Found some news on Karp. Neither pertains directly to Newburyport but it's good to know what he's up to.
This is probably the more relevant of the two since it comes from Nantucket. The Nantucket Inquirer & Mirror reports on Karp's plans to "revamp its Harbor House Village hotel complex to construct the White Elephant Hotel Residences and will also renovate several existing structures."
Obviously, Waterside Group is talking about a hotel in Newburyport. Are they considering this kind of hotel? Well if they are I suspect the occupants could afford high-end merchandise.
From the article:
New England Development vice president Doug Karp, the son of Steve Karp, said that the additions and improvements were necessary to adapt to changing demands in the hospitality industry.
“We’ve seen a strong trend in the demand for one-, two- and three-bedroom hotel units,” Karp said. “We’ve seen a huge demand at the White Elephant for our cottage product and also at the Boat Basin . . . I think that’s the trend in resort-style hotels.”
There will be 60 hotel residences and some units will be available for purchase in the summer of 2008. Each unit will offer amenities such as high-speed Internet, a custom wet-bar pantry, washer-dryers and flat-screen televisions, with access to a full-service spa, fitness center and in-season pool. Owners will also be able to choose from services including housekeeping, transportation, a concierge and pre-arrival provisioning of the residence. NIR will manage an optional rental program at an owner’s discretion.
Is this what they're planning for Newburyport? Who knows.
Second article comes from the Boston Herald's Scott Van Voorhis, a former coworker of mine from both the Haverhill Gazette and the Boston Business Journal. He's a damn good reporter.
Anyway, this relates to Karp's interest in a site in Cambridge. Connection to Newburyport? Minimal, except that the site involves some Chapter 91 work, which Karp, with properties in Nantucket and Newburyport, is no doubt an expert.
Speaking of the Waterfront, I swear I could hear dozens of spit-takes from across the city as people took a gander upon the top Page 1 headline of the Newburyport Current. I can't find the exact wording, but it basically screamed "People Support Parking on Waterfront."
No knock against the article or the reporter. It quoted an NRA member's recollection of recent survey results regarding parking on the NRA lots. Anyway, I suspect some hackles are raised.
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