changes, the board agreed that clear communication with the community would be a key to the process moving forward.

Water District Candidates’ Forum Available

By The League of Women Voters of Sudbury

The Candidates’ Forum for the May 20 Sudbury Water District election is now available on SudburyTV.  Robert H. Sheldon, an incumbent, and Robert Crane are running for the three-year seat on Sudbury’s  Board of Water Commissioners.

Voters can find on-demand links to the program in the LWV Voters’ Guide or at sudburytv.org. A cable subscription is not needed to view the programs on-demand on a computer or smartphone. The forum will run on SudburyTV’s cable channels, Comcast 22 and 1074 and Verizon 30 and 2130, until the election. Viewers can find the SudburyTV cable broadcast schedule here.

During the forum, the two candidates discussed numerous topics, including district operations, PFAS chemicals, fluoride, lead pipes, outdoor watering restrictions, water rates, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and the relationship between the Water District and the Town of Sudbury.

The election is Tuesday, May 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Water District headquarters, 199 Raymond Rd., followed by the district’s annual meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. Information on voting and absentee ballots is here.  The annual meeting warrant and a specimen ballot are here.

Uncontested candidates in the Water District election are Craig Blake for moderator; Thomas Travers for treasurer; and Susan O’Connor for clerk.

Park and Rec Keeps the Hammer Down

By Kevin LaHaise

The Sudbury Park and Recreation Commission met on Monday, May 12 and discussed an Atkinson Pool renovation, as well as phasing for other recreation projects around Sudbury.

Additional funding for the pool renovation was approved overwhelmingly at Annual Town Meeting the week prior, and the commissioners heard an update on how the Town would approach the project. Town Manager Andy Sheehan and Finance Director Victor Garofalo were present to provide an update.

Commissioners were eager to complete the renovation as quickly as possible. Town Manager Sheehan made it clear that the pool was a top-priority project for staff, and they were moving forward with urgency. The goal is to complete the renovation before swim team season picks up in November.

One of the concerns of the commission was the risk of supply chain delays for critical equipment. Sheehan explained that there’s no way to predict if they will run into supply chain delays, but that the Town was working closely with the Owners Project Manager (OPM) and architect to accelerate on shop drawings and order equipment as quickly as possible.

The commission also discussed the upcoming presentation of the first draft of the Fields Needs Assessment. They’ll be reviewing that at their June 2 meeting. Other projects discussed included the upcoming repairs at the SMILE playground at Haskell Field, and phase two of the Feeley Fields project. The Feeley project may be subject to further discussion depending on the findings in the Field Needs Assessment.

Town Meeting also approved funding for a pavilion and a second sport court at the Fairbank Community Center. Commissioners discussed the timing for those projects. Finance Director Victor Garofalo indicated that spring 2026 might be the right time to complete them since winter isn’t a good time to pour the surfaces. Town Manager Sheehan made it clear that they want to prioritize the pool renovation through completion. Park and Recreation Director Dennis Mannone explained that one of the challenges with projects at the community center is that they have to be timed to avoid disrupting key programs like the Sudbury Summer camp.

In a bit of good news for the commission, Sheehan told them that he thinks the Planning Department intends to get moving on the Open Space and Recreation Plan soon after the completion of the Fields Needs Assessment. The completion of that plan makes the Town eligible to apply for a number of State grants for park and recreation projects.

L-S School Committee Reorganizes

By Kevin LaHaise

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School School Committee met on Tuesday, May 13. There’s plenty that changed as the committee welcomed two new members on Tuesday, but some things stayed the same.

Jack Ryan, who previously served on the committee, returned to service on Tuesday after winning in the March election. Charles Morton was present for his first meeting as a member of the committee. Morton also won in March.

During reorganization, the committee voted unanimously to keep current Chair, Ravi Simon, as Chair for the next year. Cathy Bitter also received a unanimous vote to serve another year as Vice Chair. Members complemented the collaborative tone set by Simon and Bitter over the prior year. It was good vibes only for this reorganization.

Subcommittee and liaison assignments were shuffled following those votes. The committee breezed through those discussions and worked to spread the workload around equitably.

Parting Thoughts

Buckle up for next week. The Select Board and the Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee are scheduled to reorganize. But they also have some big topics on their agendas.

The Select Board will be discussing the Housing Production Plan and the Route 20 Corridor study. Meanwhile, the SPS School Committee will be talking about a transgender policy, Pride Day, the Superintendent’s annual report, and the Q3 budget update.

The Select Board will be welcoming a new member, Radha Gargeya, who won election in March. The SPS School Committee will be welcoming Betsy Sues for her first meeting after winning election in March, and Jessica McCready will begin serving her first full term. She was previously appointed to temporarily fill a vacancy on the committee, but she also won election for a full 3-year term in March.

Many in town are anticipating a Special Town Meeting this fall, and there has been no shortage of chatter about it. With the composition of key boards and committees changing this month, the coming weeks may provide a glimpse into what’s in store for the remainder of 2025.

But before we get to that, the Sudbury Water District election is next Tuesday, May 20 and the Water District Candidates’ Forum is must-see-TV this weekend. Will Sudbury soon find itself in the middle of the Great Fluoride Debate that has gripped the nation? Will commissioners meetings soon be televised? Should the Department of Public Works absorb the water district and put it under Town jurisdiction? All that and more is in the forum.

The candidates didn’t agree on much. There were multiple rebuttals and moderator follow—ups. And the race for Water District Commissioner may have become the most noteworthy contested race of 2025.

Onward!