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News Archives
July
09, 2003
Mayor deals to get 25 acres for free;
Opposition to plan to let buyer of land develop homes
By MARK FONTECCHIO
The Patriot Ledger
WEYMOUTH - The mayor has struck a deal to gain
more than 25 acres of land in South Weymouth for free.
His move is a response to more than 300
residents who urged him in a petition last month to buy two parcels totaling 18
acres on the Abington border, some of it overlapping the 25 acres in the latest
deal.
Mayor David Madden has waived the town’s option
to buy the 18 acres, instead making a deal with the next buyer in line. The town
would get 25 acres by Chelsey Way, Michele Drive, Robert Post Road and Sheri
Lane. In exchange, potential buyer Thomas Tanner would get a portion of the 18
acres behind Chelsey Way for a possible development of seven to 10 homes.
‘‘I’m pleased with the proposal,’’ said Madden.
‘‘I think it’s beneficial for the town in that we’re able to get more than a
million square feet of land, of open space, at no cost to taxpayers.’’
His plan needs no approval from the town
council or any other board.
The mayor said he has a written agreement
stating that once Tanner buys the property, he will sign over the 25 acres to
the town. Madden said Tanner hasn’t bought the property yet but has a
purchase-and-sale agreement with the owners.
Tanner could not be reached for comment.
If he wanted to develop the land, he would have
to go through the normal town government avenues for approval, such as the
planning board.
Karen Parham of Michele Drive, who organized
the petition, said she’s happy with the decision but realizes that some Chelsey
Way residents could be upset.
‘‘For the time being, I don’t have to worry
about people building behind me,’’ she said. ‘‘There are people on Chelsey Way
who aren’t going to be happy with the resolution. I feel bad that they’ve
already had to go through enough.’’
Megan Egan on Chelsey Way said she doesn’t want
any more subdivisions built in her neighborhood. She was still mulling over the
mayor’s decision last night, but said that any more homes would only strain an
already burdened water system.
‘‘We are very disappointed, and there is much
opposition,’’ she said.
District 6 Town Councilor Michael Smart, who
represents that area of town, urged the mayor to buy the 18 acres. He said last
month that the purchase would lead to ‘‘smart growth,’’ an oft-talked-about
concept considering the pending development of the former South Weymouth Naval
Air Station nearby.
‘‘I’m disappointed that the town decided not to
take control of the land as it was offered to us,’’ he said. ‘‘I understand the
mayor and the administration is negotiating with the prospective buyer. I wanted
the town to buy the land so we would decide the direction in which any
development would go. I thought that the whole intent was to put us in the
driver’s seat.’’
Smart added that Tanner would still be getting
a great deal just to have the opportunity to develop property in that
neighborhood.
Madden agreed, but said the town was lucky as
well. ‘‘Instead of getting 780,000 square feet at $150,000, we end up with 1.1
million at no cost,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ll make that swap anytime.’’
Mark Fontecchio may be reached at
mfontecchio@ledger.com.
Copyright 2003 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Copyright The Patriot Ledger June 18, 2003
The Patriot Ledger
WEYMOUTH - More than 50 people urged the town
this week to buy 18 acres of forest straddling the Abington border.
The parcels off Main Street and Chelsey Way,
are for sale for about $150,000. The town has the first chance to buy the land
and must decide by the end of August. Mayor David Madden must initiate the
process.
Karen Parham, who lives on Michele Drive next
to the two parcels, gave a petition to town council Monday night with more than
300 signatures of people supporting the purchase.
"I believe that the price is so reasonable that
the town cannot afford not to buy the land," she said.
According to town assessors' records, the
property is owned by Phyllis M. Caristia, a trustee of Triangle Realty Trust.
The mayor and town council president received a letter from Kethro & Thomas, a
Hanover law firm, stating an intent to sell the land for residential use.
Michael Smart, the District 6 town councilor
representing South Weymouth, and Councilor at large Joseph Connolly have urged
the mayor to consider buying the land. They both wrote letters to Madden
explaining why they believe the property is worth the price.
The mayor forwarded information on the property
to the planning director and chief financial officer to see if it's worth buying
and is affordable. Madden last week didn't indicate which way he was leaning.
Smart praised supporters of the purchase. "They
had residents from all over Weymouth who are concerned about preserving open
space," Smart said. "I think they did an excellent job in obtaining more than
300 signatures on the petition."
Smart said buying the property would fit into
the concept of "smart growth," something that's been much talked about in South
Weymouth, especially with redevelopment of the former South Weymouth Naval Air
Station located nearby. Residents have attended a few meetings at the former air
base about "smart growth."
Rick O'Neil, a Chelsey Way resident, said
buying the land would fit into the town's master plan and help preserve open
space for future generations. He also said buying the land would put the town in
a position of power and protect it from overdevelopment.
