Agreed

I'm with the Daily News on this one.

Cue the Bad Light

I was a tad disappointed to read the news that NRA members held individual meeting with Steve Karp's representatives.

I'd prefer that the NRA members didn't accept the invitation from Karp's team to meet individually at the Newburyport offices, although I can understand the interest in hearing what they had to say (and see an early schematic of the hotel project being eyed for the Waterfront East lot.)

According to Chairman James Shanley....

... NED was looking to NRA members to find out what their plans are for the NRA's East and West lots, which are known in local circles as "the dirt lots." The NRA has held public hearings on various plans for the lots but has not made a decision on what to do with them.

I concede there's a difference between their meetings and the proposed meeting with the Planning Board. The NRA is an abutter, not the political body that will be ensuring any projects abides by our city's regulations.

Karp's questions are legitimate, and it makes good business sense to find out what the NRA has in mind. The article suggests that New England Development wanted to understand how much parking might be available on the NRA lots to support a hotel on the East Lot (the current site of Oldies.) Just write a letter; schedule a meeting.

But the process just is bad political move. These private meetings with the NRA comes a week or so after the Daily News reported that the the Planning Department was open to private sessions between individual planning board members.

The thought behind both efforts would be to obtain a better understanding of what we're thinking without opening themselves up to a public meeting. I don't believe either set of meetings would violate the wording of the open meeting law but they certainly flout the spirit.

NED's consistent push for private meetings casts an unseemly pall on the early beginnings of Karp's Waterfront moves.

I'm not surprised the Shanley seemed to recognize the same. 

Shanley said he wasn't entirely comfortable with the closed-door meetings and said not much emerged from them. Members of the Planning Board have also expressed a desire to hold all meetings in public session to ensure an open deliberation of Karp's plans to develop the city's waterfront. 

"I wasn't thrilled with it, to be honest with you," Shanley said. "And I wouldn't certainly make a habit of it. No promises were made. No deals or action was taken. I just wish they'd come to our meetings."

I trust that was the case. I just wish the push for private meeting would stop. It's time we find out what they're  thinking.

Why Didn't I think of That

Well, I did, sort of.

I commend the Masked Preservationist on his recent post about the senior center. Give it a read here.

He's suggesting the city stop moving the Senior Center away from downtown as is suggested in today's Daily News. Instead, he'd like to see it combined with a new parking garage on Titcomb Street.

Amen to that.

In fact, I suggested something similar three year back when then Mayor Moak was eying Prince Place as  the site of a parking garage.

MP gives all the right reasons in his post and I'll add one more .Seniors (or community members using the center) will have access to an abundance of convenient parking.

Brown Flops in Newburyport

Or maybe this was the flip.

Anyway, a report from the Newburyport Daily News found its way onto the fact-checking Politifact Web Site yesterday. Politifact attempted to answer the question, did Brown flip flop his position on Rep. Ryan's Budget Proposal.

Check out the link yourself, but I agree with Politifact's finding although I think Brown was just a little imprecise with his language.

Note this, the Newburyport Daily News could be cited regularly in this fall's attack ads on Brown.

Youth Service Award

I wouldn't wait too long on this. (I took a while to post this.)

The third annual Yankee Homecoming Youth Community Service Award will be presented to a high school senior and a high school junior who either lives in, attends school in, or volunteers in Newburyport; demonstrating a strong commitment to public service, volunteerism and dedication to a cause. One winner from each grade level (11 and 12) will receive a $250 savings bond award and a $50 Newburyport Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificate in recognition of their contribution to the community. The award winners will be introduced during the Opening Ceremonies of Yankee Homecoming on Olde Fashion Sunday, July 31, 2011. Award winners will be recognized throughout Yankee Homecoming festivities.

You can nominate people over the Internet here.

The Daily News?

Came upon this stack of the NY Daily News at the corner of Monroe and Broad Streets. Perhaps they're looking to challenge our own Daily News?

BBJ Tells It Plain

The Boston Business Journal's write up on Karp's plan. Gotta love the plain language.

Karp has approached town officials to potentially review his project proposal. The meeting would not be open to the public, according to sources cited by the newspaper.

That about says it all.

New England Development advances Newburyport plan
Boston Business Journal - by Craig M. Douglas

New England Development appears to be advancing its long-stalled plan to convert swaths of waterfront parcels in Newburyport into a possible mixed-use community.
According to a Friday report by the Daily News of Newburyport, New England Development CEO Stephen Karp has approached town officials to potentially review his project proposal. The meeting would not be open to the public, according to sources cited by the newspaper.
The matter was first presented before Newburyport’s planning board by Planning Director Andy Port, who said Karp wants to review his preliminary plans with the town informally before making the final project details public. The land in question is permitted for a variety of uses including residential and retail development.
New England Development is the largest landowner in Newburyport. The assessed property value of the parcels owned by its Newburyport Manager LLC total $41.3 million, or just over 1 percent of the town’s total assessed real estate value of $3.3 billion.
The Newton-based firm has been an active player in Massachusetts’ commercial real estate market in recent years, most recently as an opportunistic buyer in the aftermath of the 2008 credit crisis. The firm’s investments and attention have targeted troubled assets such as the Westgate Mall in Brockton as well as the still-unsettled battle over the development parcels known as Westwood Station.
Other deals to gain recent momentum have included a decade-long effort to revitalize an 11-acre parcel in Newton as well as a massive mixed-use project coming online in Northborough.

