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.