Category Archives: Planning and Development

Planning and Development, Newburyport, MA, urban planning, the design, construction and organization of Newburyport’s urban spaces, architecture and activities.

Newburyport, Tonight’s Meeting On the Waterfront Task Force Never Posted

Tonight’s meeting concerning paving the Waterfront and the “Waterfront Task Force” was never posted.

I don’t know much, well, I don’t know anything about the “open meeting laws,” but I do know this, it’s always good to have an open and transparent government—it doesn’t hurt to avoid the appearance of being secretive.

I was going to give the mayor the benefit of the doubt here. I thought surely there must have been a slip up somewhere, these things do happen.

However, I just received an email from Albert Decie saying that he in fact did check with the Mayor’s office, and apparently the Mayor’s office did not feel this meeting of the Task Force qualified as a meeting that needed to be posted.

And to quote Mr. Decie in a follow-up email “I just talked with the Police Department conference room scheduling person. The scheduling of the conference room at the police station for this evening at 6 PM is listed as scheduled by Mayor Moak.”

(The fact that anyone who attends this meeting gets to be considered part of the Waterfront Task Force gets odder and odder.)

The whole thing is very odd indeed.

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. But I would think that the fact that this seemingly informative if not important meeting is taking place without being posted would ensure somewhat of a skeptical crowd.

I’ll be interested to find out.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Meeting About Paving Over the Waterfront

Tonight’s meeting of the Mayor’s “Waterfront Task Force” (6 pm, Wednesday July 12, 2006, at the Newburyport Police Station) will feature a presentation by a representative of the mayor regarding the way(s) in which the Waterfront can be paved and still conform to chapter 91.

Chapter 91 is filled tidelands.

Roger Foster spent over $100,000 getting his chapter 91 license.

The property the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority owns is not only filled tidelands (which the Commonwealth say the public has a right to access the water through,) but also Commonwealth tidelands, which have even more demanding restrictions.

A parking lot is not considered an acceptable use under Chapter 91, only parking for access to the river, boats, etc. So the state might stretch to a 50/50 park/parking, but it is my understanding that the State would not approve 100% parking.

At tonight’s meeting, 6 pm, Newburyport Police Station, I would imagine that the presentation by the Mayor’s representative would be to the effect that that is not necessarily true.

And also it is my understanding that the cost of asphalt has doubled since the Mayor came up with the 3.5 million estimate. Apparently many people felt that the original estimate would be more like 4-5 million.

It is also my understanding that there is no money, whatsoever, to pave the Waterfront.

Again, tonight’s meeting is:

6 PM
Newburyport Police Station
Waterfront Task Force

And again (see earlier post) apparently anyone who attends would be considered part of the Waterfront Task Force.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Citizens for Environmental Balance

I remember the first time I found out about Citizens for Environmental Balance (CEB.)

When the NAID land behind our house was going to be developed for industrial use, my husband and I joined the site walk with a representative from the planning board and the engineering firm. Several people bearing notebooks and green caps could have easily been mistaken for reporters with the number of questions they fired at the crew. Long after the city official and engineer left, we remained talking on Crow Lane next to the landfill and were then invited to continue the conversation at the next meeting of CEB.

CEB, registered as a miscellaneous non-profit group originated in November 1999 under the Mead Administration. They spearheaded the petition to save the abandoned Rt. 95 access road from being reopened as a roadway, land we can now use for passive recreation along the Little River. They ran full speed ahead supporting the Open Space Committee to get the Community Preservation Act passed. They regularly attend city council meetings, planning board and conservation committee meetings, acting as watchdogs to ensure that city government is always representing the public welfare, not the pockets of a select few.

Currently, CEB is keeping an eye on Woodman Farm, Oleo Trust, Little River Transit, Paul Avery and Oak Engineering at 81-83 Storey Ave as well as the management of the recently acquired land parcels, Coffin Island south of Hale Street and the Common Pasture north of Hale Street.

