THREE RIVERS - The Great Wisdom Buddhist Institute (GWBI) doesn't plan to appeal Three Rivers' recent decision against the permit it had applied for any time soon.
The GWBI had applied to construct a three-storey residence building, which includes a basement, that would house up to 176 people as part of its ongoing development in Brudenell. Three Rivers' council ultimately voted against granting a building permit during its regular meeting in Montague on Sept. 14.
After the meeting, members of the GWBI told The Guardian that the institute would be considering its next steps, which included possibly appealing the decision.
But in an Oct. 1 email to The Guardian, a nun with the GWBI wrote that building trust with their community is the priority right now.
"Therefore, while our development permit fits all requirements and has foundations for appeal, we have chosen to forgo the opportunity to appeal as we feel it is important to address concerns before moving forward," Venerable Sabrina wrote.
More than 150 members of the public had attended the Sept. meeting. The principal concerns raised were toward transparency within Three Rivers' decision process, the amount of property the GWBI has attained, and how a potential shortage in land might impact future generations.
