According to the Andover Townsman, the Andover Old Town Hall is in need of roof and other repairs and crews have been conducting repairs, taking up parking spaces in the downtown shopping district. The recent repairs come at a time when Andover officials have said they'll consider leasing Old Town Hall to generate new revenue in light of the town's budget problems.
"I don't think we utilize the building well," said Selectman Mary Lyman. "I think we should examine it as an option. We're certainly not using it to full capacity." The proposal to lease Old Town Hall, also known as the Town House, was one of several cost-saving measures included in Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski's Feb. 4 budget presentation to selectmen, school and finance officials.
Read the entire Andover Townsman article.
March 22, 2008
Andover Considers Leasing Town Hall
West Street Junkyard Being Cleaned in Georgetown
The Georgetown Record reported that the Georgetown Conservation Commission has permitted site developer Richard Morello to clean out Tidd’s junkyard on Water Street, deciding that the dioxin levels in the dirt were finally low enough to be acceptable for disposal at in-state landfill sites. Years ago a huge tire fire erupted at Tidd’s junkyard, and contaminants from that fire are still in one of the site’s several hotspots.
Morello is the 3rd developer since the late 1990s to take on the controversial site, which is close to Georgetown’s water supply. He plans to construct 16 condos for active seniors in Zone 2, which includes Georgetown’s wells. Slowly over the years, through contentious hearings, developers have moved closer to something acceptable to abutters and to the town. Currently, the project is still in the complicated cleanup phase. According to Georgetown Conservation Agent Steve Przyjemski, the state Department of Environmental Protection is not going to allow the issuance of an Order of Conditions to the developer until it gets all the samples it is requesting from the site. The DEP is requiring the developer to continue testing dirt in a circle radiating outwards from the original tire fire site until the dirt samples come up clean of contaminants.
Read the entire Georgetown Record article.
March 21, 2008
FHA Increased Loan Limits
In response to mortgage guideline tightening, the federal government officially raised the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) loan limits for 1-4 family homes.
The updated FHA guidelines will increase loan limits in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk County by 125% of the area’s median selling price – from $362,790 to $523,750.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conforming loan limits have also increased. Single-family mortgages priced up to $523,750 will be available at lower interest rates than in the recent past when jumbo loans above $417,000 carried a higher interest rate. Loan limits for 2 and 3 family homes have also been increased in the five county Metro Boston region to $670,500 and $810,450 respectively. The new loan limits apply to FHA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conforming loans.
According to 2007 NAR President Pat V. Combs, these reforms, included in the Economic Stimulus package, “will offer home buyers a safer alternative to riskier mortgage products and will help many homeowners who may be facing foreclosures."
Importantly, the new higher Fannie and Freddie conforming loan limits are temporary and only apply to loans made between July 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008. This week, both the Massachusetts Association of Realtors® and National Association of Realtors® put a Call to Action to REALTORS® to contact your local federal legislators to make the increased loan limits permanent.
The NSAR Government Affairs Committee is asking all of its members to please look out for that email and Take Action if you have not done so yet.
March 20, 2008
New Salem Condo Complex Near Completion in The Point
The Salem News reported that construction is being completed on Palmer Cove Condominiums, new, three-story building with 15 condos with prices ranging from $142,500 to $191,000, at the end of Congress Street.
According to the Salem News article, built by Salem Harbor Community Development Corp., a nonprofit agency that manages about 150 apartments, this development is significant because it is the first condominium complex in this neighborhood in decades (or maybe ever). The area, known as The Point, a low-income neighborhood across the South River basin, had so far being bypassed by the condo and restaurant boom that rejuvenated the Salem downtown.
The project tackles head-on one of the neighborhood's biggest issues – lack of homeownership. While Salem is split evenly between renters and home owners, The Point is almost all renters – 82%, according to the 2000 census. This Palmer Cove Condominiums project follows several smaller condo conversions in The Point, officials say, and continues an encouraging trend.
Read the entire Salem News article.
Beverly Mayor Seeks to Scale Back Open Space and Residential Design Ordinance
According to the Beverly Citizen, Beverly Mayor Bill Scanlon is seeking to change Beverly’s relatively new Open Space and Residential Design Ordinance (OSRD) in order to control, but not stop, residential development. The latest set of proposed changes would reduce the buffer around each parcel from 100 feet to 25 feet and not require it around rock outcrops and conservation areas on the site but still require it around wetlands and vernal pools.
The changes would also increase the threshold for land required to be developed using the rules in zoning districts where the minimum lot size is one or two acres.
The Beverly Citizen article includes a more detailed bulleted list of the proposed changes.
