City Council Votes For Zoning Changes

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In an editorial is the Salem News they seem to agree with me regarding the dangers inherent in the special permit process. You can read the Salem News editorial here.

It seems that Zoning Reform in this City is alive and well... as long as it is done by the City Council's rules.

Read the Peabody Weekly News story here.

After months and months of stalling on the City's plans for rezoning much of the Downtown area, the City Council accepted a proposal by Councilor Athas to amend the zoning uses in the current BC (business central) zone. The City Council approved the measure with very little discussion.

The new plan now restricts multifamily residential and rooming house uses in the BC zone to be BY SPECIAL PERMIT ONLY. This allows the City Council to have final say to approve or deny applicants based on nothing more than who-you-know or simply the whim of the day.

Mark my words... As the City Council is certainly NOT a very legally savvy group... and they are prone to follow the whining of a few vocal people present in a particular meeting (instead of considering the 'good' for the City as a whole)... We are going to be hit with lawsuit after lawsuit IF the properties in Downtown ever become interesting to developers again. The City Council should really leave the important details of economic development, city planning and developer negotiations to trained experienced people.

So now we will have even less opportunity to make Downtown into someplace that people will want to visit, work in or even live in.

Here is a great quote from the article...

“We have a population already that’s adequate to revitalize the downtown,” [Councilor Arthur Athas] said, adding that the area just needs to be made friendlier to pedestrians.

See folks... Peabody's Downtown is PERFECT! All we need to do is make it more pedestrian friendly and we will be all set!

This is the kind of mind at work planning the future of our City.

I find this frightening and sad.

Bettencourt Plan is Wrong Move

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The "complete" version of the Bettencourt Plan was presented to the City Council and it includes specifics such as income requirements and the need to be current with all City charges. The problem still is that this is using money already earmarked for a different purpose... and using it to duplicate many programs and services already offered to those in need from federal, state and local programs. Read the Salem News article here. And... a Salem News editorial is here.

Ted Bettencourt and the whole City Council want to spend AFFORDABLE HOUSING MONEY, after scolding the City for NOT using it to build new units, to help people pay their heating bills.

Read the Salem News story here.

Now, don't get me wrong... I have been accused of being so liberal I make Obama seem like a Republican (I would dispute that but there you go) and as a champion of the less fortunate, I would gladly support helping people in need during the cold winter months.

But the utter disdain that the City Council has for both the rule and spirit of the law is quite startling. This money is supposed to be used by the City to create AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS. It should NOT be used to install new backstops at the ball fields; it should NOT be used to buy the Fire Department a new engine; it should NOT be used to pay for A FULL ROUND OF DRINKS at the City Council Christmas Party.... AND IT SHOULD NOT BE USED TO FUND A CHARITY.

I am all for charity - heck I have given to the local institutions every year since I can remember. But this money IS NOT and CAN NOT and SHOULD NOT be used for this purpose.

And wouldn't you agree that this is just a tiny bit disingenuous. Less than 6 weeks ago, the City Council voted to REMOVE the ability of the City to collect just such a fee from developers. The reasons for doing this?

The inclusionary zoning buyout option was intended to give flexibility to developers and the city, which could use payments to fund affordable housing programs or directly develop housing for low-income residents. But City Council President Arthur Athas highlighted its limited impact during a meeting last week. "We have actually nothing to show for it," he said.

...Councilor Rico Mello said he could see the advantage the buyout gives developers but not the benefit it offered the city.

The vote was 8-2, with Dave Gamache and Barry Osborne objecting. Getting something was better than nothing, they both said. "We might as well take the money," Osborne said.

So 8 of these so called leaders were angry with the City for not having created affordable housing with this money... even though Community Development is creating a revolving loan program to help create affordable units out of foreclosed and abandoned properties in Downtown.

I guess a whole lot can happen in 6 weeks time.

And don;t even get me started with the way the brain trust of some on the Council works... You come up with a tiny fragment of an idea... and instead of researching the rules and regulations, instead of seeing the feasibility of such actions... instead of DOING YOUR HOMEWORK LIKE YOU WERE ELECTED TO DO...

