Burlington Votes Yes on Multifamily Housing and ICE Resolution, No on Conservation Bylaw Changes
New development will take 3 or more years to open and will replace two current 1970s office buildings
The second and final session of Burlington's September Town Meeting finished up just after 11:00 on Monday evening, and debate was just as thorough for Articles 4-13 as it was for Article 3, which took most of the body's time during the first legislative session.
During the four-hour-long meeting, approval was given to use $45,000 to fund the November 15 special election, which will ask voters to approve a debt exclusion for the high school project, whose borrowing was approved on September 29. The town also voted to:
- accept north of $70k from the will of Marshall Simonds,
- fund the Police Command Officers' and Patrolmen's contracts,
- assess a fee to residential facilities in Burlington that call the Fire Department for assistance in lifting residents, and
- require a report on the town's five-year capital plan each January at Town Meeting.
The headliners of the evening, Articles 10, 12, and 13, came out with mixed results.
Article 10, which failed by one vote at May Town Meeting, asked the body to separate out the Conservation regulations from the bylaws. Concerns about giving control to a small body of appointed members prevailed, and this motion failed once again ā this time 44-48.
Article 12 was an appeal to allow for an increase in the allowed density and height of a portion of the recently-approved MBTA Communities multifamily overlay. The overlay contains several properties that already contained multifamily housing developments, but one collection of parcels on Middlesex Tpk. & Great Meadow Rd. is currently developed as office buildings. Two of the buildings, owned by the Nordblom Company, would be demolished and the property redeveloped into a 188-unit multifamily housing development with pedestrian access to Great Meadow Rd.
After a lengthy presentation from Nordblom and comments from Sarah Cawley of the Select Board, during which she highlighted the public benefits of the development agreement and addressed common concerns including water usage, the body approved the project with little debate. Read more about the local history of MBTA Communities and the proposed project:
Nicci Kadilak
Finally, Article 13, Resolutions Regarding Violations at the ICE Facility, was presented. Precinct 5 Town Meeting Member, Phyllis Neufeld, outlined the background of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility at 1000 District Ave., back to its roots in 2007. She and Select Board Chair Mike Espejo spoke to the efforts the town has made to ensure conditions for detainees are appropriate, the property is being used in accordance with local zoning bylaws, and human rights are being respected.
In the end, the body voted almost unanimously to adopt the following resolution:
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Burlington Town Meeting formally condemns these violations of local zoning law and the inhumane treatment of detainees, and calls upon:
1. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cease overnight and extended detentions at the Burlington facility and to comply fully with the conditions set forth by ICE itself (see above).
2. Federal, state, and local authorities to investigate and take corrective action, including but not limited to, gaining access to the property, to ensure compliance with Burlingtonās zoning bylaws, ICE statement of how property was to be used and the humane treatment of all individuals held at the facility.
Be it further resolved, that the Town Clerk shall transmit copies of this resolution to the Burlington Select Board, the Burlington Building Inspector, the Burlington Police Department, Representatives Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss, the Governor of Massachusetts, and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Five Town Meeting Members voted against this resolution, and a number of representatives initially called for a roll call vote. However, some members had left by that point, and a roll could have revealed that there was not a quorum present at the meeting. This would have nullified the vote, necessitating another night of Town Meeting. In light of this, the roll call motion was rescinded and the affirmative vote stands.
Town Meeting is now adjourned until January, 2026.
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