By Geena Monahan – For the North Star Reporter
The former Answer Is Fitness building, located at 15 John Dietsch Blvd., has the potential to become the site of the town’s newest housing development, said Town Manager Michael Borg at the Monday, Aug. 25 Town Council meeting.
According to the Northern Bristol County Registry of Deeds, the building was sold to 15 John L. Dietsch Blvd., LLC, of 30 Speen St. in Framingham in 2022. North Attleborough’s Planning Board then approved a proposal at its June 1, 2023, meeting for the new owners to build a 162,500- square-foot warehouse on the 11.84-acre lot.
However, according to Borg, the owners have not been able to sell the warehouse and recently approached the town of North Attleborough to pitch a new proposal to develop the property into an approximate 300-unit housing development.
“There looks to be a glut in the market of warehouse space,” said Borg. “There’s a similar
property in Foxboro, of similar square feet, that’s at a standstill with no tenants in it whatsoever.”
Borg followed up with the caveat that the town would have liked to see a proposal for a new business in North Attleborough’s industrial park that’s home to Shaw’s, Towne Tavern and Tap and Wendy’s, just to name a few, but a housing development “seems to make sense at first glance.”
Borg asked the Town Council to refer the matter to the Bylaw Subcommittee to have discussion about the concept and speak with the potential developers. A referral to the Planning Board may be necessary as well, as the current site is zoned C60 for commercial use and a housing development would require a change in that zoning.
Town Councilor Dan Donovan, chair of the Bylaw Subcommittee, agreed that having his
subcommittee take a first glance at the proposal makes sense, and asked the town manager if the owners of the property are the same developers who are currently working on North Attleborough’s latest housing development on Kelley Boulevard, Marcus Partners.
Borg confirmed that the owners are not the same, but that there are discussions being had with Marcus Partners.
“I think you have plenty of opportunity and time here; there’s nothing making this pressing. It’s a conversation right now,” said Borg. All eight Town Council members in attendance at Monday night’s meeting voted “yes” to refer the conversation of a new development to the Bylaw Subcommittee. Town Council President Justin Pare’ also noted that referring this topic to Economic Development and the Planning Board could be options in the future.
North Attleborough’s affordable housing dilemma
In a conversation with the North Star Reporter on Aug. 20, Borg further elaborated on North Attleborough’s “safe harbor” status and its plan to get the town to the state-mandated 10% threshold on affordable housing.
Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40B, states that in communities where less than 10% of housing stock is affordable, developers can bypass local approval and zoning laws as long as 20-25% of the housing they intend to create meets the state’s definition of affordable.
“The town has struggled with safe harbor; they’ve found it easier to keep it at arm’s length
because there weren’t a number of developers that were knocking at the door,” said Borg.
North Attleborough currently sits at about 3% of its housing being deemed affordable, and Borg noted that once the Kelley Boulevard 304-unit development and Draper Avenue 40-unit development are complete, that number will increase to about 5.5%.
The 40R development at Draper Avenue gives North Attleborough temporary safe harbor status for 12 months, which is set to expire in March 2026.
“If you don’t get to that safe harbor, a developer who couldn’t care less what your zoning laws are, could come in and push through a project,” said Borg. “They would have no obligation to respond (to the town) and they could come in and build anyways.”
To Borg, development of farmland and open spaces into subdivisions is not the answer or
something he is advocating for. Instead, smart redevelopment of existing spaces is what he’s focused on, and the close proximity of the 15 John Dietsch Blvd. property to the highway is something that makes it a good option in his book.
“Once we get to that 10% threshold, then North Attleborough has full control of its ability to say ‘no’ to other developments, and we meet the state’s goals and requirements,” said Borg. “Once we get that in place, then we’re really talking; we gain control of our own destiny.”