June 22, 2010

Common Ground Board of Directors

Members of the Chandler Business Association have been trying to meet with the Board of Directors of Common Ground to express some of our concerns.   Versus meeting with the whole board, we have been trying to meet with a couple of them to discuss the following issues:

  1. 84 Piedmont Street.  Abandoned building behind Beacon Auto Body that has been vacant for at least two years, if not more.  When are they going to repair?
  2. Mason Street.   They are the owners of record.  Are they going to clean up the lot?  What is the status of the development.
  3. May &  Piedmont Street projects.  These high density 100% low income rental units with insufficient parking are not what the area needs.
  4. Piedmont Court.   Why would they try to take this road off the official map without checking with any of the abutters.
  5. New housing policy.  Has the Common Ground Board of Directors reviewed it and given their Executive Director direction?
When we meet I will post the results.

5 comments:

signman said...

They won't meet...

Jahn said...

Prediction (with less certainty than your predictions).
Worc Common Grn will come back with another game plan for Piedmont court. Dont ask me what sort of plan. I am wondering if the council can just vote to close down the raodway and/or the right of way with compensation to aggrieved abutters and then sell it off to WCG (for 1.00)

WGC is brazen, arrogant, and over the top w/their sense of entitlement.

Time close up all but one CDC. I mean what city needs a half dozen low income, non profit builders? Certainly not a city looking to attract solid middle class people.

Paulie's Point of View said...

once simple question to it's Board of Directors "why did it take a Worcester District Court order to clean up the single family house next door to Beacon Auto Sales and the lot at 48 Mason Street?"...repeated requests from the city failed and the city was forced to expend needed energy and money elsewhere on these two properties..

Jahn said...

Maybe WGC is running of money to keep these places cleaned ???

They got lotsas money to build NO LO but nothing or littel for upkeep & maintenance.

Should WGC's CEO be terminated for failure to carry out his duties as CEO of WGC? Then add in the seweraGE DEbacle at May & MAin streets. I am getting a sense of an Obama clone who cannot manage?????

May I suggest if this meeting happens that someone bring with them a copy of WGC's mission statement and if it deosn thappen mail a copy of it to teh BOD and teh CEO.

What really s+cks is it has been alleged that WGC' will rat out private landlords for minor infractiosn and then the code dept nazi's swoop in.

I see city war memorials with grass in excess of 12". What up w/that?

Bill, will I see you at the burnouts? Paulie u got that Caddy Coupe ready yet? I hear those Winterhill body shop guys are bada++es but they know how to restore a Coupe de Paulie :)

Jahn said...

A few selected copy & papstes from WGC's website:


The neighborhood has suffered from illegal dumping and neglect, as well

There is an affordable housing crisis in Worcester

As a community development corporation, WCG acts as a developer of last resort, rehabilitating abandoned housing and acquiring parcels of vacant land for new construction, which provides area residents with affordable rental units, the opportunity to own their own home, and contributes to an increased level of neighborhood investment, pride and stability. The entire city benefits as these properties are returned to the tax rolls. This work is augmented by neighborhood initiatives, which bring people together to work collectively on issues of concern and to contribute to making their neighborhood a better place to live.

(DEV'ER OF LAST RESORT........HOW ABOUT THE DEV'ER OF 1ST CHOICE?)


In 2004 the Chandler Business Association (CBA) and WCG applied to the City of Worcester to have the Chandler Business District designated as a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA). The Chandler Business Street NRSA Grant has begun to generate economic development funding in support of the CBA's revitalization planning.

-7 Piedmont Street borders on the City of Worcester's designated Arts District and is within one of Worcester Common Ground's target neighborhoods. The immediate area is mixed use of residential and commercial, and not far from our completed Austin Street and Chandler Street projects.

We have been trying to improve the Piedmont Street area for some time now. To the rear of this site is a wonderful enclave of brick row houses, some abandoned and some recently restored along with a community garden owned by WCG. Just behind the site the area known as Castle Street lends itself to an artistic venue and currently has various artists and community activists living and working there. Stretching beyond the immediate site

( ARTISTS).....HUH????



9 May Street:

We have put together a strong development team that includes a financial consultant, an architect, and an attorney who have experience in the reuse of mill and factory buildings

(STRONG DEV'MENT TEAM) ....HUH???...[a little in sewerage dept.]