No Private Meetings, Please

Look, can we just all agree that it's a bad and politically tone deaf idea to even suggest Planning Board members be called to the Planning Office to meet with New England Development over their waterfront plans?

Dan Bowie, chairman of the planning board, seems to agree:

"With a project like this, we obviously are very cognizant of the importance of it, and anything that the Planning Board does is going to be in compliance with Open Meeting Law," Bowie said. "There will be no one-on-one meetings between Planning Board members and New England Development."

Yet, the article in Friday's Daily News seems to leave the door open for such er...uh..closed door meetings.

I concede such meetings would expedite the process, but is that really in the best interest of the project or the city.

[Planning Director Andy] Port said the practice of holding preliminary meetings with developers out of the public eye is not unusual. Members of the Planning Board will ultimately be called upon to weigh in on Karp's plan to build a hotel and mixed-use development on the city's historic waterfront.

"They've been approached by several different hotel companies," Port said. "They're interested in finding out what the Planning Board's long-term vision of the waterfront is — if they have general concerns before they spend time on any particular project or plan."

Know what? I'm interested in finding out what the Planning Board's long-term vision of the waterfront is as well. Here's an idea. Let's have a public meeting about it.

Speaking as a citizen and taxpayer let me assure you, speed is not of the essence here. Speed will lead to decisions and increased paranoia...if that's even possible. Read the comments on the Daily News article.

Set up some working meetings. Limit or even prohibit public input if need be (and if it's legal) until an actual proposal can be crafted. But invite the public in on the sessions. But let's take every step to ensure this is a project we can all live with for a very long time, which is, of course, what we'll have to do.

Or, if private sessions are held without notification then it might be in the public's interest to "stop by" the planning office when they're held.

"We won't be advertising in the paper," Port said. "But once it gets to our office it's all in the public realm — it's public record. Right now, we don't have anything."

Without more assurances that the public will be included I suggest every resident call the Planning Office at least once a day to ask whether preliminary plans have been submitted.

Here's the info:

Office of Planning and Development
Newburyport City Hall
60 Pleasant Street, 1st Floor
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-465-4400
978-465-4452 (fax)
Hours
Monday - Wednesday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am - noon

Andrew Port
Director

The Best Things in Life Are Free

and never attended by me, unfortunately.

I absolutely LOVE events like the Newburyport Literary Festival and Newburyport Preservation Week, and I'd love them even more if I could actually get the opportunity to attend them. But my khaki and kids world hasn't allowed me the chance....yet.

But I will make an extra effort this weekend to check out some of the Preservation Week happenings starting this weekend and running through the week, starting with the Saturday at noon talk on the great fire of 1811 and the walking tour of the South End. The bike tour of my beloved North End may also be in the cards.

Most events are free.

Check out the line up for yourself. Good stuff all week.

Local writer Joel Brown offers up a nice write up in the Globe as well.

My God ... It's full of quarters.

Caught a sneak peak at the new parking meter at the Prince Place parking lot....

Oh wait....that's not it. Here you go.

No (or Little) Vacancy

The Daily News offered a comprehensive look at the downtown today, showing that we actually have very little space left in our tight retail district.

This is good news, especially since national reports suggest shopping mall vacancies are on the rise. This clearly shows unique sells, and we've got plenty of that (and still no chain stores.)

A few things of note:

I wrote an article on Steve Rankin's opening of Gram's back in The Day. At the time he'd left a job in public broadcasting (if I recall correctly) to start a new career as a small business owner. I'm glad it worked out so well and wish him the best in his next stage. I admire those people who take the chance to reinvent themselves.

I was disappointed to read that my health club Vanguard Key Club at the former Fitness Factory had closed then relieved to find out that it really hadn't. I stopped by there today on my way to work (admittedly the first time in weeks since nice weather and a bad back has kept me away) and all seems to be the same. Expect a correction tomorrow.

It's clear that the threat of a paid parking plan isn't scaring away business owners. I'm confident it won't affect customers either.

But those interested in shopping where the parking is free will have a few new options on Storey Ave. I've heard from a few folks that Olympia Sporting Goods is opening a shop at the Market Basket Plaza in the site of the former Blockbuster. It apparently will share space with a Sal's Pizza (love Sal's, but we have enough pizza).