Other issues of concern are the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority and the Waterfront, Waterfront West, the proposed cell tower, and the exploration of wind farm and solar energy potential in Newburyport.

All are welcome to attend CEB meetings to share or gather information of common concern on any of these issues and enjoy the good humor and company of the group. Please call Al Decie at 978-462-2959 for future meeting dates and locations or check the CEB website www.cebport.org.

Kim Kudym
Newburyport

Newburyport, The Task Force and Paving Over the Waterfront

Yes, you guessed it — the issue of the Mayor’s Task Force and paving over the Waterfront.

Evidently at tomorrow night’s meeting of the “Waterfront Task Force” (6 pm, Wednesday July 12, 2006, at the Newburyport Police Station) will feature a presentation by a representative of the mayor regarding the way(s) in which the Waterfront can be paved and still conform to chapter 91.

And apparently anyone who shows up is considered part of the “Task Force.”

To say the least, both of these things appear to be just a little confusing.

Apparently feel free to show up at 6 pm, Wednesday, July 12th at the Police Station and add your 2 cents.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, 11-13 Ship Street—Sold

Magical places, yup 11-13 Ship Street is what I would consider to be one of those magical places. It is a two family federalist home. The property goes back to Smith Street. And in the back of the house is the most delightful orchard. The property has a wonderful spirit to it and a remarkable sense of place.

The property sold in March to 1804 Associates, LLC at 16 Grapevine Road in Wenham, Massachusetts.

The fairly substantiated rumor is that whoever these folks are, they are going to demolish the property and put up a “replica.” Ouch.

I’ve been in contact with the Newburyport Preservation Trust and unfortunately at this point they do not know anymore than I do.

I did a little snooping to try and find out who the buyers, 1804 Associates, might be. All I could find out was that 16 Grapevine Road is a residential area in Wenham, Massachusetts that is owned (this is courtesy of www.salemdeeds.com) by a Mr. Minot Frye.

The only thing I could find about Mr. Frye on Google was a paper on real estate risk management written in 1998. That’s it. It is not even clear whether or not Mr. Minot Frye is actually part of 1804 Associates.

It is clear however, that someone from out of town has bought this remarkable property, and it appears that their first response is demolition. Ouch.

When I talked to the folks at the Newburyport Preservation Trust they said that they would try and get in touch with the buyers and explain the financial incentives for historic preservation.

It would be really horrible to see this remarkable property destroyed.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, 30-32 Marlboro Street — Sold

For those of us who have wanted to know what was happening to 30-32 Marlboro Street, the property between Purchase Street and Hancock Street that goes all the way back to Madison Street, well, it sold on June 30, 2006.

Not to keep anyone in suspense or anything, this is all public record that can be found on Salem Deeds Online, www.salemdeeds.com (see link at the side of the Newburyport Political Blog,) the property sold to the neighbor at 36 Marlboro Street (who lives on the corner of Marlboro and Hanock) on June 30, 2006.

Well, relief, relief. The neighbor, Mr. Matthew Pieniazek, reportedly has tried to buy the property for years. Well yeh!

Mr. Pieniazek has done a beautiful job restoring and adding on to the other property next to his house on the corner of Hanock Street and Madison Street across from the “Neps.”

The house on 30-32 Marlboro Street is in pretty bad shape. It is a two family and was built I think in 1850. I have no idea if a demolition permit will be sought, but if the house on Hancock Street is any indication, well, Mr. Pieniazek appears to care a lot.

The neighbors say that a saltbox is going in on the Madison Street side of the property. This, however, has not been verified.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Accurate Information on Open Space

What a relief it was to read Mary Harbaugh’s Letter to the Editor in today’s Newburyport Daily News. Mary Harbaugh is the chairperson of the Newburyport Open Space Committee. And a very knowledgeable and intelligent woman she is.

The Letter to the Editor corrects a great deal of misinformation that was in the Editorial about Open Space that I found so objectionable — the one that basically said enough with open space (see earlier post.)

