January 23 Select Board Brief

Select Board Receives Update on MBTA Communities

Multi-Family Zoning, Affirms Decision to Present Question on Form of Governance at Annual Town Meeting

The Andover Select Board met on Monday, January 22 in the School Committee Room at the Andover Public School Administrative Offices. The Board received an update on the status of the implementation of the MBTA Communities zoning law in Andover. MBTA Communities Working Group Chair Jennifer Lemmerman and Director of Planning & Land Use Paul Materazzo outlined the Working Group’s proposal to disperse the location of the required multi-family housing zone across three locations. The proposal will be considered in a zoning bylaw article considered by Town Meeting in April.

The Board also reviewed a citizen petition requesting that a question be placed on the 2024 Annual Town Election ballot that would ask voters if Andover should retain its existing Open Town Meeting form of government, a topic that has been discussed extensively since the November 20 Special Town Meeting. The Board opted not to act on the petition, deciding instead to affirm its previously determined approach of instead presenting the question at Annual Town Meeting.

A New Way to Stay Connected

Introducing Andover Insider: The Town Hall Text Line

The Town of Andover is excited to announce the launch of Andover Insider, a new free subscription service that will deliver news, insights, and information about what’s going on at Town Offices directly to Andover residents by text.

Andover Insider is designed to be conversational. Subscribers will be brought inside the work of town government by receiving texts from the Town of Andover and have the ability to text the Town Manager and his team directly with questions about Town services.

Subscribing to Andover Insider is free and easy. Simply visit andoverma.gov/text, and enter your information, or text ANDOVER to 978-404-8792. After signing up, you will get a text from the Town Manager confirming your subscription. Be sure to save our number so you always know when you’re receiving texts from the Town of Andover.

“The Town of Andover is constantly exploring innovative ways to communicate with residents,” said Town Manager Andrew Flanagan. “By delivering information in a convenient and conversational format, Andover Insider will be a dynamic way for residents to stay engaged and informed.”

From Town Meeting to major town initiatives, Andover Insider subscribers will be the first to know whenever there’s big news in the Town of Andover. Subscribe today to be part of the experience.

Andover’s Mobile Town Hall is a first-of-its-kind resource that brings municipal government closer to the community by allowing residents to perform transactions, access resources, and receive information in convenient neighborhood locations. Any transaction that can be performed at Town Offices, from paying bills to registering to vote, can be completed at Mobile Town Hall.

Last week, the Town Manager’s Office brought Mobile Town Hall to the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s Annual Meeting and Trade Show to showcase this innovative tool for enhancing the accessibility of local government to municipal leaders from across the Commonwealth.

The trade show featured over 200 vendors and thousands of attendees. The countless municipal leaders that stopped by Andover’s table and toured Mobile Town Hall all agreed that it was a highlight of the conference, and were eager to explore creating a similar resource in their communities.

During a community forum held on January 10, the Town Seal Review Committee presented two final concepts for an alternative Town Seal. The two options were developed based on extensive input from the community. One option prominently features a depiction of Old Town Hall, and the other option features a northern white pine tree. Both concepts include elements that reflect Andover's history and the indigenous history of land that the Town encompasses. 

The process leading to the development of an alternative Town Seal was initiated in 2021 with the appointment of the Town Seal Review Committee. The Committee was initially charged with studying and reviewing the existing seal, providing background on why the seal is in its current form, researching other town and city seals, obtaining input from the community, and working with a designer to develop draft alternatives should their recommendations include modifying the seal.

In October 2022, following extensive public engagement, the Town Seal Review Committee voted to move forward with the next phase of their charge and engage the public in developing design options for an alternative town seal for the consideration of Town Meeting. Throughout the following months, the Committee solicited public input on what symbols, icons, or landmarks should be incorporated in the alternative Town Seal design. The Committee contracted with professional graphic design firms to produce design concepts based on this input. 

The Committee will ultimately select one design option to be considered for adoption at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting. Residents can provide input on their preferred concept to the Town Seal Review Committee by e-mail at: townseal@andoverma.us. 

Hundreds of business leaders from across the region gathered on Monday at the Double Tree Hotel in Andover for the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Mayors and Manager Breakfast. The annual event provides an opportunity for municipal leaders from across the region to discuss recent developments in their communities and opportunities for economic growth throughout the Merrimack Valley.
 
For the second consecutive year, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll appeared at the breakfast as a special guest speaker. Driscoll provided an extensive overview of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s achievements during its first year in office, and previewed their priorities for the year ahead. 

Town Manager Flanagan provided an update on recent developments in the Town of Andover over the past year, focusing on the continued growth of commercial space in Andover, the success of small businesses in Downtown Andover, and Town capital improvements.

Every spring, the Town of Andover publishes an Annual Town Report containing highlights from the past year from each Town department, financial reports, minutes from the last Annual Town Meeting, and more. Last week, the 2022 Annual Report received a prestigious statewide honor as it came in first place in the Massachusetts Municipal Association's Town Rport Contest in Category 1, which includes all towns with a population of 30,001 or more.

The process of developing the 2023 Annual Town Report is now underway at Town Offices. The report will be published prior to Annual Town meeting. In the meantime, you can take a look back at 2022 by viewing the award-winning 2022 Annual Town Report at the link below. 

Last month, the MBTA Communities Working Group recommend dispersing the location of Andover’s MBTA Communities multi-family housing zone across three locations: Downtown, Ballardvale, and the River Road Corridor. Take a closer look at the proposed zones through a new interactive map available at the link below.

This map enables users to explore the three proposed zoning districts, learn more about the individual properties included in the proposed zone, view transit stops and review the current property densities.

The MBTA Communities zoning law requires communities that host MBTA service, including Andover, to create at least one district in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right, meaning that development within the district may take place without the need for a special permit or other discretionary approval. The law requires that the zoning district must be able to accommodate a reasonable number of units, set at 15 percent of the community’s total housing units for cities and towns hosting commuter rail service.

A district created in Andover must be zoned to accommodate at least 2,031 housing units. Under the proposal approved by the MBTA Communities Working Group, this density would be dispersed across the three identified locations.

Next Complete Streets Community Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday, January 24

The Town of Andover will host the next Complete Streets public meeting on January 24 in the School Committee Room at Andover Public School’s Administrative Offices. The meeting is intended to provide an update on the process of developing a Complete Street Prioritization Plan, including input received by the community throughout recent months.

Complete Streets are roadways that make travel safe, comfortable, convenient, and accessible for all travel modes – including walking, biking, transit, and vehicles – for people of all ages, and abilities. The Town of Andover began the process of participating in the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets Funding Program last year by adopting a Complete Streets Policy. The next step to enable the Town's full participation in the program requires the creation of a Complete Streets Prioritization Plan. The plan will draw from input provided by residents and other Town planning efforts to create a roadmap for future infrastructure projects.