ADUs, MBTA Communities Law among zoning changes on town meeting warrant

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By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Three proposed zoning changes for the spring town meeting warrant will be discussed by the planning board next week.

On Wednesday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m., the board will hold a public hearing on the MBTA Communities zoning district, a plan to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and establishing a floodplain district.

The state MBTA Communities Law was enacted in January 2021 to encourage the construction of housing near transportation lines. Cities and towns that do not adopt zoning changes risk losing access to grant money through programs such as MassWorks, Housing Choice funding, the Local Capital Projects Fund and other grants.

“Beyond that, the Attorney General’s office has said communities have to do this, and if you don’t, they can go after you for federal and state fair-housing violations,” said Town Planner Chris DiIorio.

Grant eligibility is safe until December 2024, at which time commuter rail and “adjacent” communities like Hull must comply with the new regulations.

According DiIorio, Hull was required to provide the state with districts that would produce 586 multi-family units by right, at a density of 15 units per acre, while also having no age restrictions. While the land must be developable, it cannot be owned by the town or located in a floodplain.

“The units don’t have to be produced; the law only requires towns to create by right zoning. Zoning is a long-term process,” said DiIorio. “The proposal is a mapping change; at this point we don’t need changes to the language of the zones.”

As long as the district-wide gross density of 15 units per acre is provided, zoning districts can include use restrictions and intensity limits, such as setbacks and height limitations. By-right uses can also be subject to site plan review standards.

DiIorio explained changes were made to zones so that larger developments that already exist, such as Ocean Place and Seawatch condominiums, can help Hull meet the requirements. The plan has been sent to the state for review.

“Commercial Rec zones and Multifamily B zones, with a few tweaks, can get Hull to the right number,” said DiIorio. “Hull has already been doing the things we are being asked to do [by the state], now the zones will reflect that. This gets us to where we need to be with minimal negative impact.”

“We need to try explain to people that this is a planning exercise to not be excluded from grant opportunities,” said Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Patrick Finn.

DiIorio said the planning department hopes to hear back from the state within the month. If deemed compliant, the MBTA Communities bylaw will be presented to town meeting this spring.

Based on the recommendation at May 2023 town meeting, the planning board, along with the zoning bylaw committee and the zoning board of appeals, have been working to revise a proposed accessory dwelling units (ADUs) bylaw.

The bylaw provides owner-occupants of single-family homes with a means for obtaining rental income, companionship, or security, proponents say, enabling them to remain in homes they might otherwise be forced to leave.

“Affordability is an enormous benefit for the property owner…in return the town gets a guarantee of affordable units,” planning board member Harry Hibbard said.

The proposed ADU bylaw provides for a permitting process for 10 accessory apartments per year within existing single-family homes, up to a maximum of 100 units. The ADUs will not add to the number of buildings in town or reduce open space, and cannot be used for commercial purposes.

The ADU bylaw states the units are by special permit, must be owner-occupied, cannot be used for short-term rentals, and carry a deed restriction to remain affordable.

Finn has said the idea behind the ADU bylaw is to create “housing choices for people who need help by using stock we have and not using open space… also beneficial for providing multigenerational housing.”

In their planning, the boards have also had to consider the impact of Gov. Maura Healey’s housing bill that would allow ADUs as of right throughout the state without a special permit.

The state estimates that the zoning change could create more than 8,000 ADUs over five years.

Cities and towns would have some control over the ADUs under Healey’s bond bill language. The units could be subject to “reasonable regulations” like structure size and setbacks, or limitations on short-term rentals.

Hibbard said based on the outstanding state ADU bill, Hull should not continue to draft the town bylaw because it could be “eviscerated by the state law.”

The remainder of the board members felt by continuing to draft the local ADU bylaw, they are upholding a commitment made in 2023.

“I want to move forward because it shows we are doing what we said we would do…we don’t know what is going to happen with the state law; so we should get something on the books,” said Jeanne Paquin.