You make a grandiose proposal in order to garner LOTS OF ATTENTION ON YOU... and then hand it off to someone else to put the lipstick on your pig.

And if they bother to point out all the PROBLEMS you never even bothered too address... well then THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH.

Such 3rd grade politics. I opine for the days when Peabody was considered an actual hotbed of political energy and was filled with politicians worth of the public trust.

City Cheating Teachers

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The Peabody teachers were in force at the recent School Committee meeting to express outrage at the continued delay tactics of the City regarding their contract. Read the Lynn Item story here.

Well it seems that the Salem News article concerning the delay of the teachers contract was not the whole story...

Read the Lynn Item story here.

It seems Peabody City officials have held up the contract for several days now pending corrections that need to be ironed out because the school committee was (apparently) NOT REALLY negotiating with the teachers union... it was only having polite discussions. The deal that was agreed to by all sides needed to be vetted by the City's Attorneys (and by others?) who were not in on the negotiations.

So the City allowed the teachers to take this "agreement" to their members for a vote - all the while knowing that they were not done "negotiating" with them.

This stinks worse than the old pig farms at Centennial Park. The teachers have every right to be REALLY PISSED OFF about this and the Mayor and the rest of the School Committee should be ashamed of this breech of public trust.

The citizens of Peabody DID NOT ELECT ANY OF YOU TO SCREW THE TEACHERS OUT OF A FAIR CONTRACT! This type of behavior only further alienates the administration from the people who work for the City.

And, by the way, these are the people who are REALLY going to be the ones setting a good example for the NEXT GENERATIONS of Peabody residents! I certainly hope that the BAD EXAMPLE being shown by Mayor Bonfanti, Mr. McGeney and the rest of the School Committee are NOT lessons our school children will learn... "Go ahead and take advantage of EVERYONE you can IF it saves you a dime!"

Time to stop this nonsense and SIGN THE CONTRACT. No more DELAYING in order to get some little concession by making the teachers sweat getting their BACK PAY before Christmas.

Peabody Bikepath on Track

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Councilor Bettencourt has made a motion to include a trail marking system along the Bikeway. This is a fine idea and probably should have been in the works the whole time. I do object to the characterization of the Bikeway, and frankly the entirety of the City of Peabody, as a dangerous place where harm is sure to come to people. Stuff happens everywhere, and Peabody is no exception. But this Bikeway is a wonderful addition to our community and it will be here for many generations to enjoy. Link to the Lynn Item story is here.

It seems like the progress on the new City Bike Path is well underway. But I would like to see MORE done to make this project complete.

From the Boston Globe North:

PEABODY

HOT ON THE TRAIL - Contractors recently began paving the planned Peabody bikeway, a multipurpose path that will extend along 4.6 miles of abandoned rail tracks from the Middleton line to the Lahey Clinic Medical Center at the Northshore Mall. The state Highway Department is overseeing the $3 million state and federally funded trail construction, according to Blair Haney, Peabody's assistant director of planning. The city funded the $170,000 cost of design and permitting through its Community Preservation Fund. Haney said crews are now placing an initial layer of asphalt along the trail. A top coating will then be added, probably after the winter. Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti plans to hold a contest among school children to choose a name for the trail that reflects the city's patriotism and the versatile use of the trail. -- John Laidler

I think it is wonderful that the City FINALLY got its act together and is building this community resource. There are naysayers who will complain that it does not cross Rt. 1 and Rt. 128 in special dedicated bike path only routes. But these special bike bridges or tunnels would have made the costs skyrocket and NOTHING would have ever been accomplished.

Besides... nothing is preventing the people using the new bike path to simply use the existing roadways to cross over both of these highways using regular old City streets.

I say this is simply another great City resource IF (as OG will chime in - and rightly so) the City will commit to MAINTAINING IT. I certainly hope they will.

Below are some maps of the Bikeway. The first is the current City plan. The second and third images are my thoughts about how to CONNECT the existing two sections TOGETHER as well as EXTENDING the Bikeway into Peabody Square and the River Walk.

click on any image for a large view

Mayor to ask City Council to Prioritize To-Do List

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The Boston Globe North section has an article about the City's plan to FINALLY address the Crystal Lake/Elginwood Pond problems.

