Community Development Director Delios is Moving On

Community Development director Jean Delios is leaving the City of Peabody for a new job in Reading.

The Salem News: City's top planner to take new job in Reading

There are many who blame Ms. Delios for the pro-development stance that seems to be the way of life here in Peabody. I don't think that this is particularly true, although I do think that Community Development has been more about business and about community for a while now. Ultimately it is the Mayor who is responsible for the overall City position regarding development - and the new moneys that brings into a community.

Mayor Bonfanti recently was quoted in an article stating that he is "pro business" - the exact quote is was...

"We are pro-business because we understand that business is the lifeblood of the city," Mayor Michael Bonfanti said. -Salem News

I can't imagine that the citizens of Peabody really want this attitude in the person who is leading the City! Even in these difficult economic times most people can see that Peabody is rather built up and doesn't have much room for new development - changes, upgrades, renovations, consolidations... sure... but lots of new growth seems counter productive.

Some New Life For Downtown?

Two projects were in the news concerning the Downtown area and they both are making me hopeful that we are on a path towards a better, more vibrant, Downtown Peabody. Now these things alone will not save or change anything, and let's face it, a CVS is just another separate parking, 'disconnected' store... but its a start.

The Peabody Lynnfield Weekly News:
Gateway site to city finally sees shovels in the ground
The Peabody Lynnfield Weekly News:
City moves ahead on second grant for Walnut St park
Note: the PLWN only maintains its web new for approximately one week

The Salem News: Legal spat aside, 'gateway CVS is a go


While I really can't imaging the need for an additional big-box drug store in Downtown (I mean we have the Walgreens on Main and the Walgreens just down the road in Salem) I will admit that I am not an expert on retail establishment real estate. So this new store will be just about half way between the two Walgreens.

The architectural rendering is very nice... but they always are. The proof will be in the pudding... will it look this nice when it is done? I certainly hope so. And let's face it, it is replacing a gigantic eye sore that has been looking worse everyday for the last 5 years.

I do hope that the city will be receiving some funding for the Riverwalk project (in land or $$$ - or both) as it will only make the area more attractive and thus better for all the stores in the area. Add this to the new gas station that Stop & Shop is planning and Howley Street will be rather spiffed up.

The Walnut Street Park is also back in the news - perhaps this time more for the fact that it DIDN'T result in yet another fracas at the City Council meeting.

It seem that Councilors Mello and Sinewitz have decided to not try and block the forward momentum towards building the park but, as Councilor Mello said, he is still against it.

“There’s no mistake that I was against this,” Mello said last month, adding that he now supported the plans with “great reservation.”

My guess is that " ...support[ing] the plan with great reservation" is code for I hate this project, but I better get on board because it is going to happen anyway. And I can only surmise that in the future one of two outcomes will happen:

1) The Park will be a failure: Mello will be handing out the blame saying "I TOLD YOU SO!"

2) The Park will be a success: Mello will be in the front of the line accepting the praise for his good work.

But enough about that. I am just happy that the majority of the Council and the administration recognise the wonderful potential this park holds.

UPDATED: Westside Restaurant zoning controversy

** UPDATED IN NEW POST **

I don't really have an opinion either way about beer and wine at the Westside. I've never eaten there and I don't know anything about the restaurant's relationship with the neighborhood.

But I wonder where Councilor Athas got his law degree?? He fails to account for the entire section 1.5 Nonconformance of the Peabody Zoning Ordinance.

The Salem News: Westside seeks alcohol license
The Salem News Our View: Councilor didn;t want to hear it
The Salem News Letters to the Editor: Alcohol has no place in residential neighborhoods

Note: This post is written by Peabody Roundtable member Needham's Corner and may differ from the views of the Peabody Insider

A little background: when the Mass. Legislature adopted the Zoning Enabling Act (the "modern" act mostly dates from 1975, but there was a provision for nonconformance in the 1920 Act as well), they wanted a way to make sure that then-existing uses and structures would not be made illegal by subsequent local zoning ordinances and thus be considered a "taking" under the state and federal constitutions.

Our Peabody ordinance has a similar provision. It reads in part as follows:

"Any existing nonconforming use of a structure…may be changed or extended…provided that the special permit granting authority [that's the City Council, folks] determines, after a public hearing, by the grant of a special permit that such change, extension or alteration:
has adequate provision for offstreet parking; [and]
is similar in character, intensity of use, effect on adjacent property [and] effect on public hearing, morals, or safety as to be not substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood, than the existing nonconforming use…

Conditions may be placed on the special permit.

