Find out what is developing at MaxPak

Find out what is developing at MaxPak

By George P. Hassett

The plan to develop the old MaxPak factory site with a building featuring over two hundred condominiums will be discussed over the next three weeks.

Ward 5 Alderman Sean T. