To the editor:

I am writing to request that you vote YES on the FTM question to redevelop the Carmelite Monastery property on Watson Avenue. A heartfelt thank you to those that turned out to help refine the plan that has evolved over the past three long years from a completely unacceptable high-density plan to one that is much lower in density and will help maintain the character of the neighborhood.  

The new development meets the goals of the original Watson ad-hoc committee. It creates 6 new single-family homes in keeping with area zoning, provides for 12 senior homes of which 5 will be affordable, and preserves 2 acres of open space as a new “Carmelite Park” to honor the Carmelite Sisters who were a beloved part of our neighborhood for many years.

If the plan is not approved, we will be left with a vacant building that has been deemed too difficult and too costly to rehab and will continue to be a liability to the town and to our neighborhood. The police are already answering calls to check on potential trespassing due to open windows and lights on in the building at night.

The funding for the consultants has been spent and the planning process has come to an end. Without a solid plan in place, the future is uncertain. Let’s vote YES to a good plan that gives us low-density, senior housing, open space, and certainty.          

Mary Grenier

Barrington