Full clean up major advantage to warehouse plan, developer says

Nov 1, 2022

LAKEVILLE If Rhino Capital’s warehouse proposal is voted down at the Nov. 14 Special Town Meeting, company owner Michael Olson said the Lakeville Hospital site would likely be sold, potentially to affordable housing developers.

“People ask, ‘What’s plan B?’” Olson said at the Oct. 27 Planning Board meeting. “The truth of the matter is, I don’t know what’s going to happen if this gets voted down. What I believe will happen is that we will have to sell the property. And I believe that the only people we are going to be able to sell it to are 40B developers.”

Residents have voiced concerns over noise and traffic from a warehouse on the site. Resident Heather Bodwell questioned whether the town could find funding to clean the site on its own.

Under the 40B statute, developers are allowed to build under flexible zoning rules if 20 to 25 percent of the units are deemed affordable. 

Olson said that if Rhino sells the property, the buyer would not be required to do a full clean up of the landfill on the site.

“There is nothing intrinsic to the 40B statute that requires site cleanup,” said Town Administrator Ari Sky.

Sky said the advantage of Rhino’s current proposal is that they committed to cleaning the landfill, which they are not legally obligated to do. Regulations require only that the asbestos in the hospital buildings must be removed. Sky said other projects would likely use cheaper measures to mitigate hazardous waste concerns in the landfill.

“The important piece goes back to what I think you all want, which is that site getting cleaned up. 40B developers don’t have to,” Olson said. “There’s a landfill there they can just cap.”

Landfill capping is the practice of covering a landfill instead of removing it, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Concerns have been raised that hazardous waste, including bodily fluids and used needles from the old hospital, is buried on this site.

“We want to clean it up for you,” Olson said.

The Lakeville Hospital site is within a half-mile radius of the Middleboro Commuter Rail station. MBTA transit-oriented housing guidelines suggest building 15 housing units per acre within such a distance of commuter rail stations.

The current Rhino warehouse plan uses a 49.4-acre footprint. Under MBTA guidelines, about 350 housing units could be built in that footprint, and a larger footprint would likely be allowed under 40B housing guidelines.

Olson also addressed concerns that approving Articles 14 and 15 would spark an influx of warehouses moving into Lakeville.

“I know there’s a lot of fear in this town that this is going to set a precedent,” Olson said. “I understand the fear, but we’re all trying to do this for this site. I don’t believe that this is going to ignite a wave of warehouse development.”

Voters would always have the final say, he said. “You all are going to make sure that doesn’t happen,’’ he said.

Articles 14 and 15, which will allow Rhino to proceed to a site plan review if passed, require a two-thirds majority to be approved.