The March 23, 2008 OSRD ordinance public hearing will continue on April 7, 2008 at 7:15 in City Council chambers.
Read the entire Beverly Citizen article.
March 19, 2008
Crane River Dredging in Danvers
According to the Danvers Herald article, the last time these rivers were dredged was in 1983. Since then, environmental laws have changed significantly. The project stalled until last summer, when the town won permission from the federal Army Corps of Engineers to put the spoils in the state’s ocean disposal site. This brought the price tag down from an anticipated $4 million for trucking the material to a certified land site to $1.6 million for ocean disposal. The state, through the Seaport Bond Council, is paying about half the cost.
Newburyport Custom House to be Renovated
The Newburyport Current reported that volunteers at the Maritime Society in Newburyport will be completing renovations to the historic Custom House. Most of the repairs are for masonry work and the building’s windows.
The Maritime Society received a grant through the Community Preservation Act (CPA) and private donations, along with insurance money, to fund the project. The cost is expected to run close to $80,000. The Custom House was built on Newburyport’s waterfront in 1835 to facilitate the growing overseas trade and tax collection of imported goods. The building was designed by Robert Mills, renowned architect of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Treasury Building.
Read the entire Newburyport Current article.
Haverhill Downtown Garage to Begin Construction this Summer
The Eagle Tribune reported that the long-awaiting, long-debated Haverhill municipal parking garage will begin construction this summer. The parking garage, being built by the Merrimack Valley Regional Planning Authority, will be at Railroad Square off Moulton Way, adjacent to the Haverhill MBTA station.
Work will begin with the necessary environmental cleanup and will start to actually begin being constructed in spring/summer 2009. It could be open before Christmas 2010, which would be a big boost for the city’s ongoing downtown renaissance.
Read the entire Eagle Tribune article.
First Residential Subdivision Application Under Beverly’s Open Space and Residential Design ordinance
The Beverly Citizen reported that the first residential subdivion application has been filed under Beverly’s new Open Space and Residential Design (OSRD) ordinance. The application proposes 4 new building lots off Beaver Pond, a private road that runs along the edge of Beaver Pond and connects Dodge Street in North Beverly and Old Essex Road in Centerville, behind Harry Ball Field.
Read the entire Beverly Citizen article.
March 4, 2008
Andover Town Manager Requests $7.4 million to recap Landfill
According to the Andover Townsman, the Andover Town Manager recommended that residents approve $7.4 million to re-cap 25.8 acres of the former Ledge Road landfill. The money also will be used to acquire land around the site that might also need to be closed off. According to the article, the $7.4 million in general fund borrowing is by far the largest request in the town's capital improvement plan for fiscal year 2009. At $1.5 million, a request for school building roof replacement is the only other project over $1 million.
Read the entire Andover Townsman article.
States Contributes $400k to Haverhill to Buy Unused Railroad Land in Bradford
The Eagle Tribune reported that the State is pitching in with $400,000 to help Haverhill purchase an abandoned railroad bed on the Bradford side of the Merrimack River. The 1.1-mile railroad stretch runs from the Comeau Bridge at the western end of downtown to the Haverhill Paperboard company just east of the Basiliere Bridge. The city hopes to replace the dilapidated railroad bed with a recreational trail and eventually connect it to boardwalks and pathways on the downtown side of the river. The 2.5-mile loop would be connected on both ends of the downtown at the Basiliere and Comeau bridges, forming a continuous loop.
According to the Eagle Tribune article, Haverhill is negotiating to buy the unused railroad land and is counting on the rail trail and several other projects, including a boardwalk along Washington Street, to revitalize downtown and take advantage of the river as a tourist attraction. The idea is that the proposed pathway will increase foot traffic in the business district, giving a boost to shops and restaurants and creating a lively atmosphere.
Read the entire Eagle Tribune article.
28-mile Bike Trail to Run From Boxford Through Newburyport
According to the Georgetown Record, MassHighway is moving forward on a proposed 28-mile bike trail set to run through Georgetown, agreeing to perform and fund 25% design work on the Border to Boston Trail. The trail will run on top of the historic and abandoned Maine to Boston railway, running from Salisbury to the Danvers/Peabody border. The proposed trail is set to run through Boxford, Danvers, Georgetown, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, Topsfield and Wenham.
The trail has been earmarked for $800,000 of federal safety funding to do the design work, secured by U.S. Rep. John Tierney in 2005. The final cost to complete the 25% design work is expended to exceed nearly $1 million, but MassHighway hopes to be able to provide the balance of funds needed for the project. MassHighway has begun the process of hiring a qualified consultant for the design, which is expected to be complete by the summer of 2009.
