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.

Sound Famliar?

The Nantucket Independent has a report on the island's downtown. Mom and pops are gone; seasonal businesses moving in; real estate is too expensive, etc., etc.

Steve Karp is largely let off the hook since these trends took root before he acquired a good portion of the downtown. Same could be said for Newburyport as well.

Houston, NED has a Problem

A Texas jury ruled that two entities affiliated with New England Development must pay $26 million in a soured real estate deal. The whole mess centers around the construction of a Lowe's in Nashua, NH but the plaintiffs are from Texas. (Interesting that it was not held in a NH court though...)

The NED-affiliated lawyers may appeal.

Karp Speaks; Says Little

Well, Northshore Magazine took a stab at capturing the epic so-called struggle between Karp and those fighting for the "real" Newburyport, whatever that might be.

The piece is balanced, focusing largely on Ann Lagasse and her work downtown. (I think the timeline in the history is a bit off. I'm pretty sure the Lagasses bought their properties in the 1980s as they were already The Lagasses when I arrived in 1993.)

The writer hits the usual issues: White Hen, "Nantucketization," the leases that call for a share in store profits (the Lagasses had this in place back in The Day). The only real perk I can offer is the reporter actually spoke to Karp about his introduction into the city through Walter Beinecke, the development guru who advised him on Nantucket as well as The Lagasses during their accumulation of downtown properties.

Karp had reportedly declined to invest in Newburyport the first time he was approached, but later changed his mind and was drawn to the city. “Walter [Beinecke] introduced me to Newburyport, and we discussed the similarities and differences with Nantucket,” Karp says. “I had great appreciation for the character of Newburyport, the preservation of older buildings, the unique shops and restaurants, the location on the Merrimack, and the close proximity to Plum Island.”

Karp began buying several of the Lagasses’ properties in 2005, starting with 31 properties and adding on from there. He had a vision for the town, one that was estimated at more than $100 million that included long-term development of the waterfront. Ann Lagasse stayed on with NED and now helps manage its Newburyport properties.

“The Lagasses created value in their preservation of building character, land purchases, and appreciation of the location on the water,” Karp says. “Ann continues her work in finding new tenants who serve a year-round population.”

Karp sheds little light on what's coming. The article suggests the construction of a hotel is up in the air given the state of the economy. I guess I was a little surprised to read that but it makes sense.

Of any future plans Karp gives some assurances that people will have a say. “We try to listen to what people have to say,” Karp says. “We can’t always agree with everyone. The community will have input into any major development that will change downtown.”

White Hen supporters will scoff at this, and while I understand their position and admire their willingness to fight I'm not entirely sure the majority of people in town share their views and even if the do they clearly don't share their passion.

In fairness, sad as it is to note, the majority of people in town aren't passionate about much these days. (See 39% voter turnout.)

NED Looks South?

I honestly don't know what to make of this or what conclusions to draw, but this certainly is interesting.

Our own Charles Lagasse is heading a group called Boston Boat Basin, which just put in a $9.9 million bid for Boston's North End Marina, Yacht Haven marina.

The real estate paper Banker & Tradesman appears to have the exclusive. You can read all about it here. Tip of the cap to Northendwaterfront.com, a blog focused on the land of my people. (Mom grew up there, which is why I think Newburyport desperately need a real Italian bakery.)
I know nothing about this project, but the article seems to suggest Boston Boat Basin--which shares an address with our own Newburyport Development, owned by Steve Karp and New England Development--paid a pretty penny for the property.

The sale price is nearly $2 million more than the $8 million credit bid that
North End marina's current owner, Northern Bank & Trust, paid at bankruptcy
auction in August. No private bidder came close to matching that price at
auction, with most bidders quitting the action at $5 million.

This clearly shows Karp & Co. have the capital to spend when it makes sense, which makes me wonder why they have shown zero public interest in the Towle project property.

Why the Rush?

Two things strike me as odd about the city appealing the flood maps on behalf of Steve Karp's New England Development, and not one of them has to do with the city appealing the flood maps on behalf of Steve Karp's New England development.

I agree with the Daily News. Makes sense for the city.

What I don't get is why the last minute filing? Are you telling me this wasn't on NED's radar until recently, and it took a last minute bit of cramming to get the appeal in? What the heck?

The city filed an appeal of the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps on behalf of New England Development on Monday, the last day possible to fight the imposition of new flood maps that will impact hundreds of properties in the city.

Mayor John Moak had said earlier this year that the city would not appeal the new maps, which will take effect June 1. However, the mayor said last week that the city is the only party that can file an appeal and did so this week on behalf of the development company.

