Through no fault of its own, Ashland is winding up with 915 proposed or approved apartments (3-6 stories high), on top of the recently built 575 apartments. The population of Ashland is 18,000. Using the rule, "2 people per bedroom and 1 per living space, it is conceivable that Ashland's population could increase by 4,485! A 25% increase! To my knowledge, no other town is being forced to accept such a large number of new multi-housing units, all at once.

Such a sudden and huge population increase will challenge the town to provide adequate services. Ashland's budget is already maxed, needing to ask for a 2 1/2 Override. And that's before the tsunami of new multi-housing is built!. Fire and Police are asking for more staff, in part because there is a higher percentage of calls coming from multi-family housing. In addition, Ashland's most prized asset, its highly-rated schools, could be impacted. 915 new apartments could be devastating to the town. Too much, too fast!

The state MA Housing Authority does not listen to Ashland's pleas for help. When town fathers shared its egregious circumstances with state housing, they met a rubber stamp; the 40b Law allows almost every developer's proposal to stand. Not only that, in an effort to speed up development, the state is streamlining zoning requirements, such as reducing the number of stairwells. The state's tunnel-vision housing push gives Ashland's welfare a back seat.

Ashland is currently negotiating with a developer who was suspended by the state from building for 1 year and put on probation for 3 years due to misrepresenting information in another town's building application. (Developer barred from pursuing 40B projects, Michael Cronin, Gloucester Daily Times, December 28, 2021) Fearing a trend, Ashland asked its town attorneys to reassess this developer's application in Ashland. The reassessment was requested in November, 2025, but the town still has not gotten a determination.

It turns out that Ashland's attorneys and the developer's attorneys (in another town) belong to the same law firm! This could be a conflict of interest. Town council claims to have disclosed this, but Ashland has not yet received a records request to verify the disclosure. In my opinion, even if the town council did reveal a disclosure, town counsel's decisions could have been influenced.

Ashland is overwhelmed by the sudden tsunami of housing proposals. The small-town, mostly volunteer government seems powerless to stop profit-focused, possibly fraudulent developers or the state's housing-at-all-costs push. Ashland has a well-thought-out growth plan and deserves to put it into action. Anyone concerned about the sudden and enormous multi-housing developments in Ashland should voice their opinions by attending meetings, in person or via Zoom. Please contact the Ashland Town Manager, Board of Selectmen, Conservation Commission, and your state representatives. Without public outcry, Ashland could grow too much, too fast, changing its way of life forever.

Submitted by:

Ashland resident,

Constance Mannal

[email protected]

617-285-9932