Controversy Over Informational Meetings

By Patrick White

Unlike larger towns like Lenox and Great Barrington, small towns like Stockbridge lack a staff position for a town planner. In the infrequent instances when a property owner requests clarification or other information, our town administrator in conjunction with a representative of the select and/or planning board fill this role.

A number of you have shared with me concerns raised by a Lenox resident, who then posted them widely on social media forums. He is critical of the Town's procedures and suggests we lack transparency. Let me explain the difference here between an informational meeting, where no decisions are made, and a quorum of the select board, which in with this bylaw conducts a public hearing to decide if and under what conditions the special permit may proceed.

Over the past year, both the owners of Elm Court and the owners of 37 Interlaken/DeSisto reached out to the Town of Stockbridge and asked for informational meetings. At the time of the requests, Chuck Cardillo was chair of the Select Board and he asked me to attend those meetings with Town Administrator Michael Canales. The two Elm Court meetings were also attended by the chair of the Planning Board.

I disclosed these meetings to the Lenox resident, and asked Michael Canales to explain to him our process in Stockbridge when developers ask for information meetings. Michael wrote the following:

Thank you for your follow-up email regarding public engagement and transparency in Stockbridge. I appreciate your commitment to fostering open communication between our communities.

As mentioned in our previous response, Stockbridge approaches developer engagement differently from neighboring towns due to our smaller size and the absence of dedicated planning or community development departments. To clarify:

• Initial discussions with developers are purely informational and serve to help the town understand the scope of a proposal before it enters the formal permitting process.
• These preliminary conversations are not decision-making forums. Any project that moves forward must undergo a rigorous public review process, including hearings and opportunities for community input, in full compliance with open meeting laws.
• If informal meetings involve a Select Board member, only one member participates to ensure legal compliance, and all formal deliberations take place publicly.

Stockbridge is committed to transparency and ensuring public participation during the formal review process, where community input is vital to shaping decisions.

Thank you for raising these concerns, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen communication between our communities.

Anyway, this explanation didn't seem to sway the resident, who voiced his concerns with Stockbridge for not having a professional planner. And Lenox for not budgeting municipal funds to build a sidewalk in front of his house when the current project (and associated funding) was delayed. Look I don't write our procedures. My task is to understand and follow them. When the chair of my board asks me if I can attend a meeting, if I can I will. Sorry if that somehow displeases some folks out there.

37 Interlaken/Desisto submitted its special permit application on November 25, 2024. It is available for the public to review in Town Hall. As of this writing, no superseding application has been submitted by the owners of Elm Court. Rest assured, I will do my job and follow the law with regard to the evaluation of these special permit applications.