Urban Affairs Committee recommends approval of Green District Phases 3 and 4 special permit

MARLBOROUGH — September 26, 2023 — Urban Affairs sends final Green District phases to Marlborough City Council with fire-station money locked in. The committee voted 4-0 Sept. 26 to recommend approval of a special permit for Post Road Realty's Phases 3 and 4 — 475 units, 4,800 square feet of commercial space and 754 parking spaces in the Executive Residential Overlay District. Attorney Brian Falk of Mirick O'Connell said the four phases combined would generate roughly $3.2 million in annual taxes and $537,000 in vehicle excise, making Post Road the city's largest taxpayer at nearly double the next-highest. Councilors Doucette and Oram pushed to raise the affordable threshold from 10 to 12 percent, but Councilor Ossing argued Phase 1's affordable units are only 75 percent leased and that reducing the $1.2 million buyout would shortchange the West Side fire station; the committee left the threshold and amended the condition to direct payments explicitly into stabilization account 836-00-329-00. "We're not building affordable houses with the buyout," Ossing said. Phase 3 construction is projected for early 2026.