Everyone wants to point at the White Hen Pantry as being the first chink in NED's armor, suggesting the move to expand the CVS represents some sort of communal tone deafness. Wait, I think I said that too.

But this to me raises even more questions. Is there a legitimate reason why the appeal went down to the wire. Seems to me the city's been warning about these maps for a long-time. Did NED take a look just recently?

Honestly, what possibly could be more important to NED's plans this the flood maps?

Oh and the second odd thing--interesting really--is the suggestion that the flood maps might require NED to elevate building on the site to compensate for any flood waters.

The maps would cause any new buildings to be built at a higher elevation than they would have been, which can be a "multiple feet" difference, Green said.

If new buildings are a higher elevation, it wouldn't match what is currently in place, [Local NED Rep Tony] Green said.

From my understanding, NED already had issues with the height limitations laid out by the Overlay District. So, if the flood maps really require the buildings to start at a higher elevation any building's that NED has eyed for that parcel could really squeeze the square-footage of any project cown there.

What these means for the feasibility of the entire project, I just don't know.

No Kidding?

I honestly didn't anticipate 40 people or so to show up at the Save the White Hen meeting last night, and I certainly didn't expect the mayor to show. The article in The Daily News didn't make it clear why he was there, other than to play devil's advocate, but I credit him for attending.

I, frankly, did not.

I had a number of reasons not to go, but honestly I also couldn't see myself dedicating time and effort to saving a commercial enterprise, even one that I think is as necessary as the White Hen. But many others obviously felt differently. In hindsight, I was wrong and they were right.

So, what's next? As the article pointed out, CVS no doubt is anticipating the boycott and knows it can ride out any trouble. Plus, it's the only 24-hour pharmacy in the area, so it serves a vital function. I can't see it caving on those grounds alone.

To be honest, I don't really fault CVS entirely. Perhaps I should, but Newburyport Development put the White Hen's neck on the chopping block. They should have known this would be a problem for the locals and simply said no for the sake of diversity of service. I refuse to believe CVS would leave such a lucrative site, which draws heavily from Newbury as well as Newburyport.

So where are we now? I don't know how to stop this from happening. (Post any ideas here.)

But at least we know this: Newburyport Development has put residents on notice that their input isn't welcome and their immediate commercial needs aren't all that important.

So I give a hearty Newburyport Posts welcome to the first issue of the fall campaign.

Count me as 1,001

Daily News Item: 1,000 rally to save Port's White Hen


Wars sometimes start in the most interesting places. With all batteries aimed toward the waterfront, who would have imagined the the first battle of the (latest) war over Newburyport's downtown would take place on Pond Street?


I'm speaking, of course, over New England Development's intention to force out the White Hen Pantry from its current location and allow CVS to take over the entire building.


One might see this as a fight between two corporate chains, but the ownership issues are really pointless. (For the record, I think the White Hen Pantry is locally owned, but it carries no local brand. This isn't Angie's.)


The true pertinent fact is this. The White Hen Pantry serves an important role in this community, and has for some time. It kept me alive during my time at the Daily News as it usually was the only place you could find coffee and a sandwich after a Newbury Town Meeting.


But even today, when I'm blessed with a more regular schedule, the White Hen Pantry is what it is supposed to be a convenient store where I can typically buy what I need when I need it.


I shop at the CVS as well as do thousands of others everyday. It's a fine store just the way it is. 


Ann Lagasse, in today's article in the Daily News, suggest Newburyport Development simply is trying to keep its anchor tenant happy. I get that. But I have hard time understanding how CVS isn't happy with the current arrangement, especially since it's taking over the rear of the store. Is CVS really going to leave this coveted spot if it doesn't get the tiny corner that White Hen Pantry currently possesses? I doubt it.


Newburyport and New England Development might want to focus on keeping their customers happy as well. If this is a sign of things to come--larger companies shoving out smaller ones at will--the fight over the downtown may be more brutal than I thought.

NED's Attention to Detail

SPOILER ALERT! Subscribers to Progressive Grocer Magazine may just want to skip this post.

The magazine Progressive Grocer--which carries the odd tagline "Ahead of What's Next"--published a short piece on The Market, the small scale grocery store found in The Pinehills, a planned development community built in Plymouth by New England Development and others.

The piece gives a short history on the creation of and the creativity behind The Market. Apparently, the American public is growing tired of big-box superstores, turning instead to smaller, more intimate markets presenting more upscale foods. (I wonder, though, whether this trend will hold given the state of the economy.)