Steve White also said the board should move forward because members do not know what the state’s process will be.

“This ADU proposal works for Hull then we should lead with this…the state could come back and say anyone without an ADU law on the books, the state law is for you,” he said.

According to DiIorio, the intent is to also draft some language that indicates if the state law passes, the components of the town ADU bylaw that are still viable would remain in effect.

Another proposal would establish a floodplain district as an overlay zoning district to better control development in areas subject to flooding. Building Commissioner Bartley Kelly explained the flood plain maps are being updated to comply with FEMA regulations.

“The map is effectively the same for most of Hull…but updates have been made to the version of Coastal A zone areas with wave action up to three feet requiring an open foundation on piles,” said Kelly, who would be the administrator of the bylaw on behalf of the town.

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Consultant to identify town-owned parcels that could be developed with affordable housing units

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By Carol Britton Meyer 

The Affordable Housing Committee’s March 12 meeting will feature a presentation by a grant-funded consultant on town-owned properties that could be developed into affordable housing in cooperation with South Shore Habitat for Humanity. Town meeting authorization would be required before town-owned land could be used for this purpose.

This is considered a high priority since more than 37% of Hull residents pay more than 30 percent of their income on housing, according to the town’s 2022 housing production plan.

Irwin Nesoff, the select board’s liaison to the AHC, has seen a draft of the presentation and thinks “it will be of interest to everybody in Hull. The study is a win-win at no cost to the town.”

Following an update from AHC Chair Cynthia Koebert and a couple of requests for its support, the select board gave approval for the AHC to work with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership – at no cost to the town – to determine the best way to create affordable housing, and for the committee to move forward with an outreach campaign to engage residents about affordable housing.

“The MHP will assist the town in moving through the process and help with the community aspect,” Nesoff said. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what affordable housing really is, and our town is in a housing crisis.”

The creation of more affordable housing “can’t happen without a commitment and action from the town,” Koebert said, noting that the AHC’s community outreach will continue throughout 2024. She also encouraged town officials and residents to attend the March 12 meeting.

“We’re a nine-member volunteer committee that cares deeply about this issue. There’s an urgent need for more affordable housing in Hull,” Koebert said. “It’s a difficult process that requires the support of the select board, town manager, civic organizations, and residents, and we welcome their interest and support for various approaches to address the lack of affordable housing for seniors, families, service providers, veterans, and others.”

Hull’s current affordable housing comprises 1.6% of the town’s overall housing stock, and much of it is under the control of the housing authority. The state’s affordable housing threshold for Massachusetts communities is 10%.

Chair Greg Grey praised the committee for making “great strides” in a short time. “Your work has been lightning fast,” he said.

Town Manager Jennifer Constable also commended the AHC for its commitment to affordable housing. “It’s a really solid committee, which is really comforting,” she said.

Constable also called MHP “a great resource” in working toward achieving the committee’s and the town’s goal to create more affordable housing.

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Biden, Trump finish first in Hull’s Super Tuesday primary election voting

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There were no surprises in Hull’s primary election results, with Democrat Joseph R. Biden topping the Democratic ballot and Donald J. Trump finishing first among Republicans.

In the March 5 Super Tuesday primary, 2,920 Hull voters participated. A total of 1,547 voters took the Democratic ballot, while 1,354 Republican votes were cast. Nineteen people voted for Libertarian candidates.

Biden received a total of 1,346 votes, while Dean Phillips earned 51 votes, and Marianne Williamson finished with 34.

On the Republican ballot, Trump finished with 808 votes, ahead of all other candidates – Nikki Haley earned 508, Chris Christie took 9, Vivek Ramaswamy had 4, Ron DeSantis finished with 3, and Ryan Binkley received a single vote.

The ballots also included races for state committee man and woman for each party, as well as the Democratic and Republican town committees.

Click here for Hull’s full Super Tuesday primary results.

