News in brief

By Globe Staff, 11/30/2001

RAMINGHAM

Senior residential zoning plan rejected

Special Town Meeting on Tuesday voted down a proposal to create senior residential zoning in Framingham that would have allowed developers to create clusters of apartments for people older than 55. The Planning Board's senior zoning proposal had been shot down earlier this month, but proponents wanted Town Meeting to reconsider it. ''There wasn't enough debate and there's new information,'' Planning Board chairwoman Helen Lemoine said. The motion to reconsider the law failed by a small amount. Two-thirds support was needed, but Town Meeting only voted 69-47 to reopen debate.

Pretrial hearing delayed until January

A pretrial hearing yesterday in Framingham District Court for Laura J. Ryan, the former executive director of the Framingham Civic League, was postponed until Jan. 15. Ryan, of 19 Maplewood Ave., in Marlborough, was arrested last month for allegedly using the name of the Civic League's treasurer to make more than $30,000 of unauthorized purchases in the organization's name. She is charged with five counts: larceny over $250, larceny under $250, forgery, improper use of credit cards, and uttering false statements. Ryan served as the league's executive director from February until August, when she was fired.

HOPKINTON

Winter parking ban goes into effect

As construction crews wrap up road work before freezing temperatures set in, Hopkinton police are warning motorists to expect daytime detours and delays. Drivers will encounter daytime congestion on Elm Street because of sewer construction, and West Main Street is still under construction near South Street. Also, the winter parking ban has gone into effect from now through April 1. Any vehicles parked on town streets between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. can be ticketed or towed.

NATICK

Town preserves 13 acres for open space

After several years of planning and negotiations, the town expects to soon get formal ownership of roughly 13 acres in South Natick donated by Marianne Castle. The land, which Community Development director Sarkis Sarkisian said is filled with wetlands and vernal pools, will be preserved as conservation land, and will connect to a trail system that links up with downtown Natick. A developer planned to put a 20-lot subdivision on the land, off Eliot Street near Leach Lane, but neighbors helped quash the plan, Sarkisian said. Under the agreement, seven lots of the original 22-acre parcel are slated for development. Preliminary construction work is already underway. ''We thank the Castles for this very generous gift,'' he said. ''We started with a 20-lot subdivision and now we have 13 more acres of open space in South Natick at no cost.''

SHERBORN

Zoning hearing set on housing proposal

The Zoning Board of Appeals will begin hearings Dec. 17 on the 52-unit affordable-housing complex a Cambridge developer wants to put in on Whitney Street. Rising Tide Development bought the 28-acre property earlier this year and filed a Chapter 40B application, which allows developers to bypass some zoning regulations if they agree to designate 25 percent of the units as affordable. The Conservation Commission has held three hearings and has delineated where the wetlands lie. Neighbors have raised concerns about the size of the project, but the developer has said good planning efforts would yield an acceptable proposal.

WAYLAND

Police investigating five-car accident

Wayland police are investigating a five-car accident that happened yesterday in front of Russell's Garden Center on Boston Post Road shortly before noon. Two people, whom police did not identify, were taken to Emerson Hospital. Wayland Police Chief Robert Irving said their injuries appeared not to be life-threatening. Irving said there were initial reports that one vehicle was speeding, but he said that hasn't been confirmed. No charges have been filed.

This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 11/30/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.