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2005-12-07 CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: Economic and Community Development Council SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: December 7, 2005 LOCATION: Program Room, Beverly Public Library MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Carla Cox, Don Stacey, Neil Douglas, Joyce McMahon, Tina Cassidy (ex- officio), Bill O’Hare (ex-officio) MEMBERS ABSENT: Pat Grimes, Jason Silva (Planning Board, ex- officio), Conservation Commission (vacant, ex-officio) OTHERS PRESENT: RECORDER: Tina Cassidy Cox opens the meeting at 7:00 p.m. and explains that the owners of Beverly Port Marina (Frank and Sue Kinzie) have been invited to the meeting to address the committee. Members are interested in hearing about the owners’ short and long range plans for their property. Frank Kinzie thanks the committee for inviting him to speak. He begins by underscoring the need to take a long term view and approach to planning for future uses along Beverly’s waterfront, and to involve affected property owners in any such discussion. He provides a brief overview of historical land uses along the waterfront since the 1800’s. Kinzie then recaps some of the conclusions reached in the City’s master plan as they pertain to the waterfront. Among the supporting master plan conclusions are: mixed uses (residential/retail/office) are appropriate for the inner harbor area, historical assets should be preserved, and the number of boat slips and moorings in the harbor should be increased. He notes that demand for additional boat slips has increased greatly in recent years in the general Beverly area. Despite that trend, the number of slips in Beverly Harbor has actually declined since 1994, unlike Danvers where slips have been added. When Kinzie bought his property on Water Street, the marina had an occupancy rate of 70%. Today, they have a waiting list for slip space. The decline in the number of boat slips in Beverly bucks trends in the area. Next, Kinzie outlines major elements of his long-term plan: ?? Fill in the existing rack area that is now used for launching and hauling boats. Filling this area will make it easier to provide public access across their property. ?? Construct several mixed use buildings along a new public walkway that hugs the waters’ edge. The first building to be constructed will have boat storage on the first floor and a restaurant on the second floor. Three other buildings would contain a mix of retail and restaurants on the first floors and condominiums on the second floors. ?? Expand the number of slips at the marina; the current slip count (200) would be increased by 150-200. Draft minutes Economic and Community Development Council December 7, 2005 meeting Page 1 of 4 Kinzie adds that reconfiguration of existing docks in the harbor would facilitate the expansion of the marina. Relocating all docks (Beverly Port Marine, City, Tuck’s Point) so that they are parallel to one another would increase the overall capacity to add slips. He then shows the committee renderings of what the new buildings and public walkway could look like. He states that in order for his project to be successful, and for other contemplated waterfront projects to be successful, there needs to be enough activity and residents in the area to make the projects envisioned worthwhile, and viable. Kinzie estimates that each boat slip added to the harbor would generate about $900 in revenue to the City, and suggests that by relocating the limits of the Federal channel as many as 400 additional slips could be added to the harbor. The revenue figure of $900 does not include other spinoff benefits. The channel could be reduced in width to a uniform 200’ and relocated toward Salem. Cox asks how many moorings might be lost if the channel was relocated as suggested. Kinzie estimates that 15-20 moorings might be “lost”. Kinzie states that about 70% of his customers are non-Beverly residents. The landside expansion he outlined earlier and the parking needed to support it would mean less wintertime boat storage on the site. Accessory activities such as boat repair and hauling and launching would still take place. Boat moving activities would be relocated to the center of the site, and the architectural style of the new buildings will match or complement development on other waterfront sites like the former McDonald’s property. Kinzie then lists the development “challenges” that affect his ability to implement the long range master plan for Beverly Port Marina: ?? The Designated Port Area designation for Beverly Harbor must be eliminated to allow restaurants and condominium development. ?? The limits of the Federal Channel must be moved to expand the marina with additional recreational boating slips. ?? Required permits, which will include Army Corps of Engineers and others. ?? Current City zoning requirements, particularly current parking requirements for marinas, which will directly limit the number of additional potential boat slips. Kinzie notes that unless the existing parking requirement is reduced, boat slips will not be added to the waterfront because parking