Mix of Uses Proposed for Development off I-93 in Andover

The Andover Townsman reports that landowners are creating plans to develop 52 acres in Lowell Junction, off I-93 in Andover on the Tewksbury line. Proposed plans include a mixed-use building with retail and office space, residential development, and the potential for a 370-room hotel. An MBTA commuter rail abuts the property.

According to the article, “Planning Board Chairman Paul Salafia told [developer] RJ Kelly Co. representatives that protecting the downtown and its businesses would be a priority as the plans to build a new I-93 interchange between Dascomb Road and Route 125 develop. The land would be opened to development by the proposed new ramps off I-93.”

Read the entire Andover Townsman article

Water Rate Increases in Georgetown

The Georgetown Record reported the Georgetown Water Department has increased the water bill rate by $15/quarter, or $60/year. The increase will bring in approximately $160,000 in extra revenue for the Water Department (around $420,000 annually) and was deemed necessary to provide the town’s basic needs, including funding capital improvements and meeting rising supply and fuel costs. Additionally, according to Water Superintendent Glenn Smith, the department is still paying for its water treatment plant built in 2000, along with a new water main installed last year.

Read the entire Georgetown Record article

Moseley Property in West Newbury Receives $285,600 Grant from State

According to the Newburyport Current, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Self-Help Program has recently funded $8 million in grants to 23 communities to conserve 1,405 acres of land.

West Newbury’s Mosely Property, an extension of the 800-plus acre Mosely property in Newburyport that forms Moseley Woods and Maudslay State Park, received $285,600 to protect 22.2 acres, including an open field and frontage on Indian Hill Road.

According to the article:

Since 1961, Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Self-Help Program has helped cities and towns acquire land for conservation and outdoor recreation such as hiking, wildlife watching, fishing, hunting, and cross-country skiing. To qualify for grants, communities must supply local matching funds, and the protected open space must be open to the public… This year’s grant round includes approximately $6.2 million in state funding and $1.7 million from the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund, which EEA’s Division of Conservation Services administers for the Commonwealth.

For more information on the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environment Affairs, Self-Help Program, click here.

Read the entire Newburyport Current article