Westside is an existing nonconforming use, because it is in a residential district, and restaurants aren't allowed in that residential district.

But hold the phone: what this section of the ordinance means to this non-attorney observer is that the City Council COULD allow the restaurant use to be "changed or extended" to allow beer and wine IF (and only if) the Council found, after a public hearing, that there was enough parking, and that the restaurant with beer/wine was similar enough to a restaurant WITHOUT beer and wine so as not to be "substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood" (get out your dictionaries, folks).

Court opinions rely on dictionary definitions all the time. I'm no legal scholar but I've read a number that do. I guess Councilor Sinewitz hasn't read those. But maybe before he blasts City Solicitor Christopher (who IS an attorney) perhaps he and Councilor Athas would like to read the WHOLE zoning ordinance, not just randomly opine that because the restaurant is in a residential district they can't have beer and wine. Whine, indeed.

My bottom line: Westside is entitled to have a hearing. The Council should consider how detrimental beer and wine are to the neighborhood, and decide accordingly.

Stop & Shop wants to build a new gas station

The Stop & Shop on Howley Street is looking to build a new 4-pump gas station with convenience items in the front of its parking lot.

The Lynn Item: Peabody Stop & Shop eyes gas station addition

The store is selling this as a great way to help solidify its base of shoppers by providing services they need... and offering a discount to them as well. It will be a strictly self-service location with no repair facilities.

Of course, new gas stations require new gas tanks - a total of 40,000 gallons of fuel will be stored on the site.

The store says that 52 parking spaces will be lost... but this is really NOT a worry for this location. I have NEVER been in this store when it was even close to crowded, and that includes the Holiday Rush(es). The only exception was during one late afternoon blizzard which iced over Howley Street leaving NO WAY to leave! Both directions were practically impassable until the City plows arrived (difficult due to the traffic conundrum on Lowell St).So my feeling is this has little to do with serving the current customers of the store and all about profits for a less-than-successful location. In fact, I wonder if this was not part of the plan all along when you consider the enormous size of their parking lot.

Should the City allow this? Well I wonder about the safety of underground storage tanks in flood prone areas (and no matter what this will always be a flood prone area) BUT the new modern tanks are much safer than the old ones (those are what we really need to worry about.) There are actually very few neighbors to impact here, so that shouldn't be a big problem.

However, I do see an issue or two that I would insist be addressed in the approval granting process here.

1) Stop & Shop needs to contribute both money and land to further fund and create the River Walk project which will eventually need to integrate with its property.

2) Stop & Shop needs to improve the traffic flows through the intersections with Howley Street at both Main and Walnut Streets.

I originally proposed new traffic lights to be coordinated all along Howley (see below) but WGAF made a good case against it... so I softened my proposal.

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However, I do see two issues that I would insist be addressed in the approval granting process here.

1) Stop & Shop needs to pay to install new traffic signals installed at both entrances to the Stop & Shop facility as well as at the intersection of Howley and Walnut... AND all 4 lights (Main & Howley also) need to be synchronized to work well together.

2) Stop & Shop needs to contribute both money and land to further fund and create the River Walk project which will eventually need to integrate with its property.

Mood: disappointed

Did anyone catch the Boston Globe article in Thursday's paper (buried on p B9) about the recently-released list of "bio-ready" communities?

The Boston Globe: 'Bio-ready' communities in state named

These are places that have "positioned themselves as destinations for [biotech] labs or manufacturing plants." The top-rated places have appropriate zoning and a permitting process and available sites or buildings. In addition to places like Cambridge, Waltham and Boston, the top-rated places include (on the North Shore) Beverly, Haverhill, and North Andover. Second-tier places in the region (again, on the North Shore only) include Lynn, Newburyport, Reading, Everett, Lawrence, and Salem. Forty-four of the 351 communities in MA are on the list.

What are we, chopped liver? We have an industrial park with lots of space, a highway strip (Route One) crying out for something better than chain restaurants and cut-rate hotels, good infrastructure, a host of medical-related facilities, and a highway-oriented location that is one of the best in the state. Did Peabody even apply to the Mass. Biotech Council for consideration?? Readers, enlighten us here at the Roundtable!