March 24, 2011

Main South CDC

Next time anyone reading this blog is near West Palm Beach, I strongly suggest you check out CityPlace.   Checked out a bunch of condos and really liked the Palms.    It reminds you of Faneuil Hall but with a movie Theatre and grocery store, with great weather year round. Got back last night, after one of my worst flights ever.    The stroms from Virginia through Pennsylvania rocked the plane for an hour.

today I get back and one of the first stories I read is about another press conference for 17 units of low income housing for Main South CDC.    Is this still news anymore??   

I got to admit that these projects, when they build duplexes like the are in Gardner-Hammond, they actually improve the neighborhood, although I can but help question the amount of money that is spent per unit.    Construction wise these are the most expensive homes built per square foot in Worcester.    

Projects like these are much better then the dense constructed projects like May Street, Hadley and Southgate Place.  

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"C.D.C." translates to

"could destroy capitalism"

"cannabilizing downtown communities"

"creating dingy cities'

"cellar dwelling crybabies"

Anonymous said...

Not flying Direct Air these days?

ben

Bill Randell said...

Ben

No I did not Fly Direct Air. I could not fit it into my schedule.

Wife and daughter went down for two weeks and I really was not sure when I could get away. JetBlue out of Boston was my only choice.

DirectAir had alot of signs around airport and you checked in right before JetBlue gate.

Bill

Jahn said...

And now we have bloggers thinking this is the last low income housing project in Main South when in fact what teh T&G said was that these units are the last piece of the puzzle as Re The Gardner Kilby Hammond 10 yr build out...including but not limited to 4 relocated and rehabbed 3 deckers that rumor has it cost $600,000 each and that was at 2003 prices. Anyone who thinks that Main South CDC is done building is dreaming. That said, I wish they were done.

Putting low income, low lifes in beautiful housing that costs taxpayers $300+ per sq ft is just the beginning of the injustice to the taxpayers. After these low income units are built the taxpayers have to put up with the socio-econmic fallout as well the burden it places on the school system. Its the same fallow logic that says kids need new(er) school buildings to get educated or that convicts who reside in new jailhouses have a better chance once they back on the outside or that firemen need new fire houses to obtain more restful sleep...so they can go out and unbid small local contractors on their daytime jobs

And speaking of unbuilt public spaces we have a beautiful VietNam Vets Memorial built in Greenhill park and you guessed it...no money to maintain it. Wonder how that plan for a so called lineal or linear park along Lake Quinsig in the area of the sinking N Lake Ave is coming along? Query, if the road is really truly sinking, why is only one lane closed off and not both lanes. I can see this being the first question from a tort lawyer when the city gets sued when the other half of the roadway collapses as cars qu'ed up at the one way traffic light tumble down the embankment into Lake Quinsig.

My self I am still waiting for the community garden that Main SOuth CDC was suppposed to build, per their winning bid for tax title land, back in June of 2005. Fast forawrd 6 yrs and what we have is another failure to perform, not unlike Worc Common Grd on Mason St. Same group of bids too, June 2005. These groups all seem to suffer from IED. Inabilty (to) Erect Dysfunction.

Nick said...

Isn't number of units 22?

You're right that this GKH project has been great, and that it should be the rule rather than the exception. But why offer even a half-complaint about the taxpayer cost of these, which actually help a neighborhood that needs it. You know your taxes also subsidize mortgage interest tax deductions for buyers in the sunbelt, right?

Ever think about starting a CDC/nonprofit, limit yourself to these type of projects, and compete on price? (only 500K for a three decker relocation!)

possibly related: does anyone know what's going up on the corner of Canterbury and Hammond?

Bill Randell said...

Nick:

Not sure exactly what your comment means regarding price? We should be putting these new consruction units out to bid. These could be put up at half the cost.

Dave Carlson, Dave's towing is building another building without the help of any CDC on the corner of Canterbury and Grand. Did nt even have a press conference

Bill

Jahn said...

Nick your logic escapes me here.

Lets turn it around 180 degrees......Therefore the Sunbelt taxes subsidize mortgage interest deductions for buyers in the Northeast.

Nick said...

Good news on the new construction.

Hmmm, I thought some parts of the project requirement non-profit involvement to be practical, clean up of the land jumps to mind. Guess I'm mistaken here.

In theory I'm with you on the bids, but is this kind of Fed money easier to secure when you already have a builder who has a been around a while and already done something like GKH? in other words is it overpriced or not at all?