Here's an excerpt:

The Market was conceptualized by Newton, Mass.-based New England Development with the help of Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Store Design Services (formerly Design Services Group), which is a subsidiary of SUPERVALU. “Our goal [for The Market] was to create a small-format store, but with full service, so it has everyday items and gourmet foods,” says Harry Steen, creative director for Store Design Services. “Most stores are boring square boxes,” adds Michael Szathmary, managing director of The Market. “We wanted to design a footprint store that is exciting and out of the norm, that doesn’t make you feel like you’re just walking up and down aisles.”

New England Development worked with Store Design Services for approximately nine months designing The Market, which opened in October 2008. “Elkus Manfredi Architects designed the barn-shaped outer shell,” Steen explains. “[The exterior] is actually built out of steel, and has a unique, vintage appeal to it.”

In fact, vintage, turn-of-the-century New England charm is precisely what the design group was shooting for. Store Design Services added plenty of vintage touches to The Market—from sandblasted wood signs and the dyed concrete floor that looks like rich leather to custom-designed, acid-etched metal fixtures, Steen says. Additional hints of the dawn-of-the-century look include old mining carts placed around the store, a hayloft-style bakery and cheese island, aisle end-caps modeled after old farmhouse bureaus, and a custom, 16-ft. farm ceiling fan.

Although all of the décor elements play into the store’s shoppable, rustic charm, the design team was careful to keep them understated, so that the main focus of The Market remains on the food products. “The interior is not overemphasized,” Szathmary says. “It’s not about the décor, and though the fixturing and lighting [elements] are important, they’re there to highlight the product.”

Why should you care? First, I'd still love to see a small market downtown, but only if it complimented ongoing efforts like the Farmer's Market as well as local growers. Second, while this degree of design in a supposedly "intimate place" that mimics a natural setting makes me a bit queasy (sort of like the efforts that go into making casinos so darn enticing), the Market demonstrates how detail-oriented NED can be in devising a project to fit into a community, or at least perform a function.

This leads me to my final point. We can have all the chatter we want about the NRA waterfront parcels. In my eyes, the project NED eventually builds will have a greater impact on the downtown and the perception of our community than those two remaining parcels. We have to keep our eyes on that ball.

Oh Dear

WARNING: The below was written by an idiot who can't tell Nantucket from Martha's Vineyard. Actually I can, normally, but reason slipped away this morning and that slippage led to a number or erroneous comments, comparisons and wise cracks. If you get can look past that considerable error, the rest of the post makes just as much sense as anything else on this blog, which is rather depressing.

We're going to need more torches.

Boston.com had this little ditty today. Apparently, Nantucket's famous Black Dog store has chosen to open its newest "General Store" in Newburyport.

I'm sure this decision came after a nationwide search and Steve Karp's ownership of half the downtown and a great deal of Nantucket had nothing to do with the decision.

For the record, I don't know if Karp owns the building housing the Black Dog shop in Nantucket, but I'm assuming he does, which is why I snickered a bit reading this quote from Ann Lagasse.

"We are excited Black Dog has selected Newburyport for their newest location," she said. "It will give residents and visitors alike a fun place to shop."

No doubt, this will fuel the fears that Steve Karp is trying to turn Newburyport into Nantucket's Mini-Me. 

So let me toss another log onto the fire. Also from the article.

According to Newburyport Development, Newburyport is seeking to become a major tourist destination in Massachusetts.

Which is true of course, but no doubt this will rile some folks.

As for me, I've never shopped there so I can't say I'm all excited about the addition. But in this economy who am I to complain? If the shop can draw folks from the North Shore--this will be the company's only North Shore location--then how can this be a bad thing? Most of the other shops can be found on the Cape and Islands with the exception of shops in Mystic, CT, Newport, RI, Portland, ME and Annapolis, MD, so this is pretty good company.

(Since this is the 10th store, I think Black Dog would have been permitted by the proposed Chain Store ban, which in these times seems as dated as a thin piano key neck tie.)

I'm not sure where it'll be headed. Perhaps Chico's? It would be nice to fill that spot.

As an aside, I am surprised to not read this in the Daily News. Maybe NED just issued the release this morning, but a little love for the local press might have been worthy of consideration. Of course it's possible the News got the release and simply opted not to run with it.

Top Stories-Vol. I

Last week was filled with last minute shopping, shoveling, wrapping, cleaning and, finally, celebrating. I hope every one of you enjoyed whatever holiday you celebrate. I'm a Christmas guy, and we had a mostly excellent day.

I did manage to post the Top story poll to the right. It's a cliche question, I know, but one I thought was worth tossing out there.

I haven't voted yet. I'll save it for the last few days, but if I had to vote today I admit it'd be a tough call to make.

It's interesting how the year played out. I'll review the many issues over the next few posts.