I thought I would quote part of Mary Harbaugh’s Letter to the Editor that addresses the 126 acres being considered by the City of Newburyport.

“You take issue with the $392,000 sought by the Open Space Committee for the 126-acre Wet Meadows project in the Common Pasture. (The correct amount is $392,000, not the figure you used; the correct acreage is 126 acres, not the 26 acres you mention.) First, of the $392,000, some $150,000 comes from a prior-year CPA open space allocation; more specifically, from a reimbursement grant. It is “recycled” open space money. That means that our request in current-year CPA funds is really for $242,000. In addition, we and our highly experienced non-profit partners are optimistic that about $200,000 of that will be reimbursed by grants and private fundraising. So at the end of the day, our true current-year CPA open space amount is likely to be about $42,000, including legal fees and other acquisition costs. That’s less – much less – than 10 percent of the total current-year CPA fund.”

(Editor’s note: “You” refers to whoever wrote the Editorial in the Newburyport Daily News. And “CPA” is the Community Preservation Act.)

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Open Space, Not Only Passion but Also Reason and Money

Dear Mary,

I hope many residents will phone their councilors in support of the proposed addition to the Common Pasture project. It is not only passion for open space for its own sake, it is also reason.

Reason tells us that protecting this open space will ultimately benefit the City economically – few cities have their gateway gift-wrapped in beautiful vistas like those of the Common Pasture.

There have been many letters written in support for the various grant monies that have been applied for – grants that have brought a million dollars or more home to this community – and more grant dollars will come.

I am hoping someone will provide you with the money numbers.

Folks will be surprised when they learn how much money has come to the City in support of this project, and how little it will really end up costing the City to protect one of their most important economic, historic, landscape and environmental assets.

Marlene Schroeder

Newburyport, Passionate about Open Space

I’m still thinking about the editorial in the Newburyport Daily News, saying basically, enough with the open space (see earlier post.)

And I think that so much emphasis has been place on open space because there are so many people in Newburyport, Massachusetts who are passionate about open space.

Getting anything done civically or politically takes an enormous amount of time and energy. And people just don’t spend that kind of energy unless they are passionate about something.

People in Newburyport are beginning to get passionate about affordable housing, and because of that, affordable housing is going to get a whole lot more attention, which is a great thing.

Marlene Schroeder is one of those people who is passionate about open space.

Marlene sent me a map that shows a little better the 126 acres of open space that are being considered by the City of Newburyport.

The area in the dark green on the map is the 126 acres. This area, if purchased would be called “Wet Meadows.”

map.jpg
Map showing what would be “Wet Meadows” in dark green

As you can see from the map the area abuts Rt. 95 and Hale Street.

When you come from the South on Route 95, getting off at Rt. 113, it is your first glimpse of Newburyport. It is the pastoral land with the cows. And it is stunning.

It is a pastoral gateway, if you will to the City of Newburyport. It speaks of our agricultural heritage.

It brings me a sense of peace and relief every time I pass it. One of the things I love about Newburyport is its wonderful balance of these pastoral scenes, combined with the historic district and historic downtown.

I would disagree with the editorial in the Newburyport Daily News. I think one of the things we’ve learned over the past 10 years, Cherry Hill being the most extreme example (see earlier post on the history of Cherry Hill,) is that when opportunities like this come along, we as a City dare not pass them up, because we will have one chance and one chance only, and we can never, ever get that opportunity back again.

And I for one am very grateful to all the people who have worked so hard to make this a possibility. And I hope that the Newburyport City Council would also agree.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Massachusetts, Infill, Magical Places

There are absolutely magical places in Newburyport, Massachusetts. And many of them are hidden away in Newburyport’s Historic District. They are often found in side yards and backyards.

And yes, many of them are in danger because those spaces are just so juicy for the possibility of development.