Read the entire Georgetown Record article.
March 3, 2008
Construction Begins on Future Salem Registry of Deeds
The Registry is moving to make way for the city’s new courthouse complex, the J. Michael Ruane Judicial Center, in the Federal Street area. Tentative plans for a future home are to swap places with the current Salem District Court building, which will be vacated when the courthouse project is finished, in 2011 according to the Salem Gazette article.
The Shetland Park Registry promise to offer ample parking, including an adjacent parking garage with more than 100 free spaces, a shuttle bus which will operate every 30 minutes on weekdays from downtown, and climate control, which should help preserve some of the oldest deeds in the country – dating as far back as 1639.
Beverly Public Hearing for Open Space Protection
According to the Beverly Citizen, the Beverly Planning Board and City Council is holding a joint public hearing tonight, March 3, 2008, at7:15pm to consider changes to the Open Space and Residential Design ordinance.
Among the proposed changes are a recommendation for the 100-foot buffer around each property to be eliminated or reduced to 25 feet, and also to change the threshold for land required to be developed using the ordinance.
Read the entire Beverly Citizen article.
December 21, 2007
Rail Trial Bike Path Discussions
The Tri-Town Transcript reports that Topsfield residents are discussing the construction of a bike path to run through Topsfield and possibly connect Salisbury to Danvers. Topsfield’s local access cable channel wants to feature a debate with representatives from the town’s rail trail committee and a grassroots neighborhood organization, formed in July, which has been critical of the plan. The town’s rail trail committee was formed to oversee the transformation of a 4-mile section of an historic railroad into a rail trail for bikers, walkers, or horseback riders.
Read the entire Tri-Town Transcript article
Plans for Downtown Marketplace in Salem Move Forward
According to the Salem Gazette, a newly revised plan by Somerville developer Resource Capital Group (RCG) aspires to draw locals back into downtown Salem and bring back the lively marketplace atmosphere that used to thrive in Salem. The 4-story, mixed-use building they propose is the result of months of meetings with the mayor and the Marketplace Redevelopment Committee, a group of interested citizens and community stakeholders who provided input for the block that includes Front, New Derby, Washington and Lafayette streets.
RCG owns much of downtown Salem and manages numerous properties including the City Hall Annex on Washington Street, the West Coast Video building on Lafayette Street and the downtown Derby Lofts. The new marketplace building is slated to go the long-vacated and recently-demolished Salem Evening News building on Washington Street.
Read the entire Salem Gazette article
Andover to Decide on Lowell Junction Development of I-93
According to the Andover Townsman, Andover residents will likely have an opportunity at a Town Meeting sometime in 2008 to choose to make the Lowell Junction Development of I-93 a "priority development" for expedited permitting under Chapter 43D.
Such a designation would help attract interest among developers and ensure that local permitting decisions are made within 180 days, according to Planning Director Paul Materazzo. Such a designation could also open the door to technical assistance grants from the state, he said.
Read the entire Andover Townsman article discussing other Town Meeting topics including Anti-flooding plans and a bylaw update affecting the types of businesses that people can run out of their homes
Homes of Deaf Mansion to Become Senior Condos in Danvers
According to the Salem News, the New England Homes for the Deaf will sell its brick landmark Water Street mansion to a local developer, Thomson Companies of Danvers, who plans to construct as many as 14 senior condominiums within the historic building. The building was originally constructed in the 1850’s; developer Gordon Thomson also stated that the P&S included approximately 8 acres of adjacent land for an 8-lot single-family housing subdivision
Read the entire Salem News article
December 12, 2007
Danvers Planning Board Has Full Schedule
The continuation of a public hearing regarding the proposed Route 114 senior housing complex, called Lebel’s Grove, is just one of the agenda items scheduled for the December 11th meeting of the Danvers Planning Board. Another public hearing will be held for a proposed development at 31 Elliott Street; that developer is looking for site plan review and a special permit to construct 20 single-family homes for the 55 and over community. Rounding out the evening is a 3rd public hearing for a proposed CVS store, to be constructed in Endicott Plaza at 139 Endicott Street. The meeting will be held at 7 pm in the Daniel J. Toomey Hearing Room at Town Hall.
Pictures Don’t Tell the Whole Story in Danvers
According to the Danvers Herald, a four-page full color mailing and neighborhood meetings did not smooth the path for the developer of Lebel’s Grove at the November 27th zoning change public hearing. The 291-unit senior housing complex drew an opposition crowd of about 50 to the Danvers Senior Center, where both citizens and Planning Board members questioned the impact of the Route 114 development and the related zoning amendment proposed by Attorney Nancy McCann. That amendment would create a new zone, Residential IIIB, allowing 6 multi-family units per acre. Comments centered on traffic, water shortages, density and possible impact on school population. The meeting, which was being taped for absent-due-to-illness Planning Board Member Ron Baser, adjourned without conclusion when the video tape ran out. The hearing will resume as part of the regular Planning Board agenda on Tuesday, December 11th.
