Selectman Candidates Answer BCF Questions

Belmont Annual Town Election to be Held Tuesday, April 2

Compiled by Mary Bradley

Each year the Belmont Citizens Forum asks candidates for selectman about issues the town will likely face in the next three years. Below are candidates Jessie Bennett, Roy Epstein, and Timothy Flood’s unedited replies to our questions about traffic, the environment, development, and other topics. Each candidate was limited to 800 words total.

 

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1. In response to McLean’s proposal to rezone parts of its former campus for housing, school, and R&D use, what would you recommend?

Bennett: McLean’s proposed zoning changes do not meet the goals of Belmont’s Housing Production plan. With so little development space left in town, we must maximize the number of units that meet our affordability guidelines, particularly for seniors. The zoning approved 20 years ago for a senior continuum of care facility was in response to a need, and we are nowhere near resolving that need. Any development in that zone should provide options for older residents to downsize and stay in town within their means.

Epstein: I support new housing and a school at McLean, but await more information on the proposed R&D use. Any development must meet existing affordable housing set-asides. Generating additional traffic onto Mill Street is a concern. The Memorandum of Understanding between Belmont and McLean guides the Planning Board process. We need to balance our needs for affordable housing, more units for seniors, and more tax revenue.

Flood: Although the current McLean proposal for townhomes does not address current Belmont housing shortfalls, such as senior housing and affordable housing options, our town would benefit from the tax revenue growth. I would recommend that we continue to discuss options and plans with the project developer to create a more balanced compromise.

2. What steps would you take to ensure that the design and construction of the Community Path proceed efficiently?

Bennett: By the time this appears, we will have settled the question of the route between Brighton Street and Belmont Center, and the Community Path Project Committee (CPPC) will be moving on to the next stage. We have reached this stage after a tremendous amount of work by many members of our community, and we must maintain our focus on the process. We are on a timeline that would allow us to compete for the next round of funding, and delays would risk losing that funding.

Undoubtedly, we will encounter complications during the design process. We may find problems with right of way or clearances or other design constraints that require rethinking, but we will not know what they are until we get into the detailed design.

Epstein: As a cyclist and member of the Community Path Project Committee (CPPC), I strongly support this project. The path will provide a safe route for bikes and kids going to school, reduce automobile traffic, and create new recreation and commuting opportunities. But to do that we must design a path that is safe, buildable, and affordable. Belmont is responsible for all design costs plus any construction costs that the state will not reimburse. We need a process for the path that ensures success with the fixed budget available.

Belmont is responsible for acquiring the needed right of way. For Phase 1a, the Alexander Avenue tunnel, the School Department must decide whether to allow the extension of the path to Concord Avenue. For Phase 1b, Brighton Street to the Clark Street bridge, we must acquire MBTA and perhaps other easements. This should be addressed immediately so we know the cost of a feasible route.

Examples of other requirements that must be addressed early in the process include: (1) abutter screening if a northern route; (2) safety engineering for crossing Brighton Street; (3) coordinated planning with the Concord Avenue Light Department site; (4) MBTA track and path separation; (5) MBTA track access from Alexander Avenue and Brighton Street; (6) MBTA conditions for using the Belmont Center station area and Leonard Street bridge; and (7) fire-, ambulance-, and police-path access. Each issue affects the design budget and must be evaluated for construction costs that the state may not reimburse. This is a complicated and unique project. We need an efficient bidding process that allows us and the bidders to understand all of the costs we may face. We can’t afford surprises late in the game.

I’m committed to working with the CPPC, the selectmen, and the town to build a safe and affordable path through Belmont. I would like to be one of the first to ride my bike to Northampton!

Flood: The Belmont Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee’s efforts to shepherd the Community Path Project have been tremendous. I believe the most efficient design allows safe use of the path over its length. Though, under the current design, I am concerned that the railroad crossing at Brighton Street continues to pose a safety risk to users, and further evaluation is needed to consider additional options for this crossing, including rerouting around existing buildings or expropriating land to accommodate a safe path. Progressing into construction without a solution to this safety concern will not allow the construction to proceed efficiently.

3. What changes should the town require to use less energy and be more resilient to global warming and increased flooding?

Bennett: The Energy Committee’s draft roadmap to strategic electrification of the largest causes of carbon emissions—transportation by car and home heating—provides us with a plan to meet our Climate Action goals. Partnerships between the town and community groups like Belmont Goes Solar and Belmont Drives Electric are vital to making this plan a reality.

The new 7–12 school achieved zero net energy designation and was designed to withstand any flooding from Clay Pit Pond. We must apply this same rigor to any future building projects. We should preserve our open spaces and incorporate resilient design in our streetscapes, including rain gardens, green buffer zones, and other measures that can alleviate the impacts of major storm events.

Epstein: As a Light Board Advisory Committee member, I worked on and supported our revised energy supply policy that will increase Belmont Light reliance on renewable sources. Belmont Light should continue rapid deployment of new smart street lights that use less power. I support battery energy storage at the incinerator site. The site could also house a solar farm equal to all the rooftop solar in Belmont.

Belmont should continue to upgrade heating, cooling, and lighting systems in town buildings. The new 7-12 school is a model for zero net energy design.

Electric vehicles are the future for cars. My new plug-in hybrid is the best car I’ve ever owned. Heat pumps, which use electricity instead of natural gas or oil for home heating, could make a big difference as they replace existing systems. Let’s continue exploring incentives to get people to adopt better technologies faster.

Ability to handle severe rain events that impact Clay Pit Pond and the sewer system is a priority. The design for the new school must be flood-proof.

