Newburyport, Condominium Development Proposal
July 27th, 2006There’s been so much to blog about that I haven’t even gotten around to Great Woods Post and Beam proposed development concerning 7-9 Cherry Street.
The proposed condo plans for those two lots and the neighborhood objections (uproar) was in the Newburyport Daily News ages ago, Friday July 21, 2006 (another story by Stephanie Chelf) and came before the Newburyport Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Tuesday of this Week (Today’s Thursday.) And to tell you the truth I don’t know how the whole thing turned out. (Talk about being out of the loop.)
Great Woods Post and Beam hasn’t exactly been getting good press lately. And this time the developer wanted to take down two, as I understand it, perfectly good houses that are in keeping with the neighborhood and put up 2 two-unit condominiums. And I think the neighbors were right, this was not for the good of the City of Newburyport, but good for the developer’s bank account.
What’s interesting is with the departure of former Planning Director, Nick Cracknell (will we find out this week who really got the grand prize of an offer to replace him), the residents are becoming much more aware of what is going on and much more vigilant. And what I see are citizens picking up some of the slack, no longer having Mr. Cracknell there to protect them.
Maybe folks would have turned out with pitchforks objecting to the developer’s proposition, or maybe not. However, they are now and good for them.
No matter who gets picked for Planning Director for Newburyport, MA, it will be imperative for citizens to keep on being vigilant and speak up and protect our seaport city from what we believe to be inappropriate development.
Maybe developers, lawyers, architects and the Mayor will wish they had kept on former Planning Director Nick Cracknell. Let’s make having a “chat” with Nick Cracknell look like a “walk in the park,” wouldn’t that be fun.
Mary Eaton
Newburyport
(Editor’s note: A follow up: Apparently the Newburyport Zoning Board of Appeals denied the application by Great Woods Post Beam to permit a multi-family use for the properties at 7-9 Cherry Street. As I understand it the findings of the Board will soon be finalized and signed.)