Read the whole story in the Boston Globe here.

The more interesting part of the article though deals with Mayor Bonfanti's plan to give the City Council a list of PRIORITY ITEMS for BONDING. The City can only bond about $8M according to the Mayor, but the list now totals more than $14M (down from an original wishlist of $170M).

So the Mayor is bringing this list of items to the City Council for them to discuss and advise him on their priorities for the coming year.

Frankly, wow. This is one of the first really positive moves toward some UNITY within the City that I have seen in a long while. In recent actions I have been quite critical of the Mayor (especially in the negotiations with unions), but this seems like a rather bold (and unexpected) move and one I applaud.

Now, of course, this good will must move from the Mayor to the City Council. And in a very uninformed way, Councilor Gamache has already declared that the City needs to do more than the $8M that the finance department has calculated.

Ward 5 Councilor David R. Gamache, who represents West Peabody, said that if Bonfanti offers a priority list that exceeds his bonding target, "I think we should look at the possibility of including more money over and above the $8 million to get these projects done." He said this might be a favorable market to borrow for capital projects.

Another uninformed and un-researched headline grabbing statement from someone on the City Council?? Perhaps Councilor Gamache has researched the financial situation in great detail and is somehow aware of more funding options that the City Finance Director, but I think not.

And if this is how they will proceed with this issue... as adversaries and not colleagues, I fear it is destined to become business (or rather gridlock) as usual.

The Last Train Out

Note: These are actual images of the Locomotive in 2007.


The only interesting thing about this story in the Salem News... is that it is a front page story.

Read the Salem News story here.
Here is a link to some details about this Locomotive.

Let's consider this for a second here... we have the financial world pretty much crumbling down around us, Detroit begging on its knees, Investment managers leaping off ledges and a new President Elect getting his house in order... not to mention a little issue of a war on two fronts...

And the Salem News decides that the top story is the ALREADY REPORTED information that ex-Public Services Director Dick Carnevale needs to remove his unrestored Railroad engine from the DPW parking lot.

My take on this is a little different than most... I think this shows that the Mayor (or City Hall folks in general perhaps) is not really happy with Mr. Carnevale. This smacks of a quick slap in the face for some cheap GOTCHA! on the part of City Hall.

Many folks who post on the blogs and the SN site have long said that Mayor Bonfanti has an "in" at the Salem News... perhaps this is a sign that this is very true.

It also might be one more way for City Hall to try and distance themselves from any 'developments' that so many people are hinting about.

Peabody Teachers Protest for Signed Contract

Peabody teachers are still awaiting the City to finalize their recently agreed upon, and one year late, contract.

Read the Salem News story here.

Now the article says that negotiators for both sides met on Friday of last week to iron out some minor details. This would then say to me that the big "delay" is only actually Monday (and now part of Tuesday) and NOT the three week ordeal described by the teacher's union representative.

Now don't get me wrong, I usually support the teachers as I think they are the most important people in this (or almost any) City... But I am NOT a huge fan of the teacher's union as a rule.

And in this instance I think they are making mountains out of molehills and all to get more attention for themselves. Truly, they only hurt themselves over and over again with these
protest marches and rallies.

If you REALLY want to get the people to be on your side of these issues... make them aware of the problems, show them what you are dealing with, and then let them express their concern to their elected officials.

By clogging up Peabody Square (again) you are giving more fodder to the ANTI-EDUCATION LEGION that seems to forever haunt Peabody.

City Council Blasted for Actions & Inactions (again)

The Salem News certainly likes to beat up on Peabody. Some argue it is only in a Pro-Bonfanti way, I disagree and feel that the Salem News, with its libertarian anti-government at all costs ultra-right wing point of view simply HATES Peabody.

Read the Salem News editorial here.

Now, they actually DO have a point here. I was totally against the move by the City Council to limit the Cities options when dealing with proposed developers. They took away the ability of developers to "buy-out" of the affordable housing requirements by making a cash payment to the City.