And as an artist, I often go hunting for those magical places, and I’ve included two in this post. A hidden garden treasure on Milk Street.

garden-1.jpg
Milk Street Garden
Oil on Paper 7” x 7”
Mary Baker © 2005

And speaking of Milk Street, in Newburyport Massachusetts, there is a rumor there that very much upsets the neighborhood. The rumor is that 22 Milk Street is for sale. That alone is no problem. What has neighbors worried is that the property contains one of those large magical places, a large back yard that is ripe for development.

And what really has the neighborhood worried is that to get to that juicy back yard, part of a very historic home would have to be demolished.

Now this is all rumor, but the neighborhood is extremely concerned. And if anyone out there in web-land could offer some concrete (no pun intended) information that would be most helpful.

The magical garden depicted in this post is right next to the area that the neighborhood is so concerned about. If there is any truth to this rumor, you can see that not only an historic home would be endanger, but yet another one of those amazing Newburyport magical places would be effected as well.

Garden-2.jpg
Milk Street Garden
Oil on Paper 5” x 10”
Mary Baker © 2005

Mary Baker Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Open Space

I don’t know who wrote the editorial in the Newburyport Daily News, Wednesday, July 5, 2006, but let me tell you I was offended.

The editorial was talking about the possible acquisition of 126 acres between Hale Street and Scotland Road, along Route 95, that is owned by Arturo Gutierrez, if purchased by the City of Newburport it would be called “Wet Meadows.”

The editorial seemed to say, enough with the open space, let’s concentrate on affordable housing (this of course is a very rough paraphrase.)

Of course I’m for a whole lot more affordable housing in Newburyport, Massachusetts, who is not. And good people are working on making that goal a reality.

But, the Open Space folks have been working on open space really, really hard and they deserve a whole lot of credit. And to quote Mayor John Moak in the Newburyport Daily News, June 27, 2006:

“It seems like a good space to buy. It’s not a priority of mine, but its timeliness and availability means it has merit to it.”

Good for Mr. Moak. He’s right, the land is available and it has merit for all kinds of reasons, the subject of which could be a whole variety of posts in itself.

But since a picture is worth a 1000 words, I’ve put up a map showing the parcels that are owned by Mr.Gutierrez. They are kind of hard to make out. Mr. Gutierrez owns 3 large parcels and they are in a bright turquoise color on the map and they have his name on them.

The map is courtesy of www.ceport.org. I downloaded the map, I didn’t tell them, but I thought that they would not mind. You can see a bigger and much better version on their website under “Common Pasture.”

In the “Common Pasture” section look under maps and try: “Newburyport parcels and GIS Layers with Vernal Pools.”

The “Newburyport parcels with SLUC Baseline Report Map 9 and GIS layers Document” will download, and that is the one I used.

I’d definitely go and take a look.

Wet-Meadow.jpg
Map Showing Wet Meadows

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Good, Bad Infill

So I’ve been thinking for me, what would constitute good or bad infill?

I walk all over Newburyport, especially the South End, and there are examples of infill everywhere. You can see the different additions and alterations that people have made over the years and centuries to different houses, and I for the most part, I like them, because they tell the story of the people who not only lived there, but who have lived in the City of Newburyport.

You can tell when someone needed a mudroom or often an addition on the back for a kitchen.

I know the house that I lived in when I first lived here had two additions put on sometime during its lifetime. One, a kitchen at the back and a sunroom that was put in on the North side of the house for some reason. Why a sunroom on the North side of a house who knows, except that that’s where they must have felt they had the most room.

And, it was a Victorian replica of a Greek Revival house, tin ceilings and all. I loved it.

And at one point in the neighborhood where I live bay windows must have been all the rage. There’s even a very old colonial with a bay window. For me it all adds to the “patina” of the City.

So when does infill, additions alterations become “bad” infill. Well quite aside from the density and added mass and bulk thing…I think for me infill crosses the line when it overwhelms or obliterates the story of the people who have gone before. No matter what their story was, good, bad or indifferent, it is still part of Newburyport’s story.

