Neponset Village (Developer Pushes City Limits)

[Scott]

http://www.nnnonline.org/hydepark.htm

Stop & Shop Site Developer Pushes City Limits


Owners of the mammoth former Stop & Shop warehouse in Readville want the city to expand its boundaries for the first time in nearly a century. Campanelli Companies of Braintree, which owns the 72 acre parcel, has asked Mayor Tom Menino to consider annexing 37 acres of the property that lies within the Town of Dedham. The Dedham portion of the property is landlocked by rail lines and wetlands, and is accessible only via Readville. Dann DeMarco, a principal for Campanelli, has also met with the Dedham Board of Selectmen to pitch the plan -- offering the town a one-time payment of $2.5, according to the Dedham Times. If the two communities approve, Campanelli hopes to combine the properties and build 1,500 units of new housing, the Hyde Park Bulletin reported. Not since 1912, when Hyde Park was annexed to the city of Boston, has the city expanded its boundaries. District 5 City Councilor Rob Consalvo has yet to see Campanelli's plans, and said no decisions have yet been made on future re-use of the property. Stop & Shop moved its distribution facility to a new location in Taunton three years ago. Since then, the site has been leased to a number of companies for commercial operations. The Boston portion is zoned industrial. Ironically the Dedham portion is zoned for adult entertainment -- a legal tactic that allows the town to provide for such uses but in an out of the way and largely inaccessible location.

[ablarc]

Ironically the Dedham portion is zoned for adult entertainment -- a legal tactic that allows the town to provide for such uses but in an out of the way and largely inaccessible location.
Will the zoning travel with the land?

Will Dedham have to find a new place to zone for this?

[Ron Newman]

I can imagine some similar issues developing with NorthPoint, most of which is in Cambridge, but has small pieces in Charlestown and Somerville. (Blame it on the Miller River.)

[lexicon506]

offering the town a one-time payment of $2.5

WOW, Campanelli is offering quite a deal! A whole two dollars and fifty cents for just 37 acres! Dedham will miss out on some quality cash if they don't approve this deal.

[ablarc]

^ Is there an "m" missing?

[justin]

I'll offer them $3!

justin

[Scott]

Why did I put this in existing development? brain fart

[vanshnookenraggen]

South of the border
Boston's biggest residential project won't be built unless the city is able to add a piece of Dedham

By Robert Preer, Globe Correspondent | April 8, 2007

The largest residential development ever proposed for Boston is so big the builder needs to take 37 acres from Dedham to make it happen.

The site is a sprawling former shipping facility for Stop & Shop supermarkets that backs onto a state reservation. About half of the property is in Dedham, the remainder in Boston's Hyde Park section.

Campanelli Cos. is proposing to build 1,850 residential units there, but wants the whole development to be within Boston boundaries. So, the company has approached Dedham officials about letting its portion of the property be annexed by Boston.

Daniel R. DeMarco, a Campanelli partner, said annexation is necessary because Dedham would be unable to provide services, such as public safety or snowplowing, to the development, which is separated from the rest of the town by Amtrak's high-speed rail line. The only access to the property is Meadow Road off Neponset Valley Parkway in Hyde Park, nearly a mile from the Dedham line.

Also, Dedham officials have voiced an unwillingness to allow new housing in town, which has seen several large projects constructed in recent years.

The annexation of a suburb by a city in Massachusetts has not occurred in decades; Boston last did it in 1912 when the town of Hyde Park was appended to the southern end of the city. The land transfer would require approval by Dedham's Town Meeting, the Boston City Council, and the state Legislature.

So far officials from the two communities have responded guardedly to Campanelli's request. DeMarco met with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who lives in Hyde Park. DeMarco said that Menino advised him to negotiate a deal with Dedham before seeking city approvals.

Menino did not return calls seeking comment, but last year in an interview, the mayor indicated he was willing to discuss the matter with the developers and Dedham officials.

Dedham officials, meanwhile, have voiced a willingness to negotiate with Campanelli.