The argument from some City Councilors against this one option was that the City had not yet created any affordable housing with this money (which, if I recall correctly) was only from the DeerBurn complex). The fact that the City was initiating a rather smart plan to use these funds to help support revitalizing abandoned or foreclosed properties in poorer sections of the City - with the creation of affordable units... was not considered good enough for the ever forward thinking City Council.

Thankfully the Mayor vetoed this action and the option remains in place when the City is in negotiations with any developer.

But now the Salem News is using this vote against the buy-out as evidence that they are "pandering" on the issue of the old School Administration building on Endicott Street. They are wrong in my view.

Now, the City Council is also wrong on this issue. But the Salem News is pretending that all the developers who have shown interest in the property were going to make these affordable housing units. THEY WERE NOT! McNiff was going to build 4 freestanding single family homes on the property and the other developer was going to build 32 market condos (with, probably, a buy-out from the affordable housing requirement.)

Shame on the Salem News for distorting this already ridiculous probelm into something completely ludirous.

Yet Another Reason for REZONING

The City Council refuses to take up the issues of rezoning. So we get LOTS of people coming before them asking for (essentially) SPOT ZONING changes for their property.

I believe the Planning Board seems to think we need some Zoning Reform... as they quickly amended the IL district to include the uses requested (which would have been allowed under some of the existing rezoning plans).

The story from the Salem News is here.
Another view of this story from the Lynn Item is here.

Then the City Council voted to NOT allow such a change. However, they will allow these uses under the Special Permit procedure (which of course gives them full authority for granting these uses - with little oversight or prescribed conditions.)

The special permitting process is a throwback to a different time, one where WHO YOU KNOW is more important than the merits of the situation.

Zoning Reform is the way to go. A completely rezoned City would allow for better control over what goes where as well as giving the City a new blueprint for future changes and revitalization.

CITY COUNCIL:
Stop stonewalling the issue of ZONING REFORM and start to work for all the Citizens of this City... especially the ones who will be living here in the next 50 years.

Peabody After School Program in Trouble

The private after school program For Kids Only is in trouble.

After a very successful start in the Burke School in 2006, Superintendent Burnett worked with the company to open locations in other Peabody schools. they now operate in the Brown, Burke, McCarthy and Welch schools.

The link to the Lynn Item story is here.

From the article:
The privately run program offers enrichment activities, tutoring, healthy snacks, and activities focused on art, science, sports and fitness for students at a cost of $21 per day. They also except vouchers and offer tuition scholarships for families in need.

“It provides an after school program for kids that would potentially go home to an empty house,” Burnett said earlier in the school year. “It’s an instructional environment with homework help, recreational activities, and peer-to-peer friend-building.”

The Peabody Schools only charge the company $1.50 per student for utility costs. However, they still need to have 18 students at each school in order to break even. Currently only the Burke and Welch are above those numbers.

The company came to the School Committee in the hopes of spreading the word to more people about this program.

Personally I would like to see this type of program be provided BY THE CITY to all students free of charge. It is a wonderful program and it serves a dire need in Peabody (especially when the mere mention of a Teen Center or Kids Center only gets comments like, "It's a great ideas BUT..." and nothing ever happens).

So if the City can't or won't fund this program I hope that enough people can see the value of this great service and take advantage of it so that it remains available to our children for years to come.

New Children's Hospital Expansion in Centennial Park

Children's Hospital Boston has announced that they are building a new children's health center in Centennial Park. The facility (part renovation, part addition) will be 120,000 sq.ft and greatly expand the services that are currently offered by Children's Hospital's services currently offered inside the Lahey Clinic Peabody.

Here is the link to the Salem News story.

Overall, this is a wonderful thing for Peabody and the North Shore as a whole. I have heard some people lament that we are losing more prime City property to yet another TAX EXEMPT entity.

Well, that is true. And I think the City should be rather aggressive in establishing a hefty PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) agreement with this well endowed hospital.

The City of Boston received a PILOT Fee of $602,656 last year from Children's Hospital. See this article and PILOT listing from the Jamaica Plain Gazette.

