GA Blog: Ipswich

4.8.13 Ipswich's Whittier Motel

According to the Ipswich Chronicle, the Whittier Motel on County Road in Ipswich is expanding to 40 rooms.   In December, the Planning Board granted owner Roger LeBlanc a special permit to build a 10-room addition along Essex Avenue where the swimming pool used to be.

The Whittier Motel is presently zoned as a motel, which prohibits long-term rentals.  However, there are many long-term rentals at the motel which may pose a zoning violation.  Additionally, several of the rooms have kitchen equipped for eating and cooking.  The owner of the property is working with the Ipswich Planning Board to resolve these issues.

Read the entire Ipswich Chronicle article.

2.26.13 Greenbelt Works to Protect Ipswich Farmland

The Tri-Town Transcript reports that the Essex County Greenbelt has been working to help farmers lease and buy farmland as a way to curb the reduction of farmland and support the next generation of farmers.

Nearly 25% of all the farmland in New England and New York are owned by farmers aged 65 and older; therefore ensuring that farmland stays in farming as it transfers ownership will be critical.  The Farmland Advisors program, which advises on farmland transfer and farm access, will address this challenge through a series of progressive learning and networking opportunities, including webinars, a regional conference, and peer-to-peer exchanges about farmland and farm transfer issues.

Read the entire Tri-Town Transcript article.

10.15.12 Ipswich River Watershed Assoc. Awarded Grant

The Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle reports that the Ipswich River Watershed Association received a financial boost with a $25,850 grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, which will allow the IRWA to conduct a comprehensive study of culverts and bridges in the Parker, Ipswich and Essex River watersheds (referred to as PIE-r-squared).

The study will score bridges and culverts based on how well they allow movement of fish and wildlife.  The project team plans to visit and score at least 800 of the 1000 or more road-stream crossings in the 257-mile PIE-r-squared region. The survey results will be summarized in reports and made available to municipalities and other groups interested in improving habitat conditions in the region.

Read the entire Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle article.

5.8.12 Ipswich Land Sale Settlement Overturned by Citizen Appeal

The Salem News recently reported that a settlement between the Ipswich School Committee and the Feoffees -- the landlord group of the 36-acre Little Neck peninsula property -- to sell Little Neck was revoked by a citizen group appeal that was voted on at town meeting.

The settlement between the school committee and the Feoffees called for the Feoffees to sell the property to Little Neck residents for $32.5 million, and to use that money as a permanent endowment for the Ipswich Schools.

The citizen group appeal which overturned the settlement was proposed with a strong belief that the School Committee was getting “short changed” in the deal, and “cheats the schools out of the best value of the land.”

The appeal was passed with a 500-89 vote in favor of revoking the agreement.

Read the entire Salem Five article.

3.12.12 Ipswich Planning Board Looking to Place Limitations on Neighborhood

The Ipswich Chronicle recently reported that the Ipswich Planning Board is interested in placing limitations on the Little Neck neighborhood in order to keep tenants from converting the cottages into year-round residences. The board recently sent a proposal to the Town Counsel for their review.

The land that the Little Neck cottages are settled on is currently owned by the Feoffees of the Grammar School. In December the Ipswich School Committee decided to sell the land for $29.1 million to the Little Neck tenants in order to settle a lawsuit.

The Ipswich Planning Board is concerned that there are not enough limitations in place to keep tenants from becoming year-round residents and enrolling their children in the Ipswich school system. The main concerns of the board include increased classroom numbers, as well as “an adverse effect on that neighborhood,” as stated by Ipswich Planning Director Glenn Gibbs.

There are concerns about whether implementing the limitations on the neighborhood would violate the constitutional rights of the property owners, Gibbs said spot zoning — writing regulations for one specific area — could be a possibility.

Read the entire Ipswich Chronicle article.

2.16.12 Athletic Field Location Disputed in Ipswich

According to the Ipswich Chronicle, Ipswich may be constructing a new lacrosse or soccer field behind the Doyon School. The location of the field is causing some concern to Doyon principal, employees and parents, and will be discussed this month in school committee meetings.

The space behind the school is currently used by teachers for scientific “field study” with their students. The land is also next to a wetland conservation area. The Athletic Field Study Committee in support of the field believes that building in the location would not be interfering with the wetlands and would not be difficult.

If the plan gets approved the next step is to find funding to build the field. The plan could go to an open town meeting to attempt to receive public funding, or it could be funded privately.

Read the entire Ipswich Chronicle article.