"In Dedham, we have a history of studying things like this and making decisions based on the facts," said Dedham Selectman James MacDonald.

The town recently set up a special committee to conduct annexation talks with Campanelli. The discussions so far have focused on financial compensation to the town for lost taxes if the property were handed over to Boston. In 2007, the town received $187,631 in taxes for the property.

Dedham officials are wary of new housing because of the burden additional children would place on the town's schools. The entire parcel, on both sides of the border, is zoned for business.

"Dedham has no desire to change the zoning," said MacDonald.

Traffic is another concern in both communities. Now, the only road into the property is off Neponset Valley Parkway in Hyde Park. MacDonald said Dedham officials do not want to see a bridge over the railroad tracks or any other access built that would send traffic onto town streets.

Situated where Hyde Park, Dedham, and Milton meet near the Blue Hills, the 72-acre property is unusual for its size in the inner ring, as well as for its location. It is both very close to a commuter rail station and adjacent to unspoiled nature: the 700-acre Fowl Meadow-Neponset River conservation area, which is part of the state's Blue Hills Reservation.

"It is a dense, transit-oriented development," said DeMarco. "Residents could walk or take a shuttle bus to the Readville commuter rail station."

Moreover, it will offer spectacular views of the Neponset marshes and Blue Hills.

"It is a beautiful environment. It has been undiscovered for 40 years," he said.

Maybe as a housing site. But before Campanelli bought it in 2005, it had long served as a busy warehouse operation for the supermarket chain, with tractor-trailers hauling goods to and from the property over local roads. In fact, truck traffic over the years brought frequent complaints from residents in Hyde Park, Milton, and Canton. When the warehouse was preparing to close in 2004, Milton officials threatened to block future warehouse use by banning large trucks from the bridge over the Neponset River on Neponset Valley Parkway, the main access to the property. The town did not pursue the matter, though, after Stop & Shop moved and major truck traffic to the site ended.

The sprawling property has several large warehouses and smaller buildings totaling 700,000 square feet, as well as acres of parking lot surrounded by woodlands and marsh. Stop & Shop closed the warehouse in 2004 when it opened a new, larger one off Route 24 in Freetown. The grocery chain sold the property to a Wayland investment company, which tried unsuccessfully to lease it for warehouse use. Even now parts of the facility are rented for storage, and Boston police use the large expanses of asphalt for driving exercises.

Campanelli, a prominent developer of commercial properties, based in Braintree, would call its development Neponset Village. It would consist of a series of low-level buildings designed to blend in with adjacent Readville, a residential neighborhood in Hyde Park . Company officials also said there might be a small commercial component, such as professional offices, a health club, or neighborhood store.

Tall fences separate the property from residential streets in Readville. DeMarco said the company has not determined whether the units would be apartments or condominiums. Construction would be done in phases and would take years to complete, he said.

As planned, the project would be slightly bigger than what had been Boston's largest housing development, the 1,500-unit Columbia Point public housing project in Dorchester, which was built in 1953 , razed 30 years later, and then replaced by the mixed income Harbor Point, which has 1,238-units.

Neponset Village is big even by suburban standards.

In Westwood, for example, developer Cabot, Cabot & Forbes is planning to build 1,000 residential units near the Route 128 railroad station. But bigger still is LNR Property Corp.'s project of around 3,000 units for the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station in Rockland, Abington, and Weymouth.

Although the property is only about a mile-and-a-half from Route 128, Campanelli officials said direct access to the highway is impossible because of the state-owned parkland in between. The property is zoned for industrial use and would require city zoning approvals to be converted to housing.

One complication for Dedham is that the area that would be annexed is the town's official adult entertainment district. Dedham, like many communities in Massachusetts, has tried to discourage such businesses by allowing them only in remote sections of town.

If the area was annexed, Dedham would probably try to create a new adult-entertainment district, since without one, adult businesses may be able to locate anywhere in town. Dedham already has one sexually oriented business, a Providence Highway video store, which opened before the adult entertainment district was created in 1991.

