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Impacts of Sharon Hills (Brickstone) on Sharon Residents
In addition to unregulated PPCPs, enforcement of discharge permits by state authorities is lax (see http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/priorities/sggwhome.htm - gwcom), so there is no assurance that even regulated contaminants will not be released into the groundwater.
The closer you are to the site, the more likely and severe the contamination. If you are not on well water, or in the contamination zone, please be aware that other citizens of Sharon, some of whom may include your friends and neighbors, are at risk.
Click here to see how far your home is from the wastewater treatment system.
Traffic: The Sharon Hills project would house over 1,000 residents and require approximately 300 employees. Rattlesnake Hill is located in a Rural 2 zone on historic Bay Road, one of the oldest roads in the country and an officially designated Scenic Road. Bay Road's undulations and curves interfere with lines of sight, increasing the risk of accidents. Additional traffic associated with the Sharon Hills project will inevitably lead to more accidents. The large elderly population and nursing home would require more high-speed ambulance runs. All residents, employees or visitors to this site would have to pass through the towns of Stoughton, Easton, or Sharon, adding to congestion in the area (the nearest store being over 4 miles away and the highway 15 -20 minutes.)
Liability: The Town of Sharon will likely be sued by residents of Sharon, Easton, and Stoughton for Sharon's role in contamination of their only source of drinking water. Expert testimony was given at town meeting to town officials and voters based on recent research which clearly underlined the disastrous effects the rezoning would have. Sharon therefore knowingly supported the construction of a wastewater treatment plant which could contaminate hundreds of drinking water wells with residual pharmaceuticals and personal care products. The defense of these lawsuits would cost the town greatly, and if the plaintiffs prevail, the Town could be liable for millions.
Taxes: The $3.2 million in annual tax revenues that Brickstone claims Sharon would receive is highly questionable. Brickstone originally indicated that $2.3 million in tax revenues would result from their project, and subsequently inflated their estimate to a rosier $3.2 million. Due to the economy, Brickstone is now only planning to build two of the towers, indefinitely postponing the other four, which would delay most of the tax benefits. Given the glut in senior housing in this area, coupled with the fact that age restrictions are easily overruled in Massachusetts, it is very possible that Brickstone would allow families with children into their housing project. This would lead to additional school costs that would wipe out any incremental tax revenues. Click here for more financial information.
Environmental: Water contamination from this development's wastewater treatment plant will threaten not only humans, but also the wildlife in the area. Rattlesnake Hill has been declared a “highest priority” for protection by The Nature Conservancy and a Priority Habitat of Rare Species by the state's natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP.) It is part of an unusual wildlife corridor. Sharon Hill's access road would bisect the corridor, limiting movement of wildlife and potentially leading to the demise of endangered Blanding's turtles and vernal pool salamanders that would get run over as they try to cross the road.