spaces will be more valuable for other, more lucrative uses. Douglas asks Kinzie if he has started the permitting process for any aspect of his plan. Kinzie answers that they have had discussions with the State’s Department of Environmental Protection regarding filling that would be necessary to accommodate Building #1 on the site master plan. An Amnesty Permit has been requested, and a new permit from the Army Corps of Engineers is pending. Cox asks Kinzie to point out the location of the boat haul lift, which he does. Douglas asks if there is any technical reason why the Federal Channel would need to be maintained at its current width of 350’. Kinzie states that there appears to be no foreseeable need for a channel of that width in the future, but says changing it will literally require an Act of Congress. Kinzie summarizes the main highlights of his site plan; 16 residential condominiums, 12,000 to 15,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space, and 150-200 additional recreational slips. Draft minutes Economic and Community Development Council December 7, 2005 meeting Page 2 of 4 McMahon asks Kinzie to explain the plans for parking to accommodate the above. Kinzie states that the parking for the residential condominiums will be in the new building; parking for the other uses will be surface, and on the lot. McMahon asks how they chose the proposed façade treatments for the new buildings. Kinzie replies that they propose to use brick, in part because both Newburyport and Portsmouth have similar buildings on their respective waterfronts. Douglas states that there must be a uniformity of architectural standards used on the waterfront because it is a gateway to the City. Douglas asks Kinzie if he has an approximate time line for implementation of his plan. Kinzie answers that the time line depends on how long it will take to come to public consensus on the permitting/planning issues mentioned earlier. O’Hare asks if there has been any discussion with Tuck’s Point Marina concerning the reorientation of slips in the harbor. Kinzie states there has been no significant discussion, but knows generally the marina is interested in possibly expanding the number of slips. Cox asks for Kinzie’s suggestion on the next step necessary to advance their plans. Kinzie suggests that the nature of the issues related to the City’s master plan probably means a top- down approach will be needed, and expresses his interest and that of his partners in participating in the community wide discussions. Cox thanks the Kinzies for addressing the committee this evening. Next, Cox asks if members have reviewed the draft minutes of the council’s November 16, 2005 meeting and whether there are any corrections that should be made. There are none. Douglas: motion to approve the draft minutes of the ECDC’s November 16, 2005 meeting, seconded by Stacey. All members in favor, motion carries. Next, members discuss the issue of designated port areas (DPA’s). Cox states that she attended a meeting of the Beverly Harbor Management Authority that included Dennis Ducsik of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office where the subject was discussed. In a nutshell, she summarizes that many of the land uses the master plan envisions for this portion of Beverly’s waterfront – including restaurants, residential condominiums, and recreational boating facilities – are largely impossible in a DPA. As a result, she expresses her opinion that the DPA designation is a disadvantage to the City, continuously hampering redevelopment efforts. It (DPA designation) would be considered an advantage if the City wanted this part of the waterfront to continue looking as it does now. Douglas states that he is leaning toward supporting the elimination of Beverly’s DPA. Cox states that she would like to invite two other waterfront landowners, Thibodeau and Birarelli, to a subsequent ECDC meeting before discussing the subject of eliminating the DPA with the council as a whole. Cassidy states that she will contact both owners and see if they can attend the January ECDC meeting. Draft minutes Economic and Community Development Council December 7, 2005 meeting Page 3 of 4 Next, Stacey provides a brief summary of recent articles and studies of the real estate market that point to a slowdown in housing construction starts and sales. Some projections indicate a slowdown in the housing market could result in a loss of as many as 800,000 jobs. Cox states that she will prepare a letter of thanks to the Kinzies for attending this evening’s meeting. She will also finalize her draft letter of thanks to the Ventron owners for attending the November meeting and will be mailing out that letter this week. Members are reminded that the upcoming ECDC meetings will be held on Wednesday, January 11, 2006 and Wednesday, February 8, 2006. She asks if there is any other business for the Council to discuss. There is none. McMahon: motion to adjourn, seconded by Stacey. All members in favor, motion carries. The meeting is adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Draft minutes Economic and Community Development Council December 7, 2005 meeting Page 4 of 4