STEVE KARP COMES TO TOWN: I'd say Steve Karp was clearly the story of the year in the first four or five months of 2008. The speculation and worry drove everyone a bit bonkers. Hell, even the Daily News kicked in some dough to buy Stephen Tait a ferry ticket to Nantucket.

The March meeting was THE single biggest event of the year, forget about Yankee Homecoming. But he grew largely irrelevant as the year passed and the economy sag. He's still out there, no doubt, but I'm sure he'll be sitting on the money making enterprises along the waterfront for the next few years.

DEBT EXCLUSION FALLS SHORT: This was clearly the biggest story that wasn't. In this blogger's humble opinion the mayor's campaign for the override was feeble. At several times I asked no on in particular--and sometimes people in particular--if he really wanted the thing to pass.

His retail sale approach made sense if it was done in concert with a larger, more headline driven campaign. But that never happened. Instead, the front pages of the paper were filled with headlines about squabbles over city contracts and solar deals.

Still, the damn thing almost passed. I might be wrong but I firmly think it would have passed if the mayor helped create a larger political movement. And I'm sorry I have no patience for blaming the state because the required wording on the ballot was so confusing. The ballot requirements have been in place for years and should have been part of the entire equation.

Oh, and I won't be voting for it if the city seeks and received special permission to send out "informational" fliers on the city's dime. I don't think that's proper use of city funds.

CLAM SHACK: Okay, this one isn't a winner but I thought it was worth a mention. At least it gives me the opportunity to ask a few questions, again:

1. Does some or all of the Clamshack sit on city land?
2. If yes,how is this legal?

Personally, I don't care if the fellow lives there or not. But if that is city property I'd like to see either a) him buy the land he needs from the city at some price or b) an explanation from the city as to how we can allow a privately owned structure to rest on city land. That just seems like an immensely dangerous precedent, particularly after reading about all the small scale land takings by residents along the city's rail trail in a recent Liberator.

Westwood Ho!

Finally, a bit of good news for New England Development. This Globe article says its Westwood project is moving forward, althought its traffic troubles with Canton seem considerable.

ACK!

Here's an interesting article from the Nantucket Inquirer & Mirror. It suggests that construction work is slowing down at a couple one of New England Development properties. The project manager denies there's a slowdown.

If the slowing economy is stifling the sale of luxury condos on Nantucket, then I can't imagine how things look for the city of Newburyport.

Ayuh, can't blog here from there.

Just got back from the deep woods of Maine. Not an Internet connection to be found, and even if I had found one, ain't no way in hell I was blogging or emailing.

(We did get a cell signal from the top of a mountain we climbed. But the Boy didn't want to talk to us when we called him at the grandparents house.)

Anyway, I hope that explains the absence.

Certainly a lot going on. But here's a semi-interesting link about a New England Development investment that went down the porcelain wastebasket.

You also might want to take a look at what's going on in Leominster. A NED site is responsible for a bit of environmental despoiling. The Karp crowd appear to be stepping up to the plate to correct the problem, but it's a shame it happened in the first place.

Our Mr. Karp is no King Midas.

Put Down The Locally Owned Book Store

Boston Globe magazine ran an interesting piece Sunday detailing a potential clash of the titans in Nantucket.

Seems the "high-end homogenization" (to steal a phrase from Mary Eaton) of Nantucket by local noble Steve Karp has elicited a response from rest of the island's Summer elite, particuarly one Wendy Schmidt, wife of Google co-founder Eric Schmidt.

The debutante-do gooders have formed charitable trusts to help preserve some of the properties in businesses in town, including the locally owned bookstore that had been the genesis of the chain store ban instituted on the island. (I think it's the same store. I couldn't find the article that ran in the Daily News last December.)

It's an interesting dynamic. Essentially, the wealthy who have made their homes (or one of their homes) on island feel a sense of responsibility for driving up the cost of living on the island. Indirectly, they also could be held at least partly responsible for the downtown's tilt toward offering higher end (i.e. expensive) products that don't do the townies any good.

I applaud these people for accepting a level of responsibility and taking action. No doubt, some good will come from it. But the results clearly are mixed:

LAST YEAR, SCHMIDT MADE her first foray into downtown revitalization by purchasing the former Island Spirits lot on Washington Street, a piece of land near the waterfront, for $3.5 million. She offered it to the town, for $1 a season, to use as the site of a new hub for the Nantucket Regional Transportation Authority. (The town had asked voters to fund the purchase, but they refused in a September 2007 special election.) It is a project that, she says, plays into her desire to get people out of cars and into environmentally friendly public transportation and ease the congestion that is making downtown increasingly inaccessible.

