GA Blog

1.13.12 Historic Beverly Home to be Demolished

The Beverly Citizen recently reported that even after much opposition from locals and Beverly board members, a home that was built in the early 1700’s will be knocked down by the owner and replaced with a Walgreens pharmacy. 

The property, located at 48 Dodge Street, is commonly referred to as the Wood-Greenwood House and is considered historically significant by many city board members and the Beverly Historical Society.

“One by one these [historical] houses are being torn down, and it’s taking away the historical value of Beverly. The house is significant and it should be preserved.” said Dan Lohnes, president of the Beverly Historical Society.

Owners of the home, Westward Apple Orchards Limited Partnership, has stated that the space is “functionally obsolete”, and that the property, which is already has commercial zoning, must be redeveloped.

Read the entire Beverly Citizen article.

1.11.12 Haverhill Looks to Develop Forgotten End of Downtown

The Eagle Tribune recently reported that the Haverhill Mayor and city leaders are looking towards developing the Merrimack Street side of downtown Haverhill in 2012.  City officials are working to develop new rules that would make it faster and easier to develop in existing buildings on the Merrimack Street side of downtown.

The western end of the downtown on Washington Street has been one of Haverhill’s larger successes over the past five years, with several restaurants, shops and apartments sprouting up recently.  Now the city hopes to turn the same attention towards the somewhat forgotten end of the downtown as well as an area across the river in Bradford.

The city’s zoning task force is working on making it easier for developers to create mix-use projects with both office space and housing. Current rules allow such projects, but it is difficult and uncertain to obtain the permit required by the city council to move forward.

"The more developers know what they can do up front, the more likely they are to invest in Merrimack Street and the riverfront," said Mayor James Fiorentini. "We could allow mixed use as a matter of right."

Some changes the mayor is considering include easing parking regulations and allowing developers to build more housing on less land.

Read the entire Eagle Tribune article.

1.9.12 Hamilton Resident Gives Property to Town as Gift

The Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle recently reported that Hamilton has been offered a 27.22-acre parcel of land as a gift from resident Joanne Patton. The town is in the works of figuring out what to do with the land if they should accept the parcel at 650 Ashbury Street.

The property is valued at $1.9 million, which includes a historic house and most of the surrounding land with a river access point, and would most likely be used as public playing fields and recreational space.

The historic house on location may be used as a museum by Gordon College, with Lombardo scheduled to meet with the college to discuss long term rental options. The town is considering conducting a traffic study to see the impact of public use of the land.

The gift proposal was recently presented to the town in a commitment letter. Hamilton Town Manager Michael Lombardo had worked with Patton for “several months” to put the proposal together. To accept the gift, Hamilton would need to receive selectmen approval on a gift agreement and also a positive Town Meeting vote.

Read the entire Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle article.

1.4.12 Route 95 Bridge Being Replaced – Effect on Bike Trail

The Newburyport Current recently reported that the John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge on Route 95, spanning the Merrimack River from Amesbury and Newburyport, is set to be replaced in a state project aimed to stat in the spring of 2013.  The project is one of the state highway department of transportation’s largest under the $3 billion Accelerated Bride Program.

The 60-year old bridge will be replaced with a four-lane highway with a shared-use path for bikers and walkers called the Whittier Trail. The four-lane bridge should speed up traffic on the sometimes congested I-95 area, as well as promote alternative modes of transportation with the Whittier Trail.

Local members of the Coastal Trails Coalition have raised concern that the new trail over the span will poorly affect the current trail system that runs through Amesbury, Newburyport, Newbury and Salisbury. Although the state is placing a trail system over the new bridge, it fails to continue the bike paths in the other areas it plans to widen the highway.

The trail coalition will likely discuss the trail issues at a state design public hearing set for the spring of 2012.

Read the Newburyport Current article.

1.2.12 Haverhill Paperboard Site Purchased by Developer

The Eagle Tribune recently reported that the Haverhill Paperboard Site, 23 acres located along the Merrimack River on the Bradford side, has been purchased by the Barrow Development Group which plans to change the sites name to Pentucket Park.

The lot located on South Kimball Street was home to Haverhill Paperboard, a factory that manufactured paperboard from recycled paper for over 100 years at the location. The factory closed in 2008 and nearly 200 workers lost their jobs.

The developer has not yet decided what to do with the property which could be used to commercial, residential or recreational space. City Mayor James Fiorentini believe that the developer will work well with the city and hopes that Haverhill residents will have access to the river through the site.

In a statement to the Eagle Tribune, Brian Wilson, who heads the development group, stated that the project “will focus on repositioning the existing, functionally obsolete site to achieve the highest and best use for the property,” and that the group is “committed to transforming the project into a performing asset that contributes to the already-thriving downtown district of Haverhill."

Read the entire Eagle Tribune article.

12.30.11 Peabody Recieves Brownfield Grant to Develop New Park

The Salem News recently reported that the city of Peabody received $497,000 from MassDevelopment to convert a polluted site in the downtown area into a park. The funds will be used to clean up the area by removing contaminated soil and capping the site with clean fill.

To fund the $1.5 million project, Peabody has received $549,000 from the state, $240,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency, and has put forward $265,000 from the city’s community preservation fund. The city first bought the land, that was one a leather tannery, in 2009 for $115,000.

City officials expect that roughly $800,000 will go towards design, permitting and construction, while the rest will be used for the cleanup. The park project is part of a bigger plan in which the city is attempting to “reimagine” the entire downtown and make it a more sought-after area. The city is already going forward with an $18 million project that will redirect flood waters away from downtown as well as a $1.5 million redesign of Main Street.

Read the entire Salem News article.