When the citizen’s of Newburyport fought so hard to save High Street, they wanted to keep the “patina” of the road and the shape of the road because it told the story of all the people who have come before us.

So I think that’s why in part I have such a visceral reaction when someone demolishes a home and puts a mega mansion up in its place. It seems to dishonor the past. Or when an addition to an existing home totally overwhelms the existing house and is out of character with the neighborhood, it seems to disrespect the people who have lived here before us.

It’s why (not to harp on this one more time, but to harp on this one more time) I have such difficulty with the Five Cents Savings Bank demolishing One Temple Street. It wiped out the story of all kinds of amazing human beings.

So I think that the emotional “trigger point” for me is when a project doesn’t add to Newburyport’s story, but demolishes or overpowers that story. Because I think every story, no matter how small or how big, is part of the whole. And it would be a good idea, in my mind, if each piece gradually added to what would ideally be the organic and intrinsic growth of our small city.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, a Clarification – Ordinance and Special Permit

Well, it’s a good thing there is a disclaimer on the “Guidelines” page of the Newburyport Political Blog. Good grief.

I think that I’ve always said I’m on a learning curve here and that I will and have made lots of mistakes.

Well, a clarification on the “Special Permit” thing and the Towle Overlay District thing is in order. I’m pretty sure that I have this straight (zoning is very complicated.)

This is how I now understand it. The Towle Overlay District is an “Ordinance” not a “Special Permit.” It is an actual change to the Newburyport zoning laws. That is why it was voted on and passed by the Newburyport City Council. It is called (I believe) the “Towle Complex Redevelopment Overlay District” or TCROD – I’m just going to call it the “Towle Overlay District.”

I believe a formal application for a “Special Permit” needs to be filed in order to be able to apply the “Towle Overlay District.”

And when I wrote the post, it was my understanding that no formal application had yet been made.

The Towle Overlay District was created to help create the best possible project for the City of Newburyport. However, if the property was sold, the new buyer could build within the existing zoning laws, “by-right” and not use the Towle Overlay District at all. Hopefully that is never going to happen.

I very much hope that I got this clarification right.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

(Editor’s note: To make it easier to find the Newburyport Political Blog I have created a web address that will forward you to the main page of the blog. Hopefully it will be easy to remember. It is www.newburyportblog.com. I’ve also put the link at the side of the blog. More on this in a later post.)

Special Permits, Newburyport and the Infill Ordinance

There appears to be some confusion about my recent post on “Special Permits.” It is my understanding that some people might feel that I could have been implying that anyone could be granted a Special Permit by the Newburyport Planning Board, no problemo…

Well, that’s not what I was trying to say at all, so let me try and clarify here.

What I had in the back of my mind was the revision of the zoning ordinance that I keep calling the “Infill Ordinance,” that the Newburyport Planning Board is hoping to reintroduce to residents and the Newburyport City Council.

When it was introduce the last time it was not passed by the Newburyport City Council. I am very much in favor of this new revision or the “Infill Ordinance” and I would like to see it get passed by the Newburyport City Council this time around.

Last time, the revision to the ordinance concerned two family houses. Each side was allowed a 550 square foot addition before requiring a special permit.

As I understood it, this was to insure that developers didn’t take advantage of two family homes by building a large addition that was out of scale with the existing home and the neighborhood at large. The project on Water Street is an excellent example.

It was not meant to discourage your average homeowner from a reasonable addition or alteration.

However, I think that a lot of people understood the new amendment to the zoning law to mean that if you wanted to have an addition or alteration that was more than 550 square feet, you were not allowed to do so.

What I was trying to explain in the recent post was that for the average homeowner, who owned a two family house and wanted to build something larger than 550 square feet, that they could still do that. That going in front of the Newburyport Planning Board and discussing a special permit should not discourage people from going ahead with their plans. That the Newburyport Planning Board was very reasonable when it came to reasonable requests and there was no reason for your average resident to be intimidated.