At a recent meeting with Dedham officials, DeMarco said his company has no interest in opening an adult-oriented business at the former warehouse site.

Boston's annexation of surrounding towns occurred mostly in the second half of the 19th century, when suburbs clamored to join the city to gain access to municipal services. Roxbury was annexed in 1868, followed by Dorchester in 1870, and Charlestown, Brighton, and West Roxbury in 1874. Brookline, in 1873, became the first adjoining town to reject annexation.

No annexations occurred after 1912, as the city's reputation for machine politics and industrialization put off suburban residents. Towns also wanted to keep their identities because of their long histories as municipalities.

The last time annexation came up was in the early 1990s, when nearly bankrupt Chelsea debated the wisdom of joining Boston. At that time, Chelsea ceded control of its finances and its school system to the state. State and local officials eventually decided to keep Chelsea a separate city.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=42.231377,-71.133363&spn=0.012107,0.028667&t=k&om=1&msid=101230698274121090525.00000111d3742913c9744&msa=0

[statler]

Boston may annex land in Dedham for housing

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff | June 30, 2007

In a deal that would make Theo Epstein proud, Dedham officials and Mayor Thomas M. Menino are working on an elaborate plan that, if consummated, would mark the first time in nearly a century that Boston expands its geographic boundaries.

Dedham wants to jettison a 40-acre piece of property slated for a large-scale residential development because, officials said, the town can't afford to educate all the children that might move in.

On the other side of the border, Menino has been pushing for more affordable housing in Boston. The prospect of 1,850 family-friendly units in the new residential development is tempting to some people, since much of the new housing being built in Boston is luxury units. Menino met with Dedham officials at City Hall earlier this month and is expressing interest, although he said he is concerned about the size of the project.

"It's an interesting proposal that has been put on the table," Menino said by phone. "It's serious density. . . . We want to make sure it's a well-planned neighborhood that is put together in concert with the people who live in the neighborhood. Some of them have lived there for 75 years or more."

The annexation proposal, which Dedham might consider at a Special Town Meeting this fall, is an unusual move in the decades-old debate among suburbs who fear the costs of new, large-scale housing developments that bring in new schoolchildren. That debate often includes almost apocalyptic predictions of overcrowded classrooms, needs for multimillion-dollar school projects, and the need for massive tax increases.

In a few cases, such as the huge Westwood Station project in Westwood, where 1,000 condominiums and apartments could go up, towns considering developments often seek to negotiate multimillion-dollar penalties that the developer would pay if the new housing attracts more children than anticipated.

The Campanelli Cos. of Braintree want to build an 1,850-unit development called Neponset Village on a 72-acre plot that straddles the Dedham-Boston line near the Readville neighborhood. Part of the land is currently home to a Stop & Shop warehouse. Campanelli, which bought the property for $26.6 million in 2004, has said that it wants to create a small village with some retail and restaurants that would support the community of one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominiums or apartments.

Before development begins, the annexation of the 40 acres that lie in Dedham would need approval from Dedham Town Meeting, the Boston City Council, and the Legislature. But Dedham officials are openly touting the annexation idea, saying they fear the increase in school population would not be covered by the tax dollars brought in by the new housing.

"Our school system is strained now; we can't afford to approve any other development that would put a strain on our system," said James MacDonald, a Dedham selectman who is chairing a special town committee on the annexation issue.

Campanelli approached Dedham with the idea of annexation two years ago after Dedham officials balked at a request to rezone the land on its side of the town line from industrial to residential. The developer believes that residential is the best use for the land because the site is hard to get to from major highways.

The property is land-locked by railroad tracks and conservation land, and there is one main access road from Neponset Valley Parkway in Hyde Park. To reach the property from Dedham, a driver would have to go through Boston. Because the primary entry to the property is in Boston, the city is currently the first to respond to police and fire emergencies, even those on the Dedham side.

