White Hen Meeting Tonight

From the Daily News

City Council President and mayoral candidate James Shanley said last week he hopes to see the White Hen Pantry find new retail space to lease next spring when they are forced to vacate the space at the Pond Street shopping plaza to make way for an expansion by CVS.


Shanley represents Ward 3, the area where the store is located and said he does shop there.

"I'll miss it," Shanley said. "I hope they find a place."

The news about the shop's closing has sparked controversy in the city as over 2.000 people have signed a petition urging the property owners New England Development and its local office, Newburyport Development, to reconsider the plan.

Shanley said he has reached out to Newburyport Development to talk about the situation. Shanley added that he is unsure as to whether he will attend tonight's meeting at the library, which was organized by shop owner Liz Frame, who is spearheading an effort to save the store.

That meeting begins at 7 p.m.

I'm quite certain the city can't and shouldn't do anything to prevent this from happening. That said, as I've stated earlier, New England Development isn't doing its best to serve the community. Folks need the White Hen far more than a drug store that offers a wider array of cold medicines.