Read the entire Danvers Herald article
December 11, 2007
Hamilton/Wenham Meeting to Discuss Transfer Taxes
The Government Affairs Committee just learned that there will be a meeting tonight, Tuesday, December 11th at 7:30 p.m, at the Buker Multipurpose Room, where Hamilton and Wenham Boards of Selectmen and representatives from the Finance Committees for each town will meet with community members to discuss, amongst other items, a new potential real estate transfer tax.
Realtors® oppose real estate transfer taxes as bad tax policy for the following reasons:
- A community wide responsibility should be paid for by the entire community. Property taxes are inequitable and discriminatory as it would single out a small segment of the population, specifically home buyers and sellers, to pay for a community wide need.
- Transfer taxes are exclusionary because it would increase the cost of home ownership and in effect create an additional barrier to entry for an already expensive part of the state. Further, the real estate market is highly sensitive to economic downtowns; therefore this tax would provide an unstable source of revenue.
- The tax would subvert the voter approval process inherent in a Proposition 2½ override, in which voters can decide for themselves whether to increase their own property taxes.
- The Legislature has already given all cities and towns many equitable tools to create affordable and workforce housing through passage of the Community Preservation Act, Chapter 40R, Chapter 40S and Chapter 40B. These tools are available for all communities to use.
You can find other Realtor® talking points from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors® website by clicking here.
NSAR highly encourages all Realtors® who live or work in Hamilton and Wenham to attend this meeting and voice your opposition to real estate transfer taxes.
December 10, 2007
Beverly Housing Coalition Staff Added for New Projects
According to the Beverly Citizen, the Beverly Affordable Housing Coalition has added a new program manager to help the organization take on its two largest projects yet — a new building of 43, single-room-occupancy units at the Mayflower Motel property on Cabot Street and several new below-market-rate apartments buildings in the Gloucester Crossing neighborhood.
The new staff, David Bresnahan, was working in New Orleans as director of special projects for a homeless housing collaborative that involved over 60 different agencies at the time Hurricane Katrina struck. Bresnahan’s addition doubled the size of the Beverly Affordable Housing Coalition; he is a graduate of the London School of Economic and Political Science with a degree in social policy and administration.
Read the entire Beverly Citizen article
Plans to Rebuild Danversport Marina Put on Hold
The Danvers Herald reported that a recent Liberty Marine plan to build a 41-foot building to replace two destroyed in the Danversport explosion last year, was put on hold due to demands for multiple fire lanes imposed by neighbors and the town.
The marina sits on one of the prettiest pieces of waterfront property, along the Waters River, which is deep and doesn’t suffer the silting and dredging problems of the other three rivers in town — the Danvers, Porter and Crane rivers.
The owner of the marina, Jim Cheever, testified at the September 10th Zoning Board of Appeals hearing that for the past 15 years, he and his wife have been good neighbors, serving 250 or more boaters each year in a safe manner and that there is and has been a 30-foot buffer zone between the marina and the Bates Street back yards.
The couple won ZBA approval for the new building to replace a former 39-foot 6-inch storage/office building destroyed in the explosion. The new building would have 12,600 square feet, slightly less than the former building. Its higher peak allowed for a fire sprinkler system, which the former building did not have. There were no plans to replace the second building immediately.
Read the entire Danvers Herald article
Ipswich Sign Bylaws Examined
The Ipswich Chronicle reports that members of an Ipswich ad-hoc Sign Bylaw Revision Committee met with Director of Planning, Glenn Gibbs, to to discuss concerns regarding regulations applying to signs on private property that are placed for public viewing. One purpose of the existing bylaw is to limit the clutter of uncontrolled signage.
"Much of it is in the business community, but not entirely," Gibbs said, explaining which areas of town would be addressed. The most common concern is that regulations are not as flexible as they could be, are too restrictive and are not as easy to understand as they could be, he said. Alternatively, Gibbs said, he has also heard concern that the regulations are not restrictive enough "I do think the bylaw is a little confusing as it's set up here," he said, and added there are a number of improvements that could be made.
