When is a settlement not a settlement?

Two important events to add to your calendar if the ongoing CRC/Greensboro Rd issue interests you:

Tuesday, 11/12, 7:00 PM – a meeting at the Black Center to answer questions about the so-called “settlement”, provide updates on the process, and brainstorm about next steps. If you want to learn more about where things stand the the on-going efforts to stop this development, please plan to attend.

Thursday, 11/14, 7:00 PM at Town Hall – the Zoning Board will meet to consider the proposed “Settlement Agreement” between the town and CRC. We don’t know exactly what format this meeting will take but it is billed as a public hearing, so there will be opportunities for the community to be heard.

So, what exactly is going on here? It’s confusing, to say the least.

As you may recall, there was a mediation session in September. We were led to believe that CRC was willing to consider modifying their plans to mitigate the detrimental neighborhood impacts. In the words of their attorney, “Everything is on the table”. In preparation, we held a couple of meetings, brainstormed, gathered ideas, and were prepared to compromise in an effort to allow CRC to proceed with their development in a way that lessened, but didn’t eliminate, all the negative impacts.

Well, when push came to shove at the mediation, it turned out that actually nothing meaningful was on the table. We presented our ideas to the mediator, and the answer came back from CRC that they were unwilling to consider reducing the size of the building or parking lot, and unwilling to consider putting any limits on the hours and types of operation. In other words, they were unwilling to consider anything.

But, they did cook up a “settlement” with the town that completely ignored the abutters and neighbors. Essentially, the settlement agreement says that the town will remove all but the most toothless conditions that they placed on CRC’s approval. In exchange, CRC will agree not to sue the town for religious discrimination, but if and only if the settlement agreement isn’t appealed by the abutters. So, in other words, the Town gives up everything, and CRC gives up nothing. You can read the whole agreement here: Settlement Agreement

So, what happens next? Apparently many people have been left with the impression that this Settlement Agreement ends the issue, and that the abutters and neighbors are left out in the cold. This is 100% incorrect! Even if this agreement is approved, it has no impact on the ongoing appeals filed by the abutters, challenging both the Zoning decision that allows the use, and decision that allows the wetlands impacts. Both of those legal cases will continue, regardless of what the ZBA decides on Thurs night.

The process going forward is unclear, but what we do know is that the Settlement Agreement has to be approved by the ZBA before it can be submitted to the Grafton County Court for review. That is the topic that the ZBA is going to take up on Thursday night.

This proposed settlement agreement should be offensive to every citizen of the Town of Hanover. Town staff (Rob Houseman and Julia Griffin) , the town’s attorney, and the town’s insurance carrier crafted this so called settlement, without any regard for the overwhelming testimony from neighbors that this mega-development is inappropriate for the proposed site. The town apparently never even tried to wrestle any concessions from the church that might favor the neighbors – we sat thru the entire mediation and were never once presented with any type of even rudimentary proposal to consider.

Please come to the Black Center tonight if you would like to learn more, and most importantly, please come to the ZBA meeting on Thursday to deliver the message that back room deals that benefit insurance companies and developers are not the way we expect business to be conducted in our town.