The developer's proposal also comes when Dedham has been hit with an unexpected housing boom, after decades of stable or declining population, which is now 22,000. About two dozen new children have enrolled at elementary and middle schools this year with the opening of a 300-unit affordable housing complex, which is still leasing units. And the town is bracing for more children with the construction of another 285 units of affordable housing and a complex of 82 duplexes and a single-family house on an old railroad yard.

"God knows if there's something else in the weeds," said Shaw McDermott, president of Citizens for Dedham Neighborhoods Alliance, a grass-roots group that was started two years ago by those concerned by development.

Monday night the selectmen held a meeting to address public outcry over the recent spate of development. Earlier this month, School Committee members voiced outrage over the number of families with children moving into the new affordable housing units. Although school enrollment of about 2,870 is down by about 100 students compared to several years ago, the School Committee is grappling with some aging buildings, as well as budget constraints that forced the elimination of 10 teachers and eight other positions for this fall.

"We are developing so quickly, and for years we thought we didn't have any more buildable land," said Tracy Driscoll, chairwoman of the School Committee. "Now we have to plan: What are we going to do with the kids, where will we put them, and what will the staffing demands be?"

The old Stop & Shop property generates $187,000 in tax revenue annually, but the developer has offered Dedham a payment of $2.5 million if annexation succeeds. Town officials said they consider the offer a good starting point for negotiating. If annexation fails, the developer will have to rethink plans for the property, MacDonald said, because the town is adamant about not rezoning the land for residential use.

The Boston city councilor who represents the adjacent area says he wants the community to examine the idea carefully before he decides whether to support it.

"I'm definitely open to annexation," said Councilor Robert Consalvo, who represents Readville, "but it would have to benefit Boston."

Menino emphasized that the first step in the process must be Dedham's approval of the annexation. "It's a decision the town of Dedham has to make," he said .

Many residents enjoy living on dead-end streets that are gated off from the old Stop & Shop property, though some residents are already preparing for more traffic when an old elementary school reopens in their neighborhood.

"I would go nuts if I had 500 or 600 cars going up this street," said Dan Onishuk, 53, a sports nutrition sales representative, as he sat on the stone wall in front of his house while watering the lawn. But he added: "It needs to be developed. It's underutilized, and the city could use the tax income."
Link (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/06/30/boston_may_annex_land_in_dedham_for_housing/)

[atlantaden]

About two dozen new children have enrolled at elementary and middle schools this year with the opening of a 300-unit affordable housing complex, which is still leasing units

Truly, the effect of additional 24 school aged children (living in a 300 unit complex) being absorbed into the school system of Dedham is beyond the realm of rational thinking! I mean, think about it! 24 children ( divided among K-8 grades is, OMG, 2.6 students per grade level! Oh the overcrowding! The strain on the existing facilities! Wall off the town before more gasp...families with a child, or none, try to move in!

[vanshnookenraggen]

/\ That is exactly what I thought when I read that line. /\

It says a lot about the sorry state of our education system when 24 students is a burden. Fuck Bush!


Re: That conversation down there\/

Punk kid 1: Are you being sarcastic?
Punk kid 2: ... I don't even know anymore.

[Equilibria]

That line raised my eyebrows as well. Maybe they're worried about them not being spread evenly. If the families all have children within a couple years of each other, that could be 5-10 students at a grade level in the local school, which might be a reasonable worry.

That said, why not have the developer expand the school in question (unless it's the BPS, in which case the kids will be spread out) or build one as part of the development?

This is exactly the reason towns like Stoneham are screwed over. They build developments for older people who don't use the schools but do pay for them, then those people refuse to pay more when the override comes up.

