December 03, 2008

NRSA Transfer

Check out item number 9.39 item C from last night City Council. The sume of 100,000 of unused NRSA funds being transferred to Main South NRSA (Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area) for 93 Grand Street.

Paul, myself and others (Laurel from Banknorth--President, Andy from Serrato Sign, Rich Kazarian and Artie Mooradian) had been doing alot of work on the Chandler NRSA and have had several successes:
  • Facades on Chandler/Pleasant (Suney's, Bahnan, Alan's Lock, Roland's Office) to name a few think there have been 7 in all
  • Helped people with home improvements up to 15,000
  • working on Assumption coming to MLK
  • Video camera systems for businesses
  • clean up crews on Chandler Street during the summer
  • amongst other projects

In other words, we have achieved some level of success and it is too bad that $100,000 was not transfered to projects like these. Instead it was transferred to 93 Grand Street. What is 93 Grand Street?

You guessed it Worcester's number 1 growth industry--more low income housing. In Worcester all roads lead to more low income housing.



7 comments:

Gabe said...

Did you catch Kate Toomey try to spin all the building permits taken out over the past year to sound like an incredible boom in private investment in the city?

I know she reads this blog and as a reader of this blog she should know better. I was pretty surprised about that.

She even referenced the Burwick Building.

Just like I always say about City Hall not knowing the difference between The Armsby Abbey and The Raven, do they understand the difference between the North High Apartments and the Burwick Building? Or is any housing in the urban core all the same to them?

Anonymous said...

IS 93 Grand St the old Crompton Knowles complex or there about?

As far as building permits goes one has to differentiate betwenn permits for something like the old Burwick Building...or a new house......vs......a permit to install a new bath or a kitchen or a deck or a roof.....big diff in the value of work put in place.

And speaking of spin......Palmieri alluded last week to an announcement about City Sq..........coming in a few weeks..........maybe the movie...."City Sq".....coming for Xmas '08 to a theatre near you?......so what's up with that ???....it's what.....3 yrs overdue now ..........should we even push for demolition absent any plans to immdeditately strart building a new after teh demo.........nothing like leaving a gaping hole behind city hall for years if there isnt immediate new constr commenced.

And what about the Blackstone Valley visitors center........when will that be commenced?

Private investment activity in the city......Walmart which has been on the drawing board for 2-3 yrs..........what else is there going on now thats of significant size that is private......esp private for profit comm dev'ment?

Paulie's Point of View said...

Senor Jahn..I am putting a new roof on a house I am starting to renovate..is this considered private investment?:>)

Paulie's Point of View said...

"Or is any housing in the urban core all the same to them?"

you know the answer..they will all move back once the pioneers have settled the wild wild east:>)

Sprout said...

The Locksmith building is looking fantastic! I have to say I'm entirely jealous, especially of the windows. The windows on my shop are single pane, leak, fog over, and get frost and ice on the inside...

Anonymous said...

I can only recall what Suneys looks like.......(Paulie I expect to be treated to Suneys F&C soon !!!)....and I think it looks great...kinda of green (colonial style) facade....i like it !!!!..........my only problem is the inconsistency of all teh surrounding architecture/facades..............iincluding that newly re biuilt 3 decker.....where the new england Pizza place used to be.

But folks we have to remembver all the nice buildings .no mater now you 'do up " the hood"............if ya cant change the practices & attitudes of people in the hood....then it's all to no avail..new constr doesnt nec. change the urban core into a kinder .........gentler place

BTW what kind of facede will the new housing block to be built on Mason St have..........?????.................cEEEEement blocks?????

Get thsoe shingles all on before it gets too cold paulie..........as they're too brittle to work with once it gets coooold

4rilla said...

Bill-

As you know I can see 93 Grand from my windows. The link you provided to the Council website does not work. I would love to see what they mentioned detail wise regarding 93 Grand, but obviously I am in agreement with you that low income is not the way to go. But I made my bed in this neighborHOOD so I will have to deal with it.

I just know that $100K doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to that building.

I love this article from the Worcester Business Journal where the Main South CDC states that the condition of 95 Grand is stopping them from moving forward with 93 GRand, even though they are both pretty much in identical shape from what I can tell from the outside.

http://www.wbjournal.com/news41304.html?Type=search