Planning Board Member Rudith Berkowitz Calls for Building Moratorium Amid Out-of-Control Growth Concerns-October 20, 1987

Berkowitz Urges Moratorium at Public Hearing on Nahatan Street Apartments

Voicing sharp frustration over rapid development, Norwood Planning Board member Rudith Berkowitz called for a townwide building moratorium last night as an essential first step toward halting what she termed “out-of-control growth.”

Berkowitz’s impassioned remarks came during a heated public hearing regarding a proposal by Telco Systems of Norwood and private developers to construct a 122-unit apartment complex on vacant land adjacent to the Telco property at 63 Nahatan St.

“We’re always getting threatened by developers with either apartments or factories because of the poor planning in this town,” Berkowitz declared. “We could use either a moratorium on building or something to slow down the out-of-control growth. We have more apartments than any other town in the area. Who knows when we’ll be able to find and hire a town planner. We haven’t done what we should do.”

While acknowledging she did not plan to spearhead a formal petition drive—noting, “I heard that a moratorium would be illegal, but at least it would show where this town stands on growth”—her comments underscored mounting anxieties. Town zoning maps date back to the late 1920s when Norwood was heavily industrial; although many factories have since given way to residential neighborhoods, zoning codes have remained largely unchanged. Although town meeting voted in the spring to fund a professional town planner to redraw the map and separate incompatible manufacturing uses from residential zones, the planning board was still actively advertising for candidates. Growth had quickly become the town’s defining political issue, propelling Berkowitz into office in April after defeating former board chairman Alfred Porro on a platform centered on curbing expansion.

Developer Proposes Rezoning 30-Acre Parcel for Multi-Family Housing-October 20, 1987

Before the proposed 122-unit apartment complex can move forward, the developer, Telcross Associates—which purchased the 30-acre site in 1985—must secure a zoning change from manufacturing to multiple dwelling use at the upcoming October 28 special town meeting.

Attorney Helen Donohue, representing the developers, warned neighborhood residents at the hearing of the alternative: “Truck terminals, laundries, factories could be in there instead of four buildings with three floors. If town meeting doesn’t approve this, next time it’s going to be a manufacturing use.”

According to Donohue, the project would feature four three-story buildings with dedicated off-street parking and substantial buffer zones ranging from 100 to 140 feet between the structures and nearby residences. She stressed that the rezoning request applied strictly to the 30-acre parcel, preventing any spillover apartment development in the area. Rents were projected between $700 and $750 with no subsidized housing units planned, and developers had no intention of converting the units into condominiums.

Neighborhood Opposition and Infrastructure Concerns-October 20, 1987

Area residents expressed deep skepticism regarding the project and the town’s capacity to handle additional density.

“I hope no development can go in that area because we have enough problems,” protested Pauline Grasso of 80 Oliver St.

Esther O’Connell of Winfield Street echoed those concerns, stating, “We have all these apartments here already. I wonder if we need any more in the area.” Many residents also raised alarms over whether local sewer infrastructure could handle the heavy wastewater volume generated by a large multi-family complex.

With the planning board scheduled to vote the following week on whether to recommend the rezoning to town meeting—where a two-thirds majority is required for passage—the debate over Norwood’s development trajectory reached a fever pitch.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger