Hamilton Planning Board Continues Senior Housing Hearing, Defers Action on Seminary Land

HAMILTON -- May 17, 2022, Hamilton Planning Board signals skepticism about fast-tracking a Commercial Overlay District expansion to the Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary's roughly 100-acre campus. Attorney Marwyn Walters and former seminary vice president Jay Trewern appeared before the board Tuesday to explore whether the COD could be extended to the property, which includes approximately 20 buildings, access from three roads, and a location atop the highest point of land in town. Board members Richard Mitchell and William Wheaton pressed the seminary representatives on the absence of a firm redevelopment plan, a professional real estate team, and any timeline for disposition, with Wheaton warning that premature subdivision could undermine the site's maximum value. Member Emile Dahlquist presented an overview of form-based zoning codes, which can cost $150,000 to $200,000 for a full community charrette process, as a potentially superior alternative to the existing COD framework. The board also heard that Harbor Light Community Partners holds options on seminary apartment buildings A through D, with a change-of-use application expected before the Zoning Board of Appeals as early as June 1, and Chair Marnie Crouch stated flatly that bringing a COD amendment to fall town meeting "is not going to happen."