As some people quoted in the article point out, can a well-heeled group of philanthropists really use their considerable means to maintain a sustainable, natural existence for the rest of their town. Or do their very efforts make the job of preserving the downtown even more difficult because locals come to expect help from their richer neighbors?

Interesting questions. Worth a read.

Dexter Ditties

Just a few quick hits today,

From our friends over at Shrewburied, a blog covering the town of...yep, Shrewsbury. The town instituted a pay-as-you-throw program for their trash. (For those who don't know, residents must put all their trash in town-specific bags. They're available at local stores.) We linked to a video presentation about the program a month back.

I'm not sure if we'll see the program here. Hard to see the mayor taking this one on as I also can't see locals taking the program in stride as the commenters on the Shrewburied blog seem to be.

But I say pay per throw definitely has to be on the table.

Looks like Steve Karp is getting a little company on Nantucket. Perhaps this fellow will buy up the rest of Newburyport as well.

I'm a big fan of bike safety, but I'm not quite sure if two bike accidents in one day warrant this level of attention from the Daily News. I recognize that something has to go on page 1, but I'm glad to see we're keeping our heads about us. Yep, Water Street is trick as are the narrow South End roads. But a little personal care and responsibility are all we need.

The Fickle Pickle

Manny Ramirez reminded me of something recently. The public is fickle.

No shit, I know. The public sentiment was beginning to turn against Manny prior to his trade to LA. But any remaining support for the man drained away the instant the deal was announced.

I recognize this isn't a startling insight. But the timing of my revelation was a bit odd. I was actually thinking of Steve Karp.

As I noted a few months ago, Karp & Co. won over a number of fans with his showing in March. He meeted. He greeted. He spun some yarns, slapped up some fuzzy slides and told us all we love the town just the way it is. In short, he told us what we wanted to hear or, to continue the Manny comparison, he hit a few dingers.

But I see know how fleeting that support might be. In fact, I found my own warm feelings chilling a bit as a I sat on a park bench on Inn Street during Yankee Homecoming. I'd hurt my back, so I just sat and watched folks while the economic advistor to Newburyport Posts inspected the offerings of the Sidewalk Sales. (Offerings were a bit thin this year, but bargains were found.)

Well, I watched and listened. Eavesdropped actually, on a rather loud conversation between an amiable fellow who presented himself as someone who's done work with Karp and a native.

The pair must have started the conversation before I arrived, but the native apparently had revealed he had reservations about Karp's plan. The amiable--and slightly loud--fellow offered a public defense of Karp saying, in essence, that he's done good things on Nantucket and he'll do good things here.

The native was working and tried to put off the conversation, but the second fellow was persistent to the point of appearing a bit pushy to me.

The odd thing is this fellow was repeating many of the arguments that I continue to make, including the need for a hotel downtown. Still, I began to sense my own support of Karp to drain away just a little. One man's benign, but pushy, presentation caused me to reconsider my position.

A few weeks have passed, and I'm still optimistic about Karp's plans. But I'm a bit more apprehensive. I see now that Mr. Karp really does need to tread carefully around these parts. Since the March meeting, his support in this town runs far and wide, but I learned it's not particularly deep.

One misstep--perhaps the closing of a beloved business--and the good will might be gone.

Just ask Manny how fickle folks can be.

Mike's Sub

What exactly is happening to the former Mike's Sub building? We've all watched the rehab, which was definitely needed and welcome. But I'm unclear on exactly what is happening next.

I read in the Daily News last week's interesting "As I See It" on the buildings history, but was suprised by the editor's note at the end.

(Editor's note: Mr. Finneran originally planned to add a story onto the building, then filed plans to demolish it. This column was written before the plans to tear it down were made public).

So I did a search for the demolition plans but couldn't find any mention.

Then yesterday, I saw this piece, which discusses the plans to add a second story. I do agree with the Historical Commission's position. A building with clapboard siding doesn't fit in with that stretch of the downtown.

So what's going on, exactly? Is he tearing it down or building it up.

BTW, this will be an interesting trial balloon. First, a contentious argument over this building could strengthen the calls for a historic district downtown. Second, if this fellow gets clapboard it opens up a world of architectural possibilities for New England Development's projects.

Sigh

I'm thinking of dumping the "Stuff about Karp" compilation below.

It just seems so dated and unnecessary.

Sigh, I sometimes wish he never came to town. I miss my bogey man.

PR Professionals take note. Access and information is kryptonite to people like me.

.

A day (or more) late

And people complain about the local press. The Nantucket paper is just getting around to reporting on Karp's advance onto Provincetown.