School department’s $17.9M budget includes 3% increase, staff cuts from building closure

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By Carol Britton Meyer

The proposed $17.9 million fiscal year 2025 Hull Public Schools budget represents a 3%, or $520,043, increase over the current year’s figure. Superintendent of Schools Judith Kuehn and School Business Administrator Diane Saniuk introduced the budget proposal at this week’s school committee meeting, along with priorities for the next fiscal year.

Salaries comprise 76.79% of the overall budget; special education (non-salary related), 7.95%; while transportation, non-salary maintenance costs, utilities, technology, and other expenses comprise the remainder of the budget.

The budget proposal includes a $31,477 increase in transportation costs (from $756,747 to $788,224), a $360,632 increase in special education expenses, and a reduction of $225,275 in maintenance costs due mostly to the closure of the Memorial School.

Other changes in the budget include reductions of four full-time and two part-time positions – a custodian, school secretary, long-term substitute, special education teacher, physical education teacher, and an elementary counselor. With the middle school’s closure, the principal’s position has been eliminated and replaced with an intermediate assistant principal at the Jacobs School.

Part of next year’s focus will be sharing district priorities as they align with the school district’s strategic plan; prioritizing student success by ensuring quality curriculum, instruction, and continuous review of student data to support the academic and social and emotional needs of all students; and continuing to prioritize full-day four-year-old programming to maximize early childhood experiences and intervention.

Expanding student opportunities

Other FY25 priorities include continuing to support and expand student opportunities beyond traditional offerings – including boat building, rowing, Nature’s Classroom, upper elementary grade foreign language (Spanish) instruction, elementary band, MassHire opportunities, and E-sports programs – and continued support for the school department’s “comprehensive, highly-effective, and robust student focused” in-house special education programs, according to the presentation.

“We also want to continue to share and celebrate the achievements of our students, educators, staff, and district with Hull stakeholders and beyond,” Kuehn said.

Other priorities include adopting and implementing a new Spanish curriculum for grades 5-12 and expanding Spanish instruction to grades 5 and 6; supporting the co-teaching model across the district, and providing ongoing professional development opportunities; increasing support for substitute teachers and staff employed after the start of the school year through revised on-boarding protocols; and continuing to invest in technology to support “a highly effective teaching and learning environment for all students.”

Upcoming school budget discussions include:

⦁ Monday, March 11: Regular school committee meeting

⦁ Monday, March 25: Joint meeting at town hall with advisory board

⦁ Monday, April 8: Public hearing on budget

⦁ Monday, April 22: Regular school committee meeting

⦁ Monday, May 6: Annual town meeting at Hull High School

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$50M budget proposal includes two new firefighters, increased capital spending in FY25

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By Carol Britton Meyer

Town Manager Jennifer Constable’s first budget presentation to a joint meeting of the select board and advisory board last week included a rundown of the annual budget framework, revenues and expenditures, and net state aid, among other details.

Capital expense highlights from the fiscal year 2025 draft budget include funds for the closure of the current town hall and relocation of the town offices, and possibly the senior center, to the Memorial School. The middle school is scheduled to close this fall as part of the Hull Public Schools’ consolidation plan; Constable’s budget also envisions maintenance and repairs to that building.

Click here for the town manager’s PowerPoint presentation

Click here for the full budget proposal

The overall proposed town budget, including the schools, totals $50.1 million – an increase of $2,596,531, or 5.46% over FY24’s $47.5M spending plan.

Revenues are expected to increase across the board, with an additional $1,295,340 coming from the tax levy, $71,394 in state aid, and $1,227,098 from increased local receipts such as excise taxes and fees.

The proposed budget includes $17.9 million for the schools, or a 3% increase over the FY24 amount, and a $765,000 capital budget, representing a 41.7% increase over the current year.

Budget objectives revolve around the town’s financial policies and capital improvement plan as well as the long-range financial forecast. Other priorities include asking town meeting to approve the establishment of an opioid settlement special revenue fund resulting from a class-action lawsuit against Big Pharma, a capital stabilization fund, and consistent funding of the general stabilization fund.

