Billerica ZBA Approves 40B Project 147 Feet Away From Chelmsford Border

The Billerica Zoning Board of Appeals approved an affordable housing complex only 147 feet from the Chelmsford border on Wednesday night, only a few thousand feet away from another proposed affordable housing complex that has drawn concerns from Chelmsford residents.

A proposal regarding Aspen Apartments, a proposed 384 unit complex on Rangeway Road near Route 3 in Billerica, was halted in the spring of 2010 thanks to the efforts of some Chelmsford residents, was unanimously approved on its first hearing back before the board.

According to Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen, who was in attendance during the meeting, the project approval would eliminate an emergency access point from State Street in Chelmsford, only 600 feet from the closest building on the project.

It is expected to be four stories tall, including an underground parking facility, with the closest building to Chelmsford only 147 feet away, near Bishop Street.

There have been changes to the proposal since its last incarnation, with a reduction of buildings on the site from 14 to eight, and several of the buildings now further away from the Chelmsford border.

Cohen and Chelmsford Zoning Board of Appeals chairman Paul Haverty did not indicate that this project would have a direct impact regarding decisions on the pending nearby Mill Road affordable housing complex, which the Chelmsford ZBA could theoretically delay until the summer, when the town’s “safe harbor” period ends.