And it is my opinion that he Newburyport Planning Board does not give every developer the “go ahead,” no questions asked — quite to the contrary. I feel that the Newburyport Planning Board is very conscientious when it comes to development in Newburyport, Massachusetts. After all it is the Newburyport Planning Board that has and is still trying to change the existing zoning laws to try and prevent inappropriate development in Newburyport from happening.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Massachusetts, Agendas and Minutes

I would like to thank the mystery person who puts the Agendas and Minutes (especially the Agendas and Minutes of the Newburyport Planning Board, the Newburyport Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) too) on the website of the City of Newburyport.

And also a big thank you to those people who make sure this wonderful mystery person gets those minutes and agendas.

It makes for a transparent process and an informed public (that is if they want to be informed.)

You can find the Minutes and Agendas by going to the website of the City of Newburyport (that link is on the side of the Newburyport Political Blog.) On the sidebar to the left on the City’s website press “Boards & Comm’s.” There is a a link that says “Newburyport Planning Board Meeting Minutes, Agendas & Public Hearing Notices.” Press on that link.

Then there will be folders for “Agendas,” “Minutes” and one for “Public Hearings.” Press the folder you are interested in. The Minutes or Agendas are listed by years. Press the year that you want. Then there will then be a list of documents. And press the document that you would like to see.

It is a wonderful way to be informed about what happened at a meeting if you are unable to be at the meeting itself.

My understanding is every attempt is made to put up the Agendas before the meetings take place. So, it is also a great way to find out what will be taking place at a Newburyport Planning Board meeting (or a ZBA meeting for that matter.) Especially if there is something that either might pertain to you personally or something that you may be concerned about.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Special Permits

One of the things I like about blogging the Newburyport Political Blog is that I get to learn about a whole lot of stuff. Take this Special Permit thing. (See all sorts of earlier posts on “Special Permits.”) Who would have ever guessed that I would care about, much less be interested in a Special Permit? Come on, who cares? Special Permits?

Well, now I actually care about Special Permits of all things. Who knew?

Frankly, I thought if you wanted to build something and had to get a “Special Permit,” well, that was the “kiss of death.” Why bother even trying? Why bother going in front of all those scary boards and stuff. Why not just skip the whole thing?

What I’ve learned is those “boards” aren’t actually so scary. The Newburyport Planning Board (that’s where you go and get that Special Permit) isn’t made up of a bunch of zealots who will tear your head off if you go in front of them. No, the Newburyport Planning Board is made up of some very thoughtful, fair human beings (I might even go as far as saying as some of them might just be downright kind.) They are just regular folks who give an incredible amount of time and energy to the community and are not power hungry, control freaks.

Three of the members of the Newburyport Planning Board have actually sent in posts to the Newburyport Political Blog. And if you use the search box on the side of the blog, you can find them. (Put in “Newburyport Planning Board member.”)

One of the interesting tidbits I’ve learned about a Special Permit is that just because a Special Permit is granted, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has been used.

Someone might get a Special Permit and then not use it right away. How about that one for weird?

For example, it is my understanding that no application has been formally filed for the Zoning Overlay for the Towle Property (see earlier post.) And this was a major Special Permit. This Special Permit for a Zoning Overlay was so special that it had to be passed by the Newburyport City Council. And they passed it too. Happily, no less.

So, this could mean that someone else could come in and buy that property and not use that Special Permit for the Towle Zoning Overlay at all.

Wow. I thought that one was really interesting.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Wetlands

Well, I’m learning about wetlands. I’ll have to admit, even though I’m a Liberal Democrat, I’ve never quite gotten quite what all the whoop-la was about wetlands thing until recently.

My wetlands learning curve has been due in great part to people who one way or another have been connected to the Newburyport Political Blog. So a big “thank you” to all of you out there in web-land that have added to my wetlands education.

Basically, what I now get is that wetlands are like a big sponge that absorbs the water that would otherwise flood us.