"If we are to experience growth, let it be
controlled by the town and not the developers," he said.
Mark Fontecchio may be reached at mfontecchio@ledger.com.
Copyright The Patriot Ledger June 17, 2003
The Patriot Ledger
WEYMOUTH - There is a sense among those who
have worked on the redevelopment of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station
that a major milestone has passed and that substantial planning for the project
can finally begin.
"This really has been a saga," said Congressman
William Delahunt of Quincy. "It's been a long, arduous, sometimes frustrating
trip to today. Today is a good day."
Delahunt was among the scores of people,
including residents and politicians, who attended a ceremony yesterday at the
former air base to officially mark the transfer of 549 acres from the Navy to
Tri-Town Development Corp., the local authority overseeing the redevelopment of
the property.
The Navy transferred the acreage late last
month, the first land to move from federal to local control since the 1,450-acre
base closed in 1997. It ended years of negotiations between Tri-Town and the
Navy over the region's largest developable piece of land, one big enough, some
planners say, to house businesses that will create as many as 7,500 full-time
jobs.
Tri-Town has signed a security agreement
pledging the acreage as collateral on an additional $5 million in predevelopment
costs that Lennar Partners of Irvine, Calif. - the master developer of the
project - plans to incur over the next six months.
Lennar Partners will soon move forward with
multimillion-dollar engineering and architectural studies for the property.
David Team, president of Lennar Partners's commercial property group, said
yesterday that the company is committed to a mixed-use development at the former
air base.
"We do believe that mixed-use projects are more
sustainable long term and actually have less impact on communities than a
single-use project," he said. Team downplayed the effect the commercial real
estate downturn could have on the redevelopment, saying Lennar is looking at
demand over a five- or 10-year period.
Guest speakers at yesterday's ceremony pointed
out the stops and starts, including the Mills Corp.'s failed effort to turn the
property into a mall, that have plagued the property since the air base closed.
Since then, officials in Weymouth, Abington and
Rockland - the three towns that border the base - have come to increasingly rely
not only on the support of state and federal lawmakers, but also on local
volunteers to craft a vision for developing the property.
"This really has been about citizen
participation. The amount of time that they committed to this effort was
extraordinary," Delahunt said, singling out John Rogers, Jim Levin and Robert
Lundquist, who sit on Tri-Town's board of directors.
Delahunt himself is credited with keeping the
redevelopment of the former air base on track by securing federal monies for the
project and stepping in when negotiations between Tri-Town and the Navy stalled.
By several accounts, relations between Tri-Town
and the Navy improved with the hiring of Lennar Partners this past autumn.
The Navy has declared the land it recently
transferred to Tri- Town free of environmental contamination. The land is in the
northwestern quadrant of the base, near Route 18.
The Navy is scheduled to hand over a smaller
piece of the property this fall and the remaining acreage by Dec. 31.
"It's a done deal. The game is in action," real
estate executive Jack Conway said after the ceremony. "It's just a matter of
piecing it all together."
But that will take time.
No major development is likely until a new
reuse plan is debated next year by Abington and Rockland voters and the town
council in Weymouth.
Until then, officials say they will work at
fine-tuning a blueprint of the first phase of the redevelopment, which will
focus on the 549 acres.
Officials are leaning toward a plan that
includes 12 athletic fields, 300 senior housing units and 300,000 square feet of
office space.
Lennar is moving forward with an economic
analysis of the property, studying potential drinking water sources, and could
end up proposing more light manufacturing and housing and less retail and office
space than originally planned.
"It really is a big challenge," state Sen.
Michael Morrissey said. "There are still some great challenges ahead and we are
going to need community involvement."
Staff writer Steve Adams contributed to this
story
Jeffrey White may be reached at jwhite@ledger.com.
Copyright The Patriot Ledger June 12, 2003
The Patriot Ledger
Weymouth is considering buying two properties
on 18 acres of forest straddling the Abington border.
The parcels, off Main Street and Chelsey Way,
are up for sale. The town has first rights to the land and must decide by the
end of August if it wants to buy. Mayor David Madden must initiate the process
of buying the land.
The price? About $150,000 - a steal according
to residents and some town councilors.
"Many people here feel that enough is enough,"
Rick O'Neil, a Chelsey Way resident, said. "We'd like to maintain any open space
still available to us."
Residents supporting the purchase are scheduled
to meet at 7 tonight at the Pond Plain Improvement Association hall on Pond
Street.
According to assessors' records, the property
is owned by Phyllis M. Caristia, a trustee of Triangle Realty Trust. The mayor
and town council president received a letter from Kethro & Thomas, a Hanover law
firm, stating an intent to sell the land for residential use.