But even if we don't see a large PILOT payment, I still welcome this great addition to the booming medical services arena that Peabody-Salem-Danvers has become.

The Salem News Reports on $1M Grant for Jobs

The Salem News has, yet again, missed an opportunity to highlight good news in Peabody. Maybe they should be called The Salem BAD News???

The article (link here) lists unemployment figures from September 2007 and 2008. And while it is not great to see how many folks have lost their jobs, it is somewhat encouraging to see that Peabody has one of the smallest increases in job loss in the North Shore, and it is MUCH BETTER than the State average.

click for larger image

Peabody's unemployment rate, while still too high, grew only 0.7% making it the second lowest in the region and lower than the State average or 0.9%

Maybe this isn't GREAT NEWS for someone who has just lost their job, but it is at least a little encouraging for the rest of us.

Peabody High - ON WARNING

So the accreditation report from the New England Association of
Schools and Colleges on Peabody High was released last night. And it wasn't all good.

Here is the link for the Salem News story.

The School Committee and City Hall are all abuzz with indignation over such a report. Well... too bad. The Mayor's claim that the association members "aren't qualified" because they are not architects rings hollow... I mean neither is he so how would he know?

Now, the News is only reporting the BAD (it is the Salem News after all and they rarely have a good word to say concerning Peabody). Some good points were listed as well, but the focus will be on the WARNING STATUS and the bad stuff. Lets take a look at what was reported...

From the story:
In the letter by NEASC's Pamela Gray-Bennett, school officials were asked to submit a "Special Progress Report" by Nov. 1 of next year. She asked them to indicate how the school had addressed a number of the problems, like...

• the lack of adequate textbooks,
• teacher turnover,
• and built-in collaboration time for teachers.

Lack of textbooks? This is a direct school budget issue. Either there is not enough money for these books, or someone isn't properly spending the money on the correct priorities.
Teacher Turnover? This is pretty much a direct result of the pay inequity of Peabody teachers compared with the surrounding communities... which is again tied directly to the school budget.
Too little Collaboration Time? Well... this is just a bad policy decision based on too much to do in too little time - maybe more teachers would help make there be more time for these important tasks?

So what do you think of this situation?

City to consider Open Space for Endicott St. Site

So the City Council is now considering leaving the old school admin building as open space. But this was not the best idea for a few councilors.

Here is the link to the Salem News story.
Here is the link to the Lynn Item story.

And my favorite was Gamache who wishes to protect the neighborhood from the evils of a local park? Or Liacos who doesn't think businesses can coexist with condos and homes in this neighborhood... I mean what about the Berry Street Garage that has been there forever? Ann Manning is the only one who seems to be living in the present on this situation.

So... what do you think should be done with this parcel?

Business Leaders to address Peabody High Students

More good news from the Peabody school department.

Here is the link to the Salem News story.

An engineering and technology speaker series at PVMHS has generated much interest with students. John Bocchino president of Weston & Sampson spoke to the students about future careers.

From the article:

"The kids loved him," said (vocational director) Ferri, who took an informal lunch survey afterward. "The kids thought he was awesome."

The speaker series is one step toward an internship program spearheaded by School Committee member Michael Moutsoulas. He had made a number of the initial contacts with businesses.

Ferri said bringing speakers to students would set a foundation for future internships. She has plans for students to take field trips to the companies, as well. The idea is to have both the students and the businesses learn about one another.

"I think this is a win-win for everybody," she said. "We need to do some relationship building."

What an excellent Idea! And to actually see it being implemented is wonderful. 35 students attended this kick off event and I'm sure more will attend in the future. The idea that this may then lead to Peabody high school students interning in local firms is great!

The next speaker will be Jim Green, CEO and president of Analogic.

Salem, Beverly and Peabody will explore merging health departments

The cities of Salem, Beverly and Peabody are meeting to explore the possibility of regionalizing their health departments.

Here is the link to the Salem News story.
Here is an additional link to the Peabody Weekly News story.

