More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.
The Natick Select Board is accepting applications for one vacancy on the Conservation Commission.
The Commission serves as the conservation conscience of the town and provides community leadership for natural resources planning.
View past Natick Conservation Commission meetings on Natick Pegasus.
In Hunnewell Town Forest off Oak StreetAsk about Advertising on Natick Report.
Natick Select Board Chair Karen Adelman-Foster acknowledged that “it was a bit of a surprise” that negotiations with the board’s unanimous choice for Town Administrator fell through late last month. It was no surprise that the board this week voted during its regular meeting to enter contract negotiations with Deputy Town Administrator and now Acting Town Administrator Jamie Errickson, who had clearly been the consensus #2 choice, to ditch the Deputy from his title.
Errickson, during the earlier decision-making, had more than once been described by board members as “a rising star.”
During this week’s board meeting, member Rick Jennett said he had no desire to go back to the drawing board based on the fact Natick already had excellent candidates, with Errickson being his top choice among them. “Mr. Errickson is extremely capable, qualified…and I’m hoping we can come to terms with him and he can continue to move forward as a strong leader in our community,” he said.
While the previous top candidate, Adam Chapdelaine, stood out in terms of his experience based on time, said Select Board member Paul Joseph, Errickson’s differentiation is his “deep experience in terms of community.”
According to Natick’s town website: “The Town Administrator is appointed by the Select Board to oversee the daily operations of the town, advise and administer the policies and procedures of the Select Board and enforce town bylaws and actions passed by Town Meeting.”
The discussion on this matter took all of about 15 minutes.
After a self-described “dramatic pause,” Errickson agreed to enter contract negotiations upon the board’s approval to do so.
Advertise things like affordable housing opportunities…on Natick Report.
Adam Chapdelaine, the unanimous choice by Natick Select Board members to fill the town administrator position, announced on Thursday that he will remain as Arlington’s town manager.
The Your Arlington website reported the news, including a statement issued by Chapdelaine in which he wrote “since the Natick Select Board voted on June 14th to enter negotiations with me to become the next Natick Town Administrator, I have determined that the position may not have been the fit that it appeared to be following my several interviews with the town…” He thanked Natick for the opportunity, which Your Arlington reported was “the third time he has bypassed a position elsewhere since he got the top job in 2012.”
Chapdelaine also addressed the news in an interview with Arlington’s local access channel. Always an awkward sort of thing given the public nature of the interview process.
The Select Board had posted an executive session meeting for Thursday to discuss negotiations with its town administrator choice.
Now the Natick Select Board has added appointing an acting town administrator to its June 30 meeting agenda, along with announcing selection process next steps for a town administrator appointment.
According to Natick’s town website: “The Town Administrator is appointed by the Select Board to oversee the daily operations of the town, advise and administer the policies and procedures of the Select Board and enforce town bylaws and actions passed by Town Meeting.”
Jamie Errickson, Natick’s deputy town administrator and briefly its interim town administrator, was described during the Select Board discussions more than once as “a rising star.” He appeared to clearly be the #2 choice among the 4 finalists, but we’ll now see what happens.
The Board sought to fill a position vacated by Melissa Malone at the end of 2020 following a sometimes tumultuous 2-plus year stint, and filled in the interim by Robert Rooney.
The draft of Natick’s Housing Production Plan refreshed with new data for 2021 has made its way through town boards a little later than planned due to the pandemic. But the plan has arrived in time to help the town lay out its goals and the strategies for reaching them in years to come.
The plan, now in the hands of the Commonwealth’s Department of Housing & Community Development, was sponsored by the Natick Affordable Housing Trust. It’s an update to the 2012 plan, which is no longer viable, and was completed over 18 months by the Natick Community & Economic Development Department after a consultancy started the work. Public input was accepted throughout the process, including via forums.
Proactive plans like these show the state that communities are serious about having at least 10% of their overall housing stock deemed affordable (Natick’s at 10.67%) as is statutorily required. Communities below that figure are vulnerable to unfriendly 40B projects, often squeezed into spots with disregard for neighbors, and that give developers a break on zoning rules in exchange for including affordable units within their projects.
Most communities in this area, including Wellesley, have hit the 10% mark. Though Natick’s neighbor was under siege by 40B developers in recent years, because all surrounding communities had hit the threshold, until it too reached 10% and issued a housing production plan of its own.
Hitting the threshold and having a state-approved housing production plan gives communities “safe harbor” when it comes to dealing with 40B plans. Such plans outline how communities can maintain safe harbor even if their population changes. Natick awaits population numbers from the latest census this fall.
“Having this plan in place and current is a good backstop if we were to fall below the 10% safe harbor threshold,” said Ted Fields, senior planner for Community & Economic Development, in briefing the Planning Board (which like the Select Board, approved the plan). Hear his remarks beginning at about the 2-hour, 13-minute mark of the Natick Pegasus recording.
The housing needs assessment in the report confirms the obvious. Housing’s expensive here, there’s not enough affordable housing, and it’s hard for people to find suitable downsizing properties. On the positive side, Natick median gross monthly rent of about $1,400 is somewhat lower than that of nearby communities, and if you’re looking to sell your house, you’ll probably make a mint.
Strategies embraced in the plan include more flexible zoning, public education about the need for more affordable housing, the use of town funds and land to support affordable housing, and a comprehensive permitting approach. Among ideas that could be considered are more modern town rules regarding accessory dwelling units, aka in-law apartments, that could be built into existing single-family homes.
Sometimes all these town plans and consulting projects can get blurred. One thing to note about the housing production plan is that it was crafted to sync up with the town’s 2030 master plan.
Advertise things like affordable housing opportunities…on Natick Report.
Natick has joined forces with Ashland, Framingham, and Holliston in hopes of encouraging residents and small businesses to install solar panels and switch to air-source or ground-source heat pumps for heating and cooling.
The MetroWest Solar + Clean Heat Challenge offers no-cost clean energy assessments and discounted pricing on the gear from vetted vendors. The towns hope that residents and businesses will buy in and talk it up to neighbors.
Installers will pitch their wares and answer questions during a June 17 webinar from 7-8pm.
The offers are good through year-end.
For more information about the program and the technologies, visit MetroWestCleanEnergy.com or contact metrowestcleanenergy@gmail.com. Natick residents and small businesses can also contact Natick Sustainability Director Jillian Wilson Martin regarding the program or volunteer opportunities at jwmartin@natickma.org.
