Politics & Government
New Fire Station Need Voiced at Council
A new fire station to serve western Marlborough was discussed at Monday's meeting of the City Council.
During a discussion of a proposed zoning change that would allow for 350 units of housing, City Councilor Matt Elder raised the possibility of an additional fire station to serve the growing area of the city.
"Now we are really, really starting to develop the west side of the city," he said during Monday's council meeting.
He said the need for a new fire station had been raised previously. With the addition of 225 units from the Brookview Village 40B and now this potential increase in residential units, the need is heightened.
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In September, the council took a vote listing concerns around the Brookview Village development. Among them was a quoted 6.5 minute fire department response time to the area.
"Forest Park" developers are seeking to build 350 residential units as part of a 110 acre multi-use campus. In an interview, they said that the development will give the city $4.3 million in tax revenue annually once it is fully built — more than covering the additional demands on public services.
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"There is the growth of tax revenues to the community which would support all the other services, but also jobs and people coming into the community which helps the retailers and strengthens the whole community," said Atlantic Management President Joseph Zink.
Having an additional demand is better than having to cut services, said Robert Buckley, a consultant for Atlantic who wrote the zoning language.
"It is far more stressful and impactful on a municipality if you are going the other way," he said. "Then the cuts hurt the average person."
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