Lancaster voters approve rezoning off Route 70 for warehouses at Saturday special town meeting
LANCASTER — Voters here have not only spoken, but also came out in droves to Saturday’s special town meeting in what is believed by town officials to be record numbers.
With 70.95% of the 950 votes cast, residents approved the rezoning of a 1.2 million-square-foot parcel of land off Route 70, where a developer is looking to build warehouses for industrial and biomanufacturing use.
For the special town meeting, 17.88% of the town’s registered voters came out to the Mary Rowlandson Elementary School.
On a Facebook page, Selectman Chair Stephen J. Kerrigan posted shortly after the conclusion of the special town meeting that the vote represents a move “towards a more secure financial future,” for Lancaster.
Saturday marked the second time that the rezoning of the land from residential to enterprise has been under consideration after it was first struck down in November, when 850 residents cast their vote.
A petition with more than 300 votes resurfaced, which legally compelled the town to hold another vote.
The property in question, colloquially known as the "rear" of the land, is part of a larger land owned by 702 LLC, the real estate entity of Capital Group Properties, which purchased the undeveloped land in 2018 for $6.66 million, according to deed documents.
On the same night in November, residents approved the rezoning from residential to enterprise use for the “front” part of the land, which is the portion closest to Route 70.
The decision greenlighted a 40R project that gives Capital the green light to build 146 mixed-income dwelling units, storefronts, offices, restaurants, retail shops and medical spaces.
For the total development, Capital Group Properties has projected $4 million in tax revenue that will be funneled to the town from the total project.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Lancaster voters approve rezoning off Route 70 for warehouses
