Mansfield Town Manager Matthew Hart said on Thursday that discussions concerning the school building project are ongoing, despite the Planning & Zoning Commission’s recent denial of the .
Earlier this week, with a vote of 6-3, the PZC voted down the council’s recommendation to . The proposal also included renovations to the .
The council had referred its plan to the PZC to determine whether the project was consistent with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development.
Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone every day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.
In short, the policy is “designed to protect and promote the overall health, welfare and safety of existing and future residents,” according to town documents.
While Director of Planning & Development, Linda Painter, said the project was in fact consistent – as the plan called for building the new schools on existing sites – some members of the commission found the council’s referral lacked clarity and expressed concerns over site selection. The referral was ultimately denied.
Hart said Thursday that despite the PZC’s decision, there is still “plenty of time” to send the project to a November referendum if the council so chooses.
Hart said the council’s next step is to address the commission’s concerns at a PZC meeting in July.
“We really want a chance to chat with them,” he said.
Hart said that the town would also work toward further educating the community about the project through additional workshops and direct mailing pieces.
“The council and the project team are very excited about the project and its benefits to the community,” Hart said. “We’re looking forward to getting the information out there and letting folks know about the merits of the project.”
A timeline for the project – as provided by the town – can be found below:
- PZC Review: June-July 2012
- Direct Mail Piece: August 2012
- Council Bond Authorization; Schedule Referendum: Sept. 4, 2012
- Explanatory Text: September 2012
- Public Info Sessions: October 2012
- Referendum: Nov. 6, 2012
- Submit Application: June 28, 2013
- Begin Construction, PreK-4: February 2015
- Begin Construction, MMS: March 2016
- Complete Construction, preK-4: September 2016
- Complete Construction, MMS: August 2017
