FinCom Analysis Doesn't ADD UP!
Lancaster's Finance Committee put together an analysis of the costs and revenues associated with the 40R and rezoning, but they left out significant costs and used figures that misrepresented the facts.
Residents asked for a comprehensive, independent, professional analysis, but the town would not provide one.
We need a COMPREHENSIVE PROFESSIONAL ANALYSIS!
The combined projects proposed in the 40R and McGovern Blvd. Enterprise Districts represent the biggest developments ever proposed in Lancaster. We should not be using homegrown excel spreadsheets based on a year-old, financial analysis of a previously proposed partial build out to make these calculations.
We need a comprehensive financial analysis conducted by professionals, and vetted by all department heads.
problems with the fincom analysiS
The RKG Numbers for Town Services Were Incomplete
It is noted in the RKG Analysis that they were not able to talk with the Fire Chief and that new personnel were not included for any department. You can read the full RKG report here:
It is important to note that this was only based on a partial build out of a previous plan by the same developer, not for the current concept plans.
A December 27, 2021 Letter Outlines the Need for More Personnel
A letter from former Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco to the MoA Committee describes the need for 6 more personnel in the Police, Fire, and DPW departments. These costs were not included in the FinCom analysis. You can read the letter here:
https://www.ci.lancaster.ma.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif4586/f/pages/mou_cmte_for_police_dpw_fire.pdf
It also calls for 2 new Police cruisers and a north Lancaster substation.
Other Key Personnel Were Not Budgeted For
Special services such as single point of contact, personalized notifications of permitting timelines and board requirements, and expedited timelines promised to the developer in the MoA will lead to great pressure on the Planning Department. Despite those promises, and the enormous size of this development, there are no estimates in the FinCom analysis for increased Planning Department Personnel.
FinCom Analysis Does Not Include ANY Legal Costs
The town's legal services budget was XX in FY2022, and then blew up to $100,000 in FY2023. It is unknown how much has spent to have repeated legal reviews of the MoA for the MoA Committee, but in May 2022, the expense was at least $15K. The MoA has already cost the town a lot of money, and legal costs related to it will continue to rack up.
Large Warehouses Often Seek Tax Relief Deals from Host Communities- And Get Them!
It is very likely that if these warehouses are built, the tenants will seek tax relief from the town. This is a common practice. Wal-Mart successfully sued the town of Raymond, NH to get a huge tax break on the mega-warehouse on our home page. Read more about Wal-Mart's tactics here:
https://www.goodjobsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/pdf/walmartproptax.pdf
And read more about how towns and cities are forced to subsidize business development here:
The risk of possible tax subsidies should be part of any sound financial analysis of this deal. Otherwise we are fooling ourselves. All those expensive mailers sent by the developer promising $$$ will mean nothing to our budget when they sue us to reduce paying their taxes!
40R Units Were Low-balled at 146, and 40B Units Were Exaggerated to 590
You can read the Letter of Conditional Eligibility from the State and see that it describes 339 possible units:
And you can see for yourself that the developer has preliminary State approval for only 200 units of 40B housing:
Even these 200 units have not received a comprehensive permit, and per a previous MA DEP advisory opinion, they will need MEPA review even if they were approved by our ZBA.
In the meantime, our affordable housing situation is improving and we may soon be in temporary safe harbor for 1 or 2 years, and will not even need all of the 146 units promised in the 40R to reach permanent safe harbor. If we are in temporary safe harbor, our ZBA can reject a 40B application.
Numbers of School-Age Children for 40B Units Incorrect
If the 40B estimates for school-aged children looked enormous in the 40B, it's because they were calculated incorrectly.
Using a multiplier used by TWO different agencies (National Association of Homebuilders and E-Consult Solutions, Inc.), 40B school-age children numbers are more accurate and it's clear that 40B costs are not as outrageous as the FinCom analysis suggests. In their MBTA Communities Act FAQ, the State also declares that, "studies have shown that in most cases new multi-family housing development has no negative impact on a community’s school system".
This suggests that Lancaster has little to fear about school impacts from either the 40R or the 40B. Here is that FAQ, you can read it for yourself, it's the last question, G5:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/mbta-communities-faq-iteration-2-03-10-22/download