Sorry this took longer then I thought. To be honest there were even more then I had orginally thought. Just added Kilby Gardner Hammond to the MAP. When is enough enough?
We are already way above the state requirement for "affordable" housing, why do we keep building them? ANSWER---It is a big business and alot of people are making alot of money. I calculate the average price of an affordable unit in the City of Worcester to be approximately 300,000. Taking into account 361 units, the number is 108,300,000 invested in "affordable" housing. On the low side the cost is at least $250,000 per unit that still comes to $90,250,000 invested in "affordable" housing? Big business!!!
In the end this all goes back to the Housing Study by RKG in 2002 that was disregarded. Their main recommendation was that the city should abandon its strategy of building affordable housing in favor of more upscale housing. How do you think the people building these projects felt about this recommendation? Needless to say they won, the RKG report was filed and city keeps pushing for more affordable housing. Our loss.
Take a moment and read their 2 page recommendation. RKG could not have gotten this more right in 2002. Here is a small part:
The City's policy to use the many CDC's to develop more low income housing should be reconsiderd. While their renovation work has help stabilize some of the neighborhoods, especially at a time when the redevelopment was needed, their subsidized development has alientated some local builders/ developers. Another alternative to renovating these three deckers would be to thin out selectively some of these buildings and make the sites ready for single for new single family homes in a townhouse style, and market the sites to private developers for construction. The CDC's in the future should be considered more of a developer of last choice....
Not a chance this will happen and we can expect 361 more units the next 5 years. I say we have a wayfarer sign for this district that shows a person in pajamas.
Same Time Next Year
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It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about the problems that come from
having 11 bosses who are not on the same page about anything, as well as
suggestion...
4 months ago
12 comments:
Bill I like that sign you have proposed. It truly embodies 3 symbols of systemic failure in Worc. Maybe your pal Signman would donate labor Plus materials to make this sign a reality.....just kidding !!!!!!!
a. The Wayfarer sign debacle
b. Pajama people
c. NO/LO housing
A true hattrick in every sense of the word.
BTW, speaking of signage, is that concrete sign mount still sitting in front of your office at curbside awaiting an overhead sign?? If so how long has been?
Suggestions for a location to site this sign please. I say "The Parthenon Sq" in front of the Hand It Over Theatre. Consider It a 1st Annivrsary gift from this message Board
BTW, I was told much of the 40B housing in Tewksbury is all small single family houses on under sized lots............ i.e it's not densely built apts/condo complexes with 44 units on 1.5 Acres like Worc Common Grounds old piano factory site at May, Silver(?), and Main Sts...........one such dev'ment that I was shown all the back yards back up to the RR and/or the MBTA Tracks.
Jahn:
It would almost be funny if it was not so true.
The sad thing is that this will not even come up as an issue at any time during city council meetings. The next time one of these projects get funding there will be another ribbon cutting and everyone will show up..
Bill
PS Yes the concrete foundation is still in front of my building
Jahn:
That is how most towns do it. In act they also try to do it outside their core. Check out Sterling they put some affordable housing right off the Route 190 almost in an Industrial Park far from the center. In Westborough same thing down Flanders Road in an Industrial Park.
Worcester is the only one putting these densely build projects right in their core. It makes no sense.
Bill
Bill same thing in Shrewsbury.
In early 90's the site of the old Shrewsury drive in theatre on Rte 9 (not the edgemere on Rte 20) was converted to some low income apts. Maybe moderate income there too.
Stop in the Dunkin Donuts at White City on Rte 9 in Shrewsbury some day and see what NO LO's who live in the apt complex behind White City East shopping center (S Quinsig Ave) have done chillin' all day at the White City East shopping center scratching tickets and sucking down Latte's.
And eventually it looks like Spags site on Rte 9 also will be made into a combo of commercial and low income units.
Both are on major highways, in business districts. They try to "protect" the residential areas of town from this type of encroachment............otherwise all the local selectmen would be looking for new jobs come the next election cycle..........but in Worc we keep re -electing councilors who are contunually sabotaging our city with a tidal wave of NO LO housing..and as you said they all show up with shovels for ground breaking.....and for the free feed when the open house is held upon completion.
In Worcester we drain the moat and lower the drawbridge to let this low income housing ememy into our kingdom............then NO LO's destroy our kingdom.....not unlike the Asian Long Horned Beetle that eventually destroys its own host from the top down......multiplying exponentially in number
Down on route 20 close to Route 9, think that may be Northboro not Shrewsbury, the same thing.
I am telling you I heard a rumor a few months back that Winn Management had bought something in the Canal District. If that is true then we are talking no income property in the Canal District to.
Why is such a commitment to "affordable" housing never even discussed at a City Council Meeting?
Bill
Something relevant to the city discussed at a council meeting.....surely you jest.
NO LO housing.....a Trojan Horse coming to your community soon..........
Jahn:
I know a guy who has applied to move into the 300K apartments at 9 May Street. Where does he live now?
Answer--Worcester Housing Authority Addison Street apartments. In two years when Southgate Place is done, he can then move into those 300K apartments.
Does he have a job? Surely you jest.
Bill you said it makes no sense.
It makes perfect sense to me. Why shouldn't they put them there? There is no opposition. There is no strong neighborhood organization that stands up and says no friggin way.
You don't see this kind of development happening on Shrewsbury St do you? That is because those people would throw a nutty. They are the only urban neighborhood association with any sort of pull in the whole city. Put a huge night club in our neighborhood? No friggin way. You remember when that happened a few years ago? I was young and brash and thought that these people were old ignorant coots, but now I get it, that kind of thing doesn't fit in that neighborhood. They are plenty urban over there, and there are plenty of places to get a drink with more opening every year. It's just that a huge night club complex has no place there.
The best thing anyone can do for this city, bigger than taking office, is to buy property in the urban core, and then become the most irritating noisy squeaky wheel you can possibly be with a mind on true urban living.
We are selling out all of our urban housing stock and architecture to low income housing and you know what? I think once it is low income housing it may be low income housing forever, I don't think there is any going back.
Who is going to oppose low income in the Canal District? There are probably less than 100 people living in the whole neighborhood. I would be surprised really if there are fifty people living there.
Now you have to think about the business and property owners. How many of them actually get it? How many of them really understand what kind of a wrench low income housing would throw into the works in that neighborhood? How much it would set back all the progress of the last 4 or 5 years?
If this is true Alan Fletcher, and the Block 5 folks need to be leading the charge into City Hall and also the Telegram and publicly saying no friggin way and explaining why. If not, then they get what they deserve.
Gabe the problem is that you can only throw up political opposition & make lotsa noise.
40B has almost a legal carte blanche to constr NO LO housing in Massachusetts.
What needs to happen is the 40B law has to be neutered or weakened down on Beacon Hill.
Jahn, try to build low income housing on Shrewsbury St and see what happens.
There is a reason why it is being built where it is being built.
Gabe
I like Alan Fletcher and respect what he has done in the Canal District.
Right now he needs big time Gov't money to see the changes he wants in the Canal District. No way is he going to rock the boat.
It will be interesting to see what he does when a "affordable" housing project ends up in the Canal District?
Bill
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