Residents and would-be developers are searching for a resolution to the situation on Summer St.

Neighbors file lawsuit

By Andrew Firestone

After a year and a half in turmoil, it appears that the VFW land swap is headed to Middlesex Superior Court. On December 7, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the Strategic Capital Group proposal for 29 condominium units on the site of the VFW post. Later that month, a group of neighbors who have adamantly opposed the development on the grounds of unsuitability for the location and alleged underhanded tactics of the developer filed a lawsuit to overturn their decision.

Neighbors Nancy Iappini, Angela Laramie, George O’Shea and Charles Robinson filed the suit, claiming that the ZBA approved the proposal without giving proper credence to city zoning ordinances. In particular, they claim the building is too gargantuan and unseemly for the neighborhood it borders, sticking out at the very end overlooking Davis Square. They also believe that the new VFW hall, which they classify as a nightclub, is not allowed to exist in the residential district, and that the combination of the residential and commercial zone the condominiums would occupy is illegal.

The lot currently is comprised of a parking lot and an empty, grassy plain. The neighborhood, despite bordering the busy square, is mostly one or two family homes.

The suit follows a long period of discontent and infighting between the neighbors against the developer, beginning in Summer 2010 after a bizarre incident in which environmental documents not filed with the proposal before the ZBA, despite a neighbor finding out their existence. Many aldermen have voiced their dislike of the developer, Roberto Arista. Some have even questioned their motives in proposing the VFW post swap, claiming that it intentionally brought the veterans into the issue to garner sympathy.

The suit will go before a judge, who will act as the deciding voice.