Read the entire Ipswich Chronicle article
Middleton Officials Deciding on Developing Land
According to the Tri-Town Transcript, Middleton Selectman are looking into to developing recently acquired land near the intersection of East Street and Peabody Street, which used to be home to the Rubchinuk landfill. The land is currently being used as a soccer field. Once environmental permitting is complete, Middleton will receive a sum of money from the state for management of the site, part of which may be used to develop another soccer field as well as a baseball field on sections of the 32-acre land. The capped area of the landfill will not be developed on, according to Town Administrator Ira Singer.
Read the entire Tri-Town Transcript article
Danvers Tax Rate Increases for Residents
The Danvers Herald reported that residential tax rates will increase from 10.19 to 10.42%. According to a report by Chief Assessor Marlene Locke, average single-family homes have decreased in value by 6.5%, so individual’s property taxes should not change significantly.
Business rates will decrease from 1.42 to 1.36% and the commercial tax rate decreased from 16.74 to 16.03%. Unlike residential property values, commercial property values remained the same this year, said Locke.
Read the entire Danvers Herald article
December 5, 2007
Andover Residents Oppose 88-unit Affordable Housing Development
According to the Andover Townsman, Andover residents are contesting an 88-unit affordable-housing development proposal. The proposed development, known as Northfield Commons, would include 22 affordable units priced between $142,300 and $157,500, according to a Zoning Board of Appeals application filed by the Groton-based, 69 North St. LLC. It would be built in the northwest part of town, near the intersections of North and Webster streets.
With a little more than 345 feet of frontage on North and Webster streets, the Northfield Commons proposal would consist of a mix of single-family, duplex, triplex and garden-style units along with a village green area, open space and walking trails spread out over 14.2 acres, according to the zoning board application. Because Andover’s affordable housing stock is currently under 10% of the state guidelines − at 8.9% with 1,027 units − this proposal could be considered under Chapter 40B, which allows developers to circumvent local zoning rules to encourage development of affordable housing. Market-rate units at Northfield Commons would range from $325,000 to $600,000, according to the zoning board application.
The application for Northfield Commons will go before the town zoning board for the 3rd time on Dec. 6, 2007.
Read the entire Andover Townsman article
State Grant Helps Landowners Improve Wildlife Habitat
According to the Newburyport Current, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is accepting grant applications through Dec. 21, from private landowners, sportsmen’s clubs, land trusts and nonprofit organizations interested in enhancing wildlife habitat on their properties. MassWildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program reimburses private landowners for up to 75% of the cost of managing land to improve habitat for declining wildlife species. The Newburyport Current reports that the Landowner Incentive Program has provided more than $2.1 million for 108 habitat improvement projects since the first round of grants in 2005.
This year’s grant round will give preference to proposed projects to maintain grasslands and create young tree and shrub land habitats. Funding for the Massachusetts program is allocated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under a nationwide Landowner Incentive Program. For information about the Landowner Incentive Program and the grant application and criteria, click here.
Read the entire Newburyport Current article
Amesbury Officials Compromise on 115 Split Tax Rate
The Newburyport Daily News reported that Municipal councilors and the mayor have struck a compromise to leave the town’s split tax rate as-is, with businesses paying a rate 15% higher than homeowners. The average homeowner’s bill will rise by 4% next year ($203). Commercial businesses will see their tax bills go up on average by 21% ($1,708). And industrial properties will see their bills go up on average 12% ($2,084) based on this year’s revaluation. The rate for homeowners is $14.59 per $1,000 of assessed value; for businesses it is $17.20.
The majority of the council had wanted to raise the rate on businesses to 20% more than what homeowners pay; Mayor Thatcher Kezer vetoed that and asked the council to reduce the difference to 10%. In 2006, Amesbury became the first community in the Greater Newburyport area to adopt a split tax rate for homeowners and businesses. Amid strong objections from the public and the mayor at the time — who vetoed last year’s tax rate as well — the Municipal Council adopted the tax rate of 115%.
Read the entire Newburyport Daily News article
120-Unit Affordable Apartment Complex to be Built Near NECC
The Eagle Tribune reported that in late winter/early spring, construction is expected to be underway for a 120-unit apartment complex neighboring Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill.
The North Essex Crossing complex, being built by developers, Stephen Stapinski of Merrimack Engineering Services and King Weinstein of King Real Estate in Haverhill, was originally approved in 2001 by the Zoning Board of Appeals, and will be built on Route 110, between Wannalancet Road and Airport Lane, less than a quarter-mile from Interstate 495, near Greenleaf Gardens landscaping center and Haverhill Crossings, an assisted-living complex that houses mostly elders.
The development calls for 90 market-rate apartments renting for about $1,500 per month and 30 affordable units that will cost about $950 per month. People with incomes no higher than 80% of the region's median income are eligible for the affordable units.
Read the entire Eagle Tribune article