Chocolate Factory Back Up, BOYB to be Voted on at Tonight's Town Meeting

The Mansfield zoning articles for the May 7 town meeting are showing many changes this year, if approved by the town.

Property developer Joseph Mulkern is looking again to renovate the old ADM chocolate factory. Mulkern, along with the planning board, have created an article to rezone the factory into residential and then renovate the whole property into condominiums.

The rezoning would be allowed under a historical buildings reuse policy, called the Massachusetts Historical Commissions Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. He withdrew a similar article from the warrant article list during last year’s meeting. His plan, at least in 2012, was to create a maximum of 108 housing units at about 800-1,000 square feet apiece.

The building is supposed to have limited impact on traffic and commuting, as the units would be single bedroom, and would not accommodate families. It is also a quarter mile away from the train station, negating the need for residents to drive there and minimizing the impact on the already cramped parking lot.

The planning board is also proposting multiple zoning changes to the Cabot Business Park in an effort to attract new businesses to Mansfield along with changes to several other business districts in town.

The bring your own bottle bylaw article will also be up for vote, after a realization by selectmen in the fall of 2012 that at least one restaurant was already allowing BYOB.

The capital budget for 2013 includes $425,000  for replacing and upgrading the town’s phone system. The town hall and library renovations are budgeted at $117,000 and $216,000 respectively, with $49,000 to go to the Plymouth Street fire house.

This year’s budget saw a balance at $78 million without the use of free cash, layoffs or overrides.

The school budget expected to have a 3.59 percent increase at $42.5 million over last year’s $41.1 million. The operating budget went up as well to an increase of 1.23 percent increase to $35.6 million from last year’s $35.2 million.