Michael Smart, the District 6 town councilor
representing South Weymouth, and Councilor at large Joseph Connolly have urged
the mayor to consider buying the land.
"Neighbors are concerned about open space,"
Smart said. "That's why I think this is so unique. We have an opportunity here."
He and Connolly wrote letters to Madden
explaining why they believe the property should be bought.
The mayor has forwarded information about the
property to the planning director and the chief financial officer to see if it's
worth buying and is affordable. Madden didn't indicate which way he was leaning.
"We're going to be meeting over the next couple
of weeks," he said. "I'll listen to input from (officials), residents and
councilors and see which way is the best to go. Right now we're in the
information-gathering stage. We'll get all we need and I'll make a decision on
it."
Connolly said this was a great opportunity for
the town to buy a large plot of land for a good price and maintain some open
space.
"The price, $150,000, for me is almost too good
to be true," he said. "I would definitely encourage the mayor to be proactive in
purchasing it."
Smart said buying the property would fit into
the concept of "smart growth," something that's been much talked about in South
Weymouth, especially as redevelopment of the former naval air station is about
to start. Residents have attended a few meetings at the air base about "smart
growth."
"The entire concept is about preserving open
space," Smart said. "And here Weymouth has the option of purchasing this land at
below- market price."
O'Neil said he wanted the town to keep the wild
deer, foxes and turkeys that roam the property. He also doesn't want the land,
which abuts his property, to be developed.
"It's a good place to walk all different times
of the year," he said. "We really want to retain open space."
Mark Fontecchio may be reached at mfontecchio@ledger.com.
Copyright The Patriot Ledger May 17, 2003
The Patriot Ledger
The U.S. Navy turned over 549 acres at the
former South Weymouth Naval Air Station to a local agency at no cost this week,
prompting a California developer to invest $5 million in the base's conversion
to a regional economic center.
It is the first land to move from federal to
local control since the base closed in 1997. The air base is the region's
largest developable parcel, and planners estimate it could someday support 7,500
full-time jobs.
"This is a huge milestone," John Rogers of
Rockland, chairman of the South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp., said.
No major development is likely until a new
reuse plan is debated next year by voters in Abington and Rockland and the town
council in Weymouth, however.
Master developer Lennar Partners of Irvine,
Calif., is expected to propose more light manufacturing and housing and less
retail and office space than are allowed in the 5-year-old reuse plan.
As a result of the transfer, Lennar Partners
project manager David Hall said Friday the company will move forward with
multimillion-dollar engineering and architectural studies at the 1,385-acre
parcel.
The Navy on Thursday transferred 549 acres to
Tri-Town Corp., the local agency that has been in charge of the redevelopment
since 1998. The Navy had declared the parcels free of environmental
contamination last year. They are clustered in the northwestern quadrant of the
base near Route 18.
Tri-Town Corp. promptly signed a security
agreement pledging the acreage as collateral on an additional $5 million in
predevelopment costs that Lennar Partners plans to spend over the next six
months, Rogers said.
Tri-Town Corp. now owns approximately a third
of the vast former air station spanning parts of Abington, Rockland and
Weymouth. Lennar has already paid Tri-Town Corp. $1.5 million for exclusive
negotiation rights on a master developer agreement.
Hall said Lennar is moving forward with an
economic analysis of the property and studying potential drinking water sources.
The Navy set an aggressive schedule for the
transfer of the land to Tri-Town Corp. after Tri-Town named Lennar Partners as
the master developer of the property.
Tri-Town officials said they chose Lennar
because of its experience in military base clean-ups and land transfers. Lennar
is master developer of the Mare Island Shipyard in Vallejo, Calif., and the
Hunters Point Shipyard in San Francisco.
State Rep. Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy, said
communication between the Navy and local officials improved after Lennar
Partners was brought into the process.
"There is a trust and a relationship they have
that we didn't have and couldn't break through," he said.
The transfer will be filed in the Norfolk and
Plymouth County Registry of Deeds early next week, Rogers said.
The remainder of the base is expected to be
turned over to Tri- Town Corp. at no cost by the end of the year, Rogers said.
The structure of the development agreement with
Lennar is subject to negotiation, but Tri-Town officials have speculated that
Lennar would agree to pay for upgrades to base utilities, a figure that has been
estimated at tens of millions of dollars. In exchange, Lennar would be given the
land at no charge and be allowed to keep a percentage of the profits from land
sales.
Tri-Town and the Environmental Protection
Agency will host a public outreach meeting on the redevelopment at 7 p.m. on May
29 at Abigail Adams Intermediate School, 89 Middle St., Weymouth.
Victor Dover, of Dover, Kohl and Partners, and
John Mullin, a vice chancellor at University of Massachusetts, will discuss
village- style development plans.
Steve Adams may be reached at sadams@ledger.com.
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