It IS a disgrace – concerned citizens everywhere want to be assured that Newburyport is up to the task of protecting the communities best interests in the face of a growing onslaught of developers.
The developers are not automatically evil – these are hardworking businessmen who want to make a profit – they see Newburyport as a ripe plum – in the haze of the desert called Massachusetts rises an oasis – a community that THANKS TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION actually has increasing value in its real estate.
But like flies to a bright light, you never know what creatures will be buzzing around in your neighborhood.
If we have the protections in place, we can help the good, yes even great, developers enhance our community with projects. If we lie down and not make any effort to weed out the good from the bad – we will end up with a boom town with haphazard construction that we will have to live with for decades and which will ultimately reduce our community & real estate values not even mentioning our quality of life.
We can not expect the City employees to stop the development. Every one of these projects means more fees and levies that will help balance the budget now and in the near future. To ensure a satiated general budget, most would trade our children’s and our city’s future gladly. Even the good-hearted city employees will have tremendous pressure put on them to ‘pay the bills’.
This means that it will be up to our volunteer boards (Okay, let’s say it bluntly, “They get squat for their talents and time.”) to ensure all of us have a Newburyport we can be proud of in the future.
Supposedly, the Planning Office is supposed to be the advisory support for these boards and commissions and to be the front line of defense against cons, exploiters and flimflammers.
But just as a huge wave of developers are flooding our city with the King Developer also on the move; our Planning Office is strangely being disemboweled. I am starting to wonder if Mayor Moak has returned to the Corner Office?
If you are furious and upset over this situation also understand that good, hard-working developers who want to play by the rules are going to be upset too. Without smooth guidance from the P.O. there will be delays, confusion, continuances, extra fees and general hassle as leaderless businessmen try to navigate the maze of permitting. Nothing will infuriate them more than finding out that ‘playing by the rules’ will only cost them a fortune. It will also lead eventually to corruption, gray markets, under the table dealings and secret deals.
Hardly an image we want to see in Newburyport.
On June 6th, at 6:00 (Come early and hang about because there will be delays), the public is included in the deliberations on the city budget and we need to make sure the Planning Office is fully equipped to handle DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY.
We need the city councilors to hear clearly that Citizens are number one in the city, not City Hall and not developers.
Before Monday, write emails, snail mail, etc. to the Mayor and every city councilor letting them know this is totally unacceptable.
TAKE THE TIME FOR OUR FUTURE!
-P. Preservationist
www.ppreservationist.com
P. Preservationist 