Burlington Planning Board Votes Against Recommending Norblum MBTA Zoning Amendment

BURLINGTON -- September 25, 2025, Burlington's Planning Board voted 3-2 against recommending a zoning amendment that would add residential density to the town's MBTA Communities Overlay District, sending the Norblum Company proposal to Town Meeting on September 29 without a favorable recommendation. The amendment, filed by Norblum Company and affiliated entities E2 Building 34 LLC and E2 Building 35 LLC, would allow a large mixed-use residential building on Third Avenue near Middlesex Turnpike. Member Barbara Mellin, citing the town's master plan and housing needs assessment, argued the project is "too dense to the area" and that an eight-month development agreement process costing the town just over $15,000 in consultant and counsel fees produced no benefit over a standard special permit. Member Jess Otero challenged the project's fiscal impact appraisal, noting a 188-unit building generating roughly $488,000 annually in tax revenue compares unfavorably to an equivalent commercial building. During public comment, Land Use Committee member Pat O'Brien reported that body voted four to three on the matter and raised unresolved concerns about impacts on the Vine Brook aquifer and Great Meadows, calling the Select Board's failure to address water use in the development agreement "a shame."