Selectmen have sent a letter to Westwood Station developer Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, saying they will pursue every means possible to seek a resolution to their dispute over traffic infrastructure mitigation.
The Dec. 29 letter is in response to a letter that CC&F President Jay Doherty sent the town last month, which said his company had decided to cease all negotiations with the town because of its increasing bills for legal fees.
Doherty said his company's legal fees - as a result of Canton's suit against the developer over traffic issues - could reach as high as $3.5 million. This is the same amount he has offered the town for local traffic mitigation improvements, as well as paying Canton's legal fees, which amount to about $850,000.
The town has been involved in a lengthy litigation battle with the developer over road improvements to and from the 4.5-million-square-foot development on University Avenue near the Westwood border.
Selectman Robert Burr, who wrote the letter, says the new development will be three to four times the size of the South Shore Plaza. He added the town is not against the project, but wants to make sure the plaza has adequate road access from the south.
"They (CC&F) should be interested in that too," Burr said.
In his letter, Burr said selectmen "were under the impression that CC&F and the town were very close on terms for settlement agreement."
He also said the town, which has sought state funding for lane expansion on Dedham Street, would receive funding if it reached an agreement with CC&F.
The town has asked for $20 million for expanding a half-mile stretch of road, which includes two bridges over Neponset Street and MBTA tracks, from two to four lanes.
The money would come from the state's $1 billion infrastructure improvement funds.
Burr concluded the letter by saying, "Until an acceptable resolution is reached, the town will continue to pursue the many regulatory, legal and financial issues that must be resolved prior to any start of construction on Westwood Station."
Doherty told selectmen he would cease negotiations after selectmen voted to appeal an unfavorable decision in a lawsuit against the developer.
The lawsuit was based on the state's environmental review of the development.
Michael Goldman, a spokesman for CC&F, said the company had received the letter, but has not responded to the town.
"We respect their right to write the letter, will proceed to evaluate, and will make a judgment down the road, " he said.
Goldman said he didn't want to make any further comments, but noted CC&F continues to seek federal and state funding for its project.
CC&F says it is investing about $120 million in infrastructure improvements to the site, of which $80 million is for road and public infrastructure improvements. It announced last month that it would seek public funding through President-elect Barack Obama's infrastructure stimulus package.