This seems like a pretty smart thing to consider in these difficult financial times. Now I am not saying that it would be a good idea to do this type of thing in all or even most instances... but when it DOES make sense AND it can save some money... it is the right thing to do.

I have read many comments on the blogs saying how government needs to CUT CUT CUT... and I hope that this is the type of smart cuts that people are talking about. I wonder if this is actually the type of thing that is happening everyday in many departments throughout the City... or if this is simply an isolated press conference moment to SEEM LIKE the politicians are actually trying to do something.

I really believe it is more likely the new normal way of conducting City business.

Sean Fitzgerald is new Town Manager for Plaistow, New Hampshire

The Mayors chief of staff, Sean Fitzgerald, has resigned from the City to take on the new job of Town Manager for the Plaistow, New Hampshire.

Here is the link to the Salem News article. Click the headline for the Plaistow press release.

From the Plaistow press release:

“We are excited to have Sean on board”, stated Chairman John Sherman, “so that we can move forward to continue to effectively provide the high-level of service that our citizens expect. Sean will work with the Board to actively plan for Plaistow’s future, while at the same time, managing the day-to-day activities in the Town. We need a hands-on Town Manager to tackle our current budget issues. This is a busy time of year as we wrap up one year and develop next year’s budget and prepare for Town Meeting.”

“I am very pleased to be offered this extraordinary opportunity to work in a place with such a strong sense of identity and community,” said Fitzgerald. “Plaistow is a great place to live, a great place to work, and a great place to raise a family. I am looking forward to getting to know the citizens, businesses, and the hardworking men and women working to move Plaistow forward. I'm very, very, very excited and happy to be offered this opportunity to help Plaistow and I know the next 90 days are going to be very, very busy,” Fitzgerald continued.

See, I knew Sean wasn't involved in any nefarious business. He is and has always been an honorable and pleasant person to work with. Plaistows gain is our loss.

Good luck Sean.

Aggregate AND City to each make separate closure plans

Note: The link to the Peabody Weekly News story is NOT archived and will probably point to a different story within one weeks time.

It seems that Aggregate Industries is not really very interested in nailing down any specifics when it comes to this site in West Peabody. I believe that they are simply paying LIP SERVICE to the desires of the neighborhood (and thus the City Council) in order to look like GOOD NEIGHBORS when they present the expansion plans for the site.

From the article:

Colby said the company isn’t in the business of commercial or residential development, so they couldn’t just draft a plan for condos, per se.

“It’s hard to say what anyone would like to see there 30 or 40 years from now,” he said, adding that he could show the committee lots of “pretty pictures” of possible future options. He suggested that whatever is adopted should be flexible enough to revisit as economic changes necessitate (perhaps every five years), since the quarry operation will likely be running for another 20-30 years after the decision is made on a closure plan.

Aggregate has until Dec. 2009 to submit a closure plan and is still planning to propose an expansion of the quarry to the City Council. Residents keep asking Colby when that will be, which he has been reticent to put a definite date to.

“I don’t want to say something and not live up to it,” he said last week.

This sounds like a load of hog wash to me. If a huge company like Aggregate Industries does not have a corporate plan for this site in the works, then they are not a very well run company... and trust me, they are. They simply want to get the City to believe they are trying to "PLAY NICE" and look like they are working with the neighborhood, so that they can get their expansion approved and then continue BUSINESS AS USUAL.

Should the City "give" away City property?

The Salem News reports that the Portuguese-American War Veterans Post 1 in Peabody is trying to reach an agreement with the City over its current home on Tremont Street.

It seems that more than 60 years ago the City gave them permission to use the building for $1/year for 99 years. This agreement needed to be modified recently to formalize the agreement and to remove any liability for the City associated with the property.

But now the veterans want to purchase the building and property from the City, and it seems like the City would like to sell them the property as well. The trouble is that there is a rather involved and open procedure for selling City property and the veterans might not get it... or certainly might not get it for free.

There was quite a bit of arguing recently concerning the old School Admin building and whether or not the City should sell it to a non-profit health center for $1. And now comes these veterans who want this other property for $1.

What do you folks think about this situation?

