A packed town meeting had one vote in mind.

Byline: George Barnes 

ATHOL - On a night the Red Sox were playing in the playoffs, Town Hall was packed Monday night with voters - a large majority of them senior citizens.

Although there were school and zoning issues to consider, the big attraction was an article seeking permission for the town to spend $1.2 million to buy and renovate a former CVS Pharmacy building. The site, which is in Lord Pond Plaza off Freedom Street, would be converted into a senior center. Only three of the 261 who attended the meeting voted against the article.

An indication of the interest in the article was that a subsequent vote on another issue

indicated only 146 people were still at the meeting.

The main issue about the CVS article is where the money will come from. It is expected to be paid mostly through the town budget, but much of the cost is expected to be reimbursed from the rental of about 6,000 square feet of the 15,000-square-foot building. The purchase of the building is expected to cost $700,000 and the rest of the $1.2 million would be used for renovations. The $700,000 would be borrowed.

Currently, senior citizens use Liberty Hall in the basement of Town Hall for many functions.

Supporters of the senior center had to wait through 13 other articles, although Joseph Maga unsuccessfully tried to get the article moved up in the warrant during the meeting. The senior center vote did not come until after 9:15 p.m., in part because of extensive discussion on article 6. The article changed zoning to increase the amount of land required in the residential C district or rural residential from 10,000 square feet to 44,000 square feet for each additional dwelling unit beyond a single family home.

Susan Mondi-Sykes, vice chairman of the Zoning By-law Committee, told those attending the meeting the zoning change would not make it more difficult for a person to build a single-family home in the zone, but would require more land for multi-family developments. Under the zoning in place before the meeting, the first dwelling unit on a piece of property would require 44,000 square feet. Each additional dwelling would need 10,000 square feet more.

The change means that rather than having a 40-unit building on 10 acres, a builder could only build nine housing units on 10 acres.

The Finance Committee voted against making the change. Committee chairman Brian Dodge said the change would be too restrictive.

"It would not lend itself to an increase in our tax base," he said.

Mr. Dodge argued that 90 percent of the town's income comes from taxes on residential housing, and creating zoning that discourages residential housing development would hurt the town.

Supporters of the article questioned Mr. Dodge's assertion that increased housing development would be good for the town. Resident David Maroni said he does not believe the town's infrastructure can support increased housing development. He said if the sewer system is not expanded, the large housing development would require large septic systems.

Resident Earle Baldwin said his concern is that many of the large complexes are built by people with no vested interest in the town.

"We have to look at what we want this town to look like in the future," he said. "When you allow development and you don't foster and take care of it, it runs you."

The zoning change was approved 174-32.