So in the big flood this spring, Newburyport, even though it is on the Merrimac River, was largely sparred the enormous damage that other communities further up the river incurred. It was spared because of our marshes/wetlands. All that water spread out instead of up and was absorbed by all those marshy, wetland bogs.

So now I’m even a bigger fan of marshes than I was before. And as a painter, I’m a very, very big fan of Newburyport’s marshes.

So, the wetlands around the Little River, down around Low Street, act like a sponge during large, flooding rains. Ok, now I’m beginning to get that.

I’m also beginning to get that it’s not a good idea to fill those wetland/sponges up with cement, because then they cannot absorb all that water anymore. And that it’s also not a good idea to have a whole lot of cement around those wetlands, because all those hard surfaces act like a funnel, and it’s just too much water for the wetland/sponges to absorb.

And if we fill those wetland/sponges up with cement or have too much cement around them that means among other things that Newburyport’s Industrial Park will flood on a regular basis. And if Newburyport’s Industrial Park floods on a regular basis, no one is going to want to have a business there (who could blame them.) And if no one wants to have a business there, then we Newburyporters are in big trouble, because we need those businesses to help our tax base.

So, for a whole lot of reasons, including the wetland/sponge reason, it would be a really, really bad idea to have that large 40B project on the Woodman Property on Low Street.

So, now I’m beginning to get it, that preserving Open Space isn’t just for the “touchy-feely,” “crunchy-granola” folks. Preserving Open Space, especially around the Little River, is important to everyone. Including those folks who very much want to keep business in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

And one of the things that really helped me is the link which shows the Little River Basin during the recent floods. As Marlene Schroeder, who sent in the link in to me said, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If you haven’t seen this map, I think it’s really, really interesting.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

(Editor’s Note: Unfortunately the very excellent site www.cebport.org is no longer up.)

Newburyport, Nice Rumor, the Wheelwright House Property

I heard a nice rumor. (I much prefer nice rumors to lousy ones.) It was a nice rumor about the Wheelwright House Property that is for sale along High Street in Newburyport, Massachusetts. This is one of the properties that so many people have been beside themselves about, so I sure do hope this nice rumor is true.

The rumor that I heard would be that residents would “be pleased” at the outcome of this sale. How about that one.

(Although the house was still “for sale” in the Newburyport MLS listings when I recently checked? ) (When I did check the Newburyport MLS listings I was amazed at how many houses there are over a million dollars, I mean not 1.1 million, but more like 1.6, million-that’s a lotta dough folks, but I digress…)

When I heard this lovely rumor, it at the very least gave me a glimmer of hope, a feeling of mild relief. (When I’ll really be relieved is when we all find out if it is actually true or not.)

That is one huge piece of property that could really be butchered and destroyed by the wrong person. It could really destroy the Ridge (the elevated section of High Street, between State Street and Lime Street,) it could really destroy the historic roadway and it could really do major damage to our small historic seaport city.

I hope this lovely rumor is true. I really, really, really want to “be pleased” by this one.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Newburyport, Task Force for the Waterfront

Oy Vey. How can a blogger not blog on the story in today’s Newburyport Daily News, June 20, 2006 on the task force being formed by Mayor John Moak to help decide the most appropriate use of the waterfront property.

A few red flags here.

*The survey from the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority is still being collected. We do not even know the results of the survey yet. And Mr. Moak is on record any number of times as feeling it was “biased,” and taking the position of paving over the entire waterfront.

I am just guessing here, and believe me I do not know, but my guess is that the waterfront survey is not developing the way the Mayor John Moak might have hoped for…i.e. most probably the survey is coming in for half parking, half park or for all park…and my guess would be paving over the entire waterfront is not the overwhelming favorite choice.

*Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a task force after the survey for the Newburyport waterfront was in? A task force to implement what the people have said that they would most prefer?

From what the mayor is quoted as saying in the Newburyport Daily News, apparently not.