[pharmerdave]

GLOBE EDITORIAL
Pushing Boston's boundaries
July 5, 2007
A 37-ACRE potential headache for town officials in Dedham could lead to the creation of a new neighborhood in Boston if the Menino administration annexes the partially vacant industrial site that once housed a massive Stop and Shop distribution center on the Hyde Park-Dedham border. Annexation, however, would first require a complicated three-rail shot involving Boston, Dedham, and the Campanelli Companies, a commercial real estate developer.
Dedham officials are wary of Campanelli's proposal to build 1,850 units of housing on the 72-acre site straddling their town and Boston. Many in the town of 22,000 fear that the demands on Dedham's services, and especially the schools, could greatly outweigh any new property tax revenue. By agreeing to transfer its portion of the land to Boston, Dedham could receive a significant payment from the eager developer and be free of the future costs of providing services. But the town would also lose the chance to shape any other development on the site .
Whether driven by economic necessity or NIMBYism, many Massachusetts towns are averse to growth. The mere mention of affordable apartments or starter homes that might attract families with school-age children is often enough to pack town halls with protesters who claim that class size, crime, or traffic will escalate beyond control. Urban mayors like Menino, however, look to keep their population numbers up as a way to protect their allocations of federal aid. It's also personal.
"They want to create a world without kids," says Menino of some officials in the suburbs. "It's a sin."
Menino sees every family that decamps Boston for the suburbs as a personal defeat. That's why Campanelli's plan to build new apartments, including family-friendly three-bedroom units, looks a lot brighter from the Boston side, where the school population has dropped from 64,000 10 years ago to 57,000 today.
No one should be too quick to dump Dedham into the NIMBY category, however. Massachusetts requires that 10 percent of the housing stock in every city and town be affordable for people with modest incomes. But only 51 of Massachusetts's 351 cities and towns are in compliance. And Dedham is one of them.
Annexation of property within easy reach of the Blue Hills Reservation should serve Boston's interests, provided the developer agrees to build at a reasonable density. The path is less clear for Dedham. If the housing is built under the state's smart growth plans for transit-oriented development, for example, then Dedham could be fully reimbursed by the state for any net new education costs.
Still, if Dedham is intent on downsizing, Boston should be ready for a rare opportunity to expand.

[nico]

WARNING! This post is in response to Equilibria?s comment about Stoneham, and definitely goes way off topic.

In the case of Stoneham, I must admit that I thought you were completely off-base until I began to write my response. While housing for the elderly may not be the whole problem, many people in the town (older but not necessarily elderly property owners) are tired of a half-ass town always dipping into their pockets while turning away every chance to create revenue by stifling any and all potential business developments larger than a pizza shop. In fact, many people opposed to the override (non-elderly) were actually trying to force the town to be more proactive in supporting revenue creating developments/solutions. The catch is that some people voting against the override (largely the elderly) are the same people who have nothing to do but complain about every proposed development that may actually benefit the town financially. These people are the real problem. They don?t want to fund the town, or let the town find ways to fund itself.
That being said, Stoneham's biggest problem (hand-in-hand w/elderly NIMBYs) is that it is run like Mayberry RFD. Recently, the Christmas Tree Shop proposed moving into the half empty Redstone Shopping center. Shaw?s would have moved to the vacant Ames building, and the center would have had some life. Of course the town people were adamantly opposed to it b/c:

a: it would increase traffic (vs. no business which results in no traffic)
b: it would attract undesirables?the same excuse used to oppose the orange line and METCO (the stores that preceded Ames, were Caldor and Gilchrist. Other establishments in the plaza over the years have been Woolworth's, Grants, Almy's, Marshalls, The Ground Round, Brigham's and Super Cuts to name a few. Nothing wrong with any of these places...but too good for The Christmas Tree Shop?)

While at least one person on this board has voiced his opinion that the town/selectmen approach is superior to a city/mayor form of government, in Stoneham it is not working. The old New England Memorial/Boston Regional Hospital has been mostly vacant for over a decade...meanwhile developers have vehemently tried to pursue various endeavors to no avail. Traffic! This time sited not only by Stoneham residents, but by Melrose residents. The same people who must travel through Stoneham everyday to get to 93. The difference in this case is that Melrose has a Mayor that can take action (i.e., neighboring Medford's mayor who threatened to close down the 93 on and off ramps during the DNC b/c of, I believe funding) and Stoneham which has the board of rejectmen that result in no action. It isn't that I believe one form of government to be inherently better than the other; it's just that towns often operate like mutual funds...while they're good at preventing losses; they are often times just as proficient at preventing gains. But don't worry, Stoneham residents will just have to pay more for trash pick-up, and the town can continue to run as inefficiently as ever.

