In January 2021, the Symes case was filed against the town as an appeal of certain conditions of the subdivision approval. According to Town Manager Stephen Crane, this case could have only been avoided had the Planning Board failed to apply the town’s inclusionary housing bylaw -- and even then, an abutter could have appealed.
Town Counsel further advised that the vast majority of cases listed on the state courts’ online dockets are complete, but many are improperly listed on the Court’s website as open.
According to town documents, there are 61 closed cases (many in tax title takings), three active matters Anderson Kreiger is handling (Estabrook, Symes and the Mandrioli), and nine active matters that Town Counsel does not have an appearance or do not handle. These include six ongoing tax title cases.