*And I’m very suspicious of political task forces. They are often a way to achieve a political agenda that may not be what the people of Newburyport would like. Take Mayor Moak’s task force on the Woodman property. All of a sudden a large 40B project is back in the picture, the Planning Director is kept out of the loop, and the possible solution to have a much smaller project in that area appears to be dismissed.

In my book, political task forces are not a good sign. Sigh.

*We already have the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority who is in charge of that area, why in the world would we need a task force on top of that, unless there is another agenda?

*Ok, Byron Matthew is a member of the task force. Not that Mr. Matthews is not an outstanding citizen, but the residence of Newburyport, Massachusetts made it very clear that they did not want him on the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority, and that’s why the Newburyport City Council voted against his nomination on the first reading. So why is Mr. Matthew now on this task force addressing the very same issues.

*And if you really wanted an informed task force, let’s face it, you would ask Mary Lou Supple to be on there, yes?

*And the task force first meeting is June 28, 2006. That is 8 days from now. That’s very, very soon. If it were meeting were let’s say sometime in the beginning of September, when the public had time to respond this idea, it would be less of a red flag in my book.

*And a mater of coming to a “position, a vision,” well that is what the waterfront survey was for. My concern is that this is a way of Mr. Moak implementing his own vision.

For me, there are red flags on this all over the place. Good grief.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport

Questioning the Advantage for Positive Infill for Newburyport, Massachusetts

I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that there could be an advantage for Newburyport, Massachusetts for the idea of “positive infill” as it has been defined in an earlier post. And in particular “increasing the number of units,” especially within Newburyport’s Historic District.

As I am beginning to understand it, infill can be an antidote to “urban sprawl.”

But, in Newburyport we now have the Open Space Residential Development Ordinance (OSRD), the purpose of which is to prevent “urban sprawl” or to quote the Ordinance itself:

“A technique to build residential subdivisions that maximizes the amount of preserved open space and protects local resources while not reducing the number of units built compared to a conventional sub-division.”

(The link to the entire ordinance is under “Helpful Links” at the side of the Newburyport Political Blog.)

I looked up the “Zoning Ordinance of the City of Newburyport” and under the purpose of the Ordinance it lists (among other things) the following:

* “To conserve the value of property, with due consideration for the character of the zones and their peculiar suitability for particular uses.”

* “To lessen congestion in the streets.”

* “To prevent overcrowding of land and to avoid undue concentration of population by regulating the height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of the area of the lot that may be occupied, the size of the yards, courts, and other open spaces.”

* “To control the density of population by regulating the location and use of buildings, structures and land for trade, industry, residence or other purposes; and the height, size and location of these uses within the limits of the City of Newburyport.”

So it would seem to me that “positive infill” in Newburyport’s Historic District would go against the intent the Zoning Ordinance itself, not by “regulating the height, number of stories and size of building,” but by incrementally increasing an unduly amount of units that in that particular area because:

* It adds to congestion in the streets.

* It creates overcrowding of land.

* It increases the density of population.

* And it could decrease the value of the property within Newburyport’s Historic District and therefore Newburyport as a whole. (For example, if we start destroying High Street with infill in back or in front of those stately mansions, everybody’s property value would decrease, because Newburyport’s historic gateway, a key to its economic value, would at the very least be compromised, if not destroyed.)

And I would also add that “increasing the number of units” would seem to burden existing City services – schools, water and sewer, wear and tear on existing roadways.

And in regard to affordable housing, smaller lot size in this case would not “be reflected in lower costs.” Lots within Newburyport’s Historic District are extremely expensive, making the creation of affordable housing much more difficult in this particular area.

So while I can see where reasons for “positive infill” might apply to other municipalities, especially municipalities whose more urban areas are underutilized, I have a real problem with successfully applying this criteria to Newburyport’s Historic District in particular.

For me this would not be an example of “smart growth,” in fact for me it would be the very antithesis of “smart growth,” because this is an area in my mind that is beyond “dense,” this is an area that is on the verge of a “saturation point.”

Mary Eaton, Newburyport