“We’ve received $86,000 from the settlement to date,” Constable reported. The town will receive payments over a number of years for the drug settlement.

Projected net state aid is $6.9 million, while local receipts – charges and fees assessed by the town – are estimated at $7.6 million.

“Building permits are going through the roof, which is a great revenue generator for the town,” Constable noted.

Two new firefighter positions anticipated

Operational expenses include four collective bargaining agreements, staff increases – including two new firefighter paramedic/EMT positions and a part-time Hull TV position – and the recent switch to a new legal staff model [town, land use, and labor and employment counsels] in the wake of Town Counsel James Lampke’s retirement at the end of the fiscal year. The law department budget is anticipated to increase from $147,898 to $300,000 as the town shifts away from an individual town counsel to the multi-firm model.

Other capital expenses include a new library boiler, online permitting and general government software, seawall repair and maintenance, and a public safety facilities feasibility study.

Constable reported that the needed ambulance replacement was paid for with a grant rather than coming out of the FY25 budget.

Fiscal 25-26 goals include finalizing the town’s fiscal policies, establishing a capital outlay committee and a capital planning process, and conducting wage and classification studies.

“It’s important that the Town of Hull is a good and competitive employer – able to attract and keep good talent and offering competitive wages,” Constable said.

Next steps include continuing to refine the budget, department budget meetings with the advisory board, finalizing the spending plan, signing of the town meeting warrant by the select board on March 27, and the May 6 annual town meeting, when residents will debate and vote on the budget.

“Clearly this is a well-thought-out presentation, and the planning process that’s going on is amazing from,” advisory board member David Clinton said at last week’s joint session.

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Paragon Dunes developer threatens to ‘walk away’ if permit approval is delayed

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By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

The developer proposing a four-story, 132-unit building at the Paragon Boardwalk site told the planning board this week that unless its special permit is approved soon, the company may abandon the project or switch to an affordable housing project under Chapter 40B.

CRUNCH TIME: Residents crowded into the Hull High Exhibition room Wednesday as the planning board continued its hearing on the Paragon Dunes special permit application. The hearing continues on March 6. [Photo courtesy of Susan Vermilya]

The Hull High School Exhibition Room was packed on Wednesday night for the continuation of the hearing on the revised special permit for the Procopio Companies’ plans. The building would front onto Nantasket Avenue, with some units facing George Washington Boulevard. The biggest concern of some members of planning board, Design Review Board, and residents was the “wall effect” along the Boulevard, which some have called the “gateway” to town.

Michael Modoono, Procopio’s senior development manager, stressed the time crunch to get the project approved.

“If we don’t close on the property, someone else may or may not,” Modoono said. “If we don’t come to a vote, we will have to walk away or come to another alternative that gets built there, like 40B.”

Chapter 40B is a state law that allows developers to bypass most local zoning regulations in exchange for dedicating a percentage of the units as affordable.

“This is crunch time. We need to be very specific on what they can do to fix the wall or these people are going to walk,” said planning board member Harry Hibbard. 

“I understand the time constraints, but we can’t put those ahead of the needs of the community,” said planning board Chair Meghan Reilly. “No promises were made regarding time. This getting built on your time frame is not our responsibility.”

Design Review Board Vice Chair Julia Parker said that “we have been specific about it for two and a half years, there are no view corridors.”

Procopio attorney Adam Brodsky said “significant effort has been made [to minimize the wall effect] with the third-floor setback, addition of balconies, and added details of the sloped roof.”

Planning board member Jeanne Paquin acknowledged the work, but said she does not think these changes are enough. since it is still a “contiguous building.”

“It is still a 350-foot wall, no matter how many balconies you put on it,” she said, adding that the design “need[s] to preserve the views and vistas by having something go through the building.”

Brodsky said the view corridor cannot be added to the project because “they need the same density to make the project viable.”

