Planning Board Candidates Address Residential Development Concerns in Hingham
Kelly and Patch outline visions for managing growth while preserving town character; uncontested candidates for town races also present at League forum
HINGHAM - April 16 - Two candidates vying for a seat on the Hingham Planning Board present contrasting approaches to managing residential development and preserving the town's character during the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum.
Crystal Kelly, currently serving as chair of the Conservation Commission, and Tom Patch, a lifelong Hingham resident with a background in municipal and land use law, are competing for the only contested position in the May 3 town election.
Both candidates address concerns about oversized homes being built in neighborhoods like Crow Point and the Hingham Center Historic District.
"I've been meeting with neighbors and friends up in Crow Point, and it's been particularly affected," Kelly says. "People come in, and they're distraught over the size of the building that's getting proposed to be put there. But those large buildings are compliant with our current zoning law."
Kelly suggests implementing tools like floor-to-area ratios and gross lot coverage requirements that have worked in other communities. She emphasizes finding "a fair balance between people's expectations in these neighborhoods and also people's investment in their homes and in their land and their expected return on resale."
Patch points to what he calls the "Hatfield Amendment" as the root of the problem, explaining it allows homeowners to build as of right without proving their project isn't detrimental to the neighborhood.
"We need to revisit Hatfield. Very simple solution," Patch says, referring to a provision he discussed at a master plan visioning session seven years ago.
The candidates also address how to balance commercial development with maintaining Hingham's character. Kelly supports investing in the town's commercial districts and exploring creative zoning options like business improvement districts.
Patch emphasizes his experience representing developers and understanding their perspective. "We have to be very welcoming to these private entities to show them why we actually have the best location for them," he says, while stressing the importance of making clear that maintaining town character "is an absolute requirement to any location in this town."
Both candidates acknowledge the challenges facing downtown Hingham's commercial district. Patch, who lives downtown, notes the area has lost many of the businesses that once made it vibrant, including hardware stores, luncheonettes, and drugstores.
"I think we really need to revisit that and realize we have to go more all in and encouraging the mixed use to get people to actually live in the downtown," Patch says.
Kelly, who shops downtown weekly with her children, suggests allowing more uses as of right to reduce permitting costs for businesses and improving sidewalks to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment.
The candidates also discuss Hingham's affordable housing status. The town currently maintains a 10.32% affordable housing inventory, just above the 10% threshold required to give the town more control over Chapter 40B developments.
Kelly notes the importance of ensuring that affordable housing keeps pace with market-rate development. She points to the MBTA Community Law as a potential opportunity, as it allows for up to 10% of units in new developments to be affordable housing.
Patch expresses concern that the state could change its policy of counting 100% of apartments as affordable for inventory purposes when only 25% are actually affordable. He advocates for more local initiative projects "where we would end up basically developing affordable housing on our terms rather than having it dictated to us."
Several candidates for uncontested positions also present at the forum. Julie Moran Strehle, running for Select Board, outlines three priorities: improving communication from town hall, careful town budgeting, and encouraging voter participation.
"I'd like to improve communication from town hall so all residents understand what's going on in their community," Strehle says. "I would also like to improve communication between town boards and committees so we can break down silos and work more efficiently."
John Mooney, a candidate for the open seat for School Committee, highlights his background as a product of public schools, an Army veteran who served in the Iraq War, and his current role as Chief of the Narcotics Unit for the Suffolk County DA’s Office.
"I'll be guided by the fact that always remembering that public education is a public good," Mooney says. "It serves vital purposes in this country. It improves this community. It forges common experience across the next generation, and it's the best investment we can give our children and the future of our country."
Alyson Anderson and Matt Cosman are also running for re-election to the School Committee.
The forum, moderated by Elizabeth Foster-Nolan, also includes statements from candidates for Town Moderator, Board of Assessors, Board of Health, Municipal Light Board, Housing Authority, Recreation Commission, and Sewer Commission.
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 3. Residents who cannot vote in person can apply for mail-in ballots through the Town Clerk's website by April 28.