[czsz]

Whether driven by economic necessity or NIMBYism, many Massachusetts towns are averse to growth... Urban mayors like Menino, however, look to keep their population numbers up as a way to protect their allocations of federal aid.

Sounds like a good reason for Boston to annex everything inside 128...

[Ron Newman]

The old New England Memorial/Boston Regional Hospital has been mostly vacant for over a decade...meanwhile developers have vehemently tried to pursue various endeavors to no avail.

The problem here is that the former hospital site is entirely surrounded by state parkland -- the Middlesex Fells Reservation. When the reservation was being assembled a century or more ago, somehow this property was not available.

I'm not against redeveloping it, but only if it this is done without modifying the parkways in any way. Don't widen the roads, don't cut down any trees in the reservation, and especially don't add any traffic lights.

[whighlander]

No Boston Annexing beyond a bit here and there is a bad idea

However, All of the Cities and Towns within and touching I-495 should be included into a new Metropolitan County

Boston County would absorb all of Suffolk, Most of Eastern Middlesex, Much of Essex, Norfolk much of Plymouth, even a bit of Barnstable

Then the Crazy Quilt of Authorities could be ceded {Debt Free} to Boston County

Boston County would control Logan, Hanscom Airports, Parking Garages, Railroad Stations, The Subway, Water System

Boston County would be supported by redirecting {not adding} 1 or 2 cents of the 5 cent sales tax

Boston County would be governed by an elected County President and a bicameral legislative body {lower house 1 rep per some # of capitas something of the order of 400 reps approximately 10,000 capitas per rep}, upper house 1 per city or town no regard to population}

This moves more government closer to the people gets rid of the massive bureaucracies of the authorities, makes the State gov't smaller at least a bit

Overall a more representative government
then the Congressional districts can be realigned to get rid of the miserable gerrymandering as Boston County would still have 3 or 4 US Reps and leave one for the Cape and South Coast and one for the extrema of Essex and Middlesex by the NH Border

A dream -- but it seemed appropriate to insert it here

Westy 8)

[PerfectHandle]

I like it mostly.

I think it's too big and the legislative body you propose is way too unwieldy. No way is that necessary.

[nico]

Ron, I understand where the hospital is...but parkland or not, something needs to be done here. This location has been a hotel, insane asylum, and then the hospital/medical office park. There are still medical offices, and an assisted living facility which opened before the hospital closed. (guess botox and geriatrics are fine) While it was a hospital, there were residents, a pre-school and grade school behind the hospital. There's also the Stone Zoo (Which I guess nobody complains about b/c it's not good enough to draw a crowd), the MDC rink and a boat club the down the street. Across from the zoo, Ray Bourque along w/partners proposed an amazing sports/recreational facility which was met with a negative response. And as far as not wanting traffic lights...93 cuts dead through the heart of the fells conservation land.
Where there once was something, very little remains. The town has no money, and there is president at this location for it to be utilized to generate revenue. If the town can't seem to support itself, it should consider partnerships or even annexation with neighboring towns.

[nico]

^precedent :oops:

[Ron Newman]

If they want to build 25 stories there, that wouldn't bother me. Just don't touch the parkways. The original proposal would have widened and straightened some of them and added a whole bunch of signals.

[pharmerdave]

Bid to annex part of Dedham for development fails
By Javier C. Hernandez, Globe Correspondent | August 24, 2007

A proposal to build the largest residential development in Boston's history crumbled this week, after a developer withdrew plans that called for Boston to expand its border into Dedham.

The deal required the annexation of approximately 40 acres of Dedham land near the Boston neighborhood of Readville for the development of an 1,850-unit affordable housing complex.

But at a meeting Wednesday in Dedham, the developer, the Campanelli Cos. of Braintree, offered $5 million for the annexation, while Dedham officials valued the loss of land at $10 million to $40 million. With neither side willing to negotiate the price, talks ended.

