First Republic is going to clean up the mess it made at Cashman Park: fill in the hole, take down the fence and resod the lawn. Should happen over the next few weeks.
However, the future of the barn is very, very, very much in doubt.
Apparently, the only hammer the city holds is the occupancy permit. So no one can move into (or I presume even sell) one of those fancy new condos until the barn is in place at Cashman.
However, the issue is muddled a bit because the project is actually divided into four or five separate parcels. So it's unclear what will happen if First Republic, which has put the entire project on the market, sells it off to different buyers. Who will be responsible for moving the barn?
It won't be the city. We didn't require any bonding or pool of money to be set aside to cover the costs of relocations in the event that First Republic couldn't deliver, which it can't. (Bonds are commonly used in subdivisions to ensure construction of roads and sidewalk, but I don't know if they apply to projects like this one. ) And we definitely don't have the money.
The planning board says the special permit it issued is laden with stipulations to guarantee the barn is moved, no matter the owner. However, anyone who acquires the problem (I actually meant to type project) would be free to seek some relief from the conditions that First Republic negotiated. The only question is whether or not the city would agree.
If the barn is the only thing standing between a completed project and an undeveloped waterfront wasteland, I'm guessing the barn is expendable.
1 comment:
You're right-- the barn will sit there forever until it gets trashed.
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