Lack of funds to blame for low reading test scores?

Here is yet another example of how we actually hurt ourselves by underfunding the school system.

A new program is implemented by the school administration. Limited teacher training takes place. Little funding for the necessary equipment mean not enough of the required books. Too many children with special needs and language deficiencies (and not enough support staff to meet this needs).

And yet, most people will blame this all on the lazy teachers. Those "part-timers" who are getting a 12% raise in their (undeserved) incomes!

Perhaps we simply get what we are willing to pay for in this City. Wouldn't it be nice to see what might actually happen IF we properly equipped our classrooms AND the teachers in them with the tools to allow our students to truly excel?

Niz in the news again

It is actually quite sad to see this man again fighting the City because he didn't get his way. I mean is this how he demonstrated good sportsmanship to his many players over the years?

And such wonderful evidence such as:

• I wasn't hired
• The guy hired was younger than me
• Therefore, I am a victim of age discrimination

I guess it doesn't matter that the guy hired was still over 50 (only a few years younger than him) or that his juvenile temper tantrum and outburst was humiliating and an embarrassment to the Peabody school sports program, and the City in general.

But, for some people , EVERYTHING is always someone else's fault.

Why we need to rezone Peabody

Peabody, the entire City, not just the downtown area, needs a comprehensive rezoning plan. There has been much too much activity such as requested by the Walnut Mart to rezone their property (from Industrial to Business Central) in order to be allowed a liqour license. They now are requesting an amendment of the entire Industrial zone to include selling liquor and non-profit clubs.

In my view, this is clearly an example of Spot Zoning*, which is illegal in Massachusetts. Of course, the burden of proof is on the person alleging spot zoning, not the person seeking the zoning change or the City agency granting the change.

What is spot zoning?

Spot zoning occurs when a small area of land or section in an existing neighborhood is singled out and placed in a different zone from that of neighboring property. For example, a park or school might be allowed in a strictly residential area if it serves a useful purpose to the neighborhood residents.

In some areas of the country the courts have found spot zoning illegal on the ground that it is incompatible with the existing land use-zoning plan or in an overall zoning scheme for the community. Whether the exception carved out is reasonable and supported by the facts, often turns on public interest, the effect the spot zoning has on the current uses of neighboring properties, and any ramifications created by the zoning.

The best way to combat the further abuse of this system is to reevaluate the entire City and to set out new zoning requirements and restrictions that meet the current needs of the community for today and the foreseeable future. This will seriously lessen the need for anyone to come forward and demand that they receive special treatment - especially when they have a high priced lawyer standing by their sides.

And YES, this would certainly include REZONING DOWNTOWN in such a way to make it a viable place for the next 50 years... instead of the last 150 years.

* Note: This link is to a big document of Massachusetts law.

City honors veterans old and new

In this story in the Salem News, the City and Schools honored veterans old and new (soon-to-be).

We often only hear about the BAD STUFF in the City... here is a bit of good for the day.

While I am not a fan of our current Iraqi conflict, I absolutely applaud and thank those who did, and are and will, serve in the armed forces to protect our freedoms and liberties.

Friends of Peabody Lakes?

Does anyone know what is happening with the Friends of Peabody Lakes?

I went to add their website, www.friendsofpeabodylakes.com to the list of Peabody websites... and it is NOT working.

I would hate to see ANY organization dedicated to making Peabody a better place simply vanish into thin air. Then again, perhaps it is only a glitch in the website and they are alive and well. Let's hope so.

The First Post

This is the first post for the Peabody Roundtable blog.

Since the demise of Old Fred's Peabody Patriot, many folks have been looking for a place to again meet and discuss the on-going going-ons here in Peabody.

This time a team of people will be trying to work together to make this a lasting addition to the blog-world... and not just another short-term enterprise.

To do this though, we need you as both readers and participants. Please have a look around, read about what other folks are saying and then let us know what you think.

As always, this is a work in progress and helpful commentary is certainly appreciated.

This would be a good place to start off with any ideas you might have concerning what would make this a better place for everyone to discuss the issues facing our City of Peabody, Massachusetts.