"In order for Dedham to even consider, it would have to have been a fantastic deal for the town," said Selectman James MacDonald, chairman of the committee that examines boundaries. "Based on our analysis, the offer was not even worth pursuing or considering."

Campanelli bought the 72-acre parcel straddling the Boston-Dedham line in 2003. The developer went forward with an annexation proposal after Dedham officials said they would not allow the land, which currently is home to several vacant industrial buildings, to be rezoned for residential use.

Campanelli partner Daniel DeMarco said yesterday that while he was disappointed that an agreement was not reached, he believed that the town considered the proposal fairly.

DeMarco said that Campanelli would go forward with plans to redevelop the area, possibly using the Dedham property for commercial development or open space. He said the company would assemble a final proposal within eight weeks.

Some Dedham residents had protested the development, fearing it would create heavy traffic.

Shaw McDermott, a Boston lawyer and president of Citizens for Dedham Neighborhoods Alliance, said that he was pleased with the outcome of Wednesday's meeting. But he added that the town should keep a close eye on the developer's plans.

"The town of Dedham was and should continue to be concerned about the configuration of development on that site," he said.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino played an active role in the talks, meeting with Dedham officials in June to discuss the project. His office did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.

Javier Hernandez can be reached at jhernandez@globe.com.

[palindrome]

and so it shall remain a vacant warehouse for hundreds of years to come. :cry:

[BarbaricManchurian]

Wow, suburban NIMBYs strike again. Well that's what you get in Massachusetts, the NIMBY capital of the world (and slowest bereaucracy because even if both communities approve it, you'd have to wait months for the Legislature to approve it). Didn't Dedham want to get rid of the land anyway? Getting money for stuff you don't want seems like a good deal, but this NIMBY selectman torpedoes yet another project.

[KentXie]

I think in this situation, it is more less on NIMBY's and more about Dedham getting something back for their loss of land. Though I am disappointed this project didn't go through.

[vanshnookenraggen]

This really isn't a NIMBY thing, it is just money. I guess I can take this off the Google Map.

[kz1000ps]

Dedham won't give up its land, stalling giant housing proposal

September 2, 2007

With negotiations to annex a small piece of Dedham now dead, Boston officials are taking a wait-and-see approach to the future of a 72-acre property that straddles the two communities' border.

"It was a Dedham decision to make, and we haven't seen any new plan from the developer for the Boston side of the property," said Dot Joyce, spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Last month, Dedham officials and Braintree developer Campanelli Cos. reported they could not reach a financial agreement on the transfer of about 40 acres in Dedham to the city of Boston to facilitate development of a large housing complex on the property of a former Stop & Shop warehouse near the southern tip of Boston.

Campanelli officials said they are reassessing their plans for the site and have a number of options. They could try to find a new warehouse tenant or develop only the Boston side of the property as housing, according to company officials.

Lucy Warsh, spokeswoman for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said her agency has not been involved in planning for the property but is monitoring the site.

The Stop & Shop regional warehouse, which closed in 2004, was once a major employer. The city lost about 900 jobs when the grocery chain moved its warehouse operation to a larger facility off Route 24 in rural Freetown.

Campanelli had proposed a 1,850-unit development for the site, which overlooks the Neponset River and is next to the Fowl Meadow section of the Blue Hills Reservation.

As proposed, the development would have been the largest housing complex in Boston's history.

The developer had tried to broker the deal for annexation of the Dedham section, which is inaccessible from the rest of the town.

Dedham officials said they did not want more housing in the town because of the burden new residents would add to schools and other town services.

Robert Preer
? Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/02/dedham_wont_give_up_its_land_stalling_giant_housin g_proposal/

[kennedy]

It would be hillarious if the developer/Boston rezoned the Boston section and built like a 2,000 footer just to piss of Dedham.

[palindrome]

Presenting the Boston Business Park...complete with 2 new warehouses!


http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/off/472751621.html
http://www.cushmanwakefield.com/flyers/BBPFlyerA.pdf