Flood: Belmont residents have taken great strides to use renewable energy, though I do not believe we are actively moving toward using less energy. The Belmont Goes Solar and Belmont Drives electric are primary examples of initial success. These cannot be one-time-only programs and need to grow and update with the community. For example, I believe additional buy-back valuation negotiation is needed with Belmont Light to incentivize more Belmont residents to install solar on their homes and businesses given the high upfront costs. Further incentives are needed to encourage residents to reduce energy use, such as completing home- energy assessments, improving home insulation and efficiency, and replacing aging heating and cooling systems with heat pumps. Further, I would push for many town vehicles to be upgraded to hybrids or electric vehicles.

4. What do you think is a reasonable goal and timetable for reducing pollution in Belmont’s streams and ponds so they can support recreation like boating and swimming? Do you think a stormwater fee would help?

Bennett: We can make big strides in cleaning up our waterways, but there are grave concerns with disturbing the contaminants at the bottom of Clay Pit Pond. We will have to see where environmental technology takes us in the coming years, but I can’t envision a swimming hole there any time soon. But we can improve conditions in Little Pond and our other waterways through better stormwater management.

The town must continue to aggressively identify illegal storm drain connections and fix the problems, including damaged lateral sewer lines to homes that are leaking sewage into storm drains. A stormwater fee, like the one recently imposed in Braintree, could have a very small impact on ratepayers and go a long way towards helping pay for the remediation work being done by the Office of Community Development to address these issues.

One of the primary charges of the Stormwater Management Program is public education and outreach, but the town has not been visibly engaged with these activities in recent years. We should be doing more outreach to encourage property owners to limit the use of pesticides and fertilizers and to discourage dumping in storm drains.

Epstein: The town will meet the boating water quality standard by 2022, as required by the EPA. But actual boating and swimming would entail costs such as lifeguards, policing, and sanitation that are hard to support. A stormwater utility fee should be developed in a larger discussion of DEP and EPA requirements for stormwater management.

Flood: Belmont must work with surrounding communities to improve pollution in our waterways. Belmont should show our commitment to this issue by correcting abandoned or broken stormwater system connections and investing in green infrastructure such as porous pavement on streets and driveways adjacent to streams and ponds. We may be able to achieve an economy of forces with neighboring communities to collectively improve pollution, but a stormwater fee, common throughout the country, would allow our community to create positive change and adapt to expected stricter future state or federal regulations.

5. Does Belmont have enough professional planners to guide it through current regional development pressure?

Bennett: The Office of Community Development is understaffed. To fill the gap, we have hired consultants as needed to supplement our in-house expertise. We also have a strong Planning Board with experience in multiple areas, including open space, facilities, and development. Although I believe the town doesn’t have enough planners, we are ahead of where we were a few years ago. To bridge the gap for more complicated projects and reduce our costs, the town can condition approval for larger projects on a developer-paid independent planner conducting a review.

Epstein: An additional position to relieve the load on the current planning staff should be discussed with Community Development and the Planning Board. Permitting fees could recover at least some of the cost.

Flood: Belmont’s five-person volunteer Planning Board and senior and staff planners put forth an incredible effort to develop an Adult Use Marijuana By-Law and the South Pleasant Street Overlay District, which was overwhelmingly supported by Town Meeting in Fall 2018; however, these efforts limit the Board’s ability to hear and respond to open cases. I believe we need to better support our town planners. Having an additional professional planner would help alleviate some of this pressure.

6. Describe your vision for Belmont 20 years from now.

Bennett: My vision of Belmont in 20 years is of a town with safe walking and biking routes, where the majority of private vehicles as well as our town vehicle fleet will be hybrid or electric. Distributed solar will power our homes, municipal buildings, and businesses, and heat- pump technology will be well on the way to replacing all older oil and natural-gas powered systems. Our municipal utilities will be models for other communities to meet their environmental goals.

The graduating class of Belmont High will have attended school in classrooms with the right student-teacher ratios from Pre-K through 12th grade. They will have had access to 21st-century teaching methods and spaces for learning in buildings fully accessible to students with disabilities.

Our open spaces will remain a point of pride and a respite from the buzz of the urban sphere. A vibrant local arts scene will have sprung from our active community organizations, our new library, and our schools. Our successful commercial districts will provide a mix of shopping, retail, and entertainment options, making Belmont not only a town of homes, but also a place to enjoy life in all its stages.

Epstein: In 2039 our schools remain outstanding and the roads and sidewalks are finally paved. Electric vehicles are everywhere. People are walking and biking more. The Fitchburg line has much more frequent service, and there is much less cut-through traffic.

We have a smaller carbon footprint because homeowners switched to heating with heat pumps instead of oil and gas. We are proud of the condition of our parks, town buildings, library, and hockey rink. Seniors have attractive new housing options on South Pleasant Street. The Purecoat property on Hittinger Street is redeveloped.

Belmont’s pension obligation is paid off, making funds available to restore school and town services that were cut in the previous 40 years.

I hope to be running a brewpub in Cushing Square!

Belmont must remain a vibrant and diverse community with creative, committed residents in all walks of life.

Flood: In 20 years, I would like to see Belmont in a financially robust position, able to anticipate and react to issues before they become critical. Though we cannot predict the future, concerns of today likely will not be the concerns of tomorrow. It is imperative that our current leaders make sound financial decisions now so that our future leaders have the resources to study, act upon, and resolve emerging issues to meets the town’s needs.

Mary Bradley is co-editor of the Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter.