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1996-03-21 CITY OF BEVERLY MINUTES ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY D~VELOPMENT COUNCIL Thursday, March 21, 1996 Members present: Vice-Chairman Bill Rodenbaugh, Tina Cassidy; also present: Jim Whitney. Sandra Reinecke, Simpson, George Rodenbaugh thanks Simpson and Whitney for agreeing to attend this evening's meeting as representatives of the Beverly Harbor Management Authority to discuss the harbor authority,s plans for Beverly's waterfront. Before asking them to address the Board, Rodenbaugh and Cassidy discuss a pending application from the Eaton Corporation for Economic Opportunity Area (EOA) designation. Cassidy explains that the application will be finalized by the beginning of next week, and Rodenbaugh suggests that the application process follow the same track as the one C.P. Clare took. That involved a preliminary meeting between the Mayor, the company, and representatives of the ECDC prior to discussion by the council at large. Cassidy states that she will request a copy of Eaton's 10-year capital investment plan from the company and schedule a preliminary meeting on the subject of the EOA for the earliest possible date. Next, members ask Simpson and Whitney for a history of the harbor authority's invclvement with the new development group hoping to redevelop Beverly's waterfront. Simpson explains that when the authority first listened to a presentation on the issue, the development consisted solely of reusing the Ventron site as an aquarium. At that point, the authority supported the idea of a feasibility study which the developers indicated they would need to perform before deciding whether or not to invest in the site. The authority now knows that the redevelopment proposal encompasses a much larger part of the waterfronn and consists of a multitude of land uses beyond that originally discussed with the authority. Various members of the a~thority have concerns about this proposal; many of the concerns center around the idea that private landowners would give their land to the City which would in turn lease space out. Other concerns include issues around the financing mechanisms that would be used and the ultimate goals of the development group. Minutes of the ECDC March 21, 1996 page two A general discussion is held on existing conditions on the waterfront and the harbor authority's long-range plans for it. Simpson feels that the temporary access road, which was constructed for use during bridge construction, should be dismantled when the new bridge is completed because it takes up valuable slip space, is too high for most practical uses, and its long-term structural stability may be in question. The group then discusses the terms of the grant the City received to acquire the property now owned by Doug Geary. Whitney states that contrary to what the private development group has been saying, the state agency that awarded the grant to the City was very clear that the grant money must be used during this fiscal year. The authority has investigated other potential grant sources, and those that will be available under the Seaport ~ond ~ill require that parcels be used for commercial purposes. On the subject of the site now owned by Morton Thiokol, members discuss the status of the clean-up being conducted by the Department of Energy and the sale of residential buildings the company once owned to a private landowner. Simpson states that the company had indicated to Kim Driscoll that the City could have the right of first refusal on the main property once it was cleaned up. Cassidy states that she will review the files on the matter to see if such a right of first refusal was put in writing, and will review the "public information plan" document on file in the public library to ascertain the most current timetable for completion of the clean-up. - Next, those present discuss the future of the property owned by Thomas Cargill that was slated to be auctioned by the bank earlier this month. whitney believes that the terms of the license issued under M.G.L. Chapter 91 are inconsistent with the actual use of the site. ECDC members and harbor authority members discuss the possibility of dredging the area near Morton Thiokol and the area under the brid~e behind Rowand's fishery. In discussing the Thiokol site, Simpson and Whitney state that that site has the potential to house as many as fifty (50) municipally-owned boat slips, and that the rental of those slips could help the City pay for the cost of acquisition. Members of the ECDC decide to draft a letter to the Mayor regarding the possible acquisition of the site by the City. This letter will be drafted and sent to the Chairman for review prior to the next meeting. If the Mayor is interested in the concept, the ECDC can perferma cursory financial analysis of acquisitio~ and construction costs, operating expenses and potential revenue. Members present decide to allow the Chairman to set the date for the next ECDC meeting. This meeting of the council is adjourned at 8:00 p.m.