“We appreciate the work that has been done, but significant design and site plan issues still need to be addressed,” said Thomas Burns of the DRB. “I am still concerned with the length of the façade along George Washington Boulevard.”

The hearing on the special permit was continued until March 6.

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New school superintendent finalizes contract, says he is ‘in this for the long haul’

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By Carol Britton Meyer

School Committee Chair David Twombly introduced new Superintendent of Schools Michael Jette at this week’s school committee meeting, at which time the committee also unanimously approved his contract.

MEET THE NEW BOSS. Michael Jette, current leader of the Litchfield, N.H., school district, will become Hull’s superintendent of schools on July 1.

Jette was selected from among three finalists following lengthy public interviews with the school committee on January 10. The new superintendent’s contract is for three years with a salary of $180,000. He will take over for current Superintendent Judith Kuehn, who will retire on June 30.

“He has more than 30 years of educational experience, and we’re lucky to have him,” Twombly said.

Jette has served as superintendent of the Litchfield, N.H. school district since 2018.

“Small school districts [like Hull] don’t often attract a current superintendent, so we’re very fortunate,” Twombly said, noting the extensive search process and that Jette was chosen from among 37 applicants.

As Jette headed for the podium to make a few remarks at Twombly’s suggestion, he was greeted with a round of applause.

“This has been a wonderful day,” he said. “I appreciate Judy Kuehn introducing me to central office staff today, and it was fabulous to be able to put faces to names.”

Jette has found Hull to be very welcoming. “I’m looking forward to the next step on this journey. I’m in this for the long haul, and looking forward to it,” he said.

“You’re officially onboard now,” Twombly said after the committee approved his contract.

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Leap Day, Sadie Hawkns Races, the ‘Nantasket Casanova’ – how Hull has celebrated Feb. 29

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By John J. Galluzzo 

February 29 is Sadie Hawkins Day, right?

Wrong. Although it has mistakenly been described as such through the years – for understandable reasons – February 29 is not Sadie Hawkins Day.

First, the basics. Who is, or was, Sadie Hawkins? You’d have to be of a particular vintage to remember when she made her debut in Dogpatch, the hometown of the Lil’ Abner comic strip, in 1937. Described as “the homeliest gal in all them hills,” Mayor Hezkebiah Hawkins’ daughter Sadie had reached 35 years old and had no prospects for marriage. Worried Sadie might remain a spinster all her life, the mayor declared a special Sadie Hawkins Day that would feature a foot race. If Sadie caught any one of the town’s eligible bachelors, they would be married.

It touched off a bit of a revolution. As the event became a regular feature of the Dogpatch calendar for the next 40 years, college campuses across the country set up Sadie Hawkins races. Even small towns like Hull got in on the fun.

Well, maybe Hull did.

As to the date, the traditional celebration took place on November 13, though Lil’ Abner’s creator, Al Capp, set the date firmly as November 26 in his last comic strip on November 5, 1977. What of February 29? Leap Day had been celebrated in Ireland as “Bachelor’s Day” since the 1800s. On that day, women were allowed to ask men to marry them. Yes, allowed. We’ve come a long way, baby.

During World War II, Hull-Nantasket Times editor Herb Gordon, before leaving for military duty, proposed a Sadie Hawkins Day-style race for the community. He predicted that the “Nantasket Casanova,” Johnny Kirraine, would be the biggest target of the day. Kirraine, though he had eyes for a local schoolteacher, was not yet ready to settle down. “Despite his Barrymore manner, genial John is a wily old bird, and the chances are that he will be discreetly in seclusion at some distant point when Sadie Hawkins Day rolls around…” (The Hull-Nantasket Times, February 19, 1942).

Without a Leap Day that year, and apparently not willing to wait for November, Gordon set the date as March 15, 1942. Charley Welch agreed to be the official starter. The single women of the town were to line up at Monument Square and after giving the men of the town two hours to hide, the chase would be on.

Gordon said he put his money on the bachelors. Did the event ever really happen? We may never know. One man, at least, took it seriously.

Two weeks after the planned date for the event, Herb Gordon received a postcard, written by Johnny Kirraine, from Florida.

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Museum to host bestselling author, fishing boat Captain Linda Greenlaw

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Although the 43rd annual Snow Row takes place next weekend (Saturday, March 2), the world- famous rowing race is not the only large-scale event on the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s winter calendar.

CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS. Linda Greenlaw, the only female swordfishing boat captain on the East Coast and a bestselling author, will be featured at two events in Hull on March 9. The Hull Lifesaving Museum is sponsoring a lecture in the afternoon and a private reception in the evening. [Courtesy photo]

In addition to the ongoing exhibits of photographs by Mary Evelyn Sparrow, wife of Captain William Sparrow, keeper of the Point Allerton Lifesaving Station from 1902-1922, and the 27th annual Sea & Sky Art Exhibit (featuring the best work of current local artists), the museum will host bestselling author Linda Greenlaw next month.

Greenlaw, the only female swordfishing boat captain on the East Coast who was featured in “The Perfect Storm” by Sebastian Junger (and in the film based on the book), will discuss her remarkable career on Saturday, March 9 at in the auditorium of the Memorial Middle School.

Greenlaw wrote three best-selling books about life as a commercial fisher: “The Hungry Ocean,” “The Lobster Chronicles,” and “All Fishermen Are Liars.” She now lives on Isle au Haut, Maine, where she captains a lobster boat.

Lifesaving Museum Director of Development Maureen Gillis is excited about the visit to Hull by Greenlaw, who will cap the museum’s recent focus on maritime issues from a woman’s perspective. Tickets for her afternoon talk are $30 per person, and 78 already have been sold, although there is room for more.

Gillis said that as a bonus, the museum will host a private reception with Greenlaw following her presentation. The reception, which is limited to 50 attendees, will be held at the museum and will be catered by Jake’s Seafood Restaurant. Tickets are $100 per person, with all proceeds benefiting the lifesaving museum’s ongoing programs throughout the year.

Tickets for the reception are still available, but Gillis asked that those interested in attending purchase them by March 6 in order to facilitate planning and setup.

For information on, or tickets for, either event, visit www.hulllifesavingmuseum.org or email maureen@hulllifesavingmuseum.org.

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Hull High Theatre Arts to present ‘War Brides’ on March 1 & 2

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By Victoria Dolan

During the next two weeks, Hull High School Theatre Arts will continue preparing and begin performing its competition piece, “War Brides.”

Prepared for the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild festival, “War Brides” is a 40-minute, one-act show about the experiences of women during wartime. At the competition in March, the Hull actors will present their show alongside other schools from across the state.

Co-directors Emily and Erin O’Donnell are hoping the piece will elicit a powerful performance. Part of the goal in choosing “War Brides” was to “hone in on present-day issues” by showing “strong female leads fighting for their rights – not as women, but as people during a period of war,” explained Emily.

The show features a small cast of seven to focus on authentic performance. Erin emphasized that when getting into character, actors have focused on “toned-down imagery, toned-down body language, toned-down voice,” because “it’s not about being the biggest person in the room, it’s about being one group.”

The show is also advanced on the technical side. For the competition, the crew must set up and take down the entire set in five minutes, and “this is the most complicated set we’ve ever done for festival,” said Erin.

So far, the crew has been one of the greatest successes of the production. Almost 20 students joined, giving them “an opportunity to learn even more about theatre and design,” said Emily.

Other than the female empowerment, emotional appeal, and unique set, Emily thinks “everyone should come and just be there to celebrate the accomplishments the students have put in.”

“War Brides” will be performed at Hull High School on March 1 at 7 p.m., and Marshfield High School on March 2 at 4:30 p.m. Both performances are open to the public, but the material contains mature themes not suitable for all ages. Please email eodonnell2@town.hull.ma.us with any questions.

Victoria Dolan is The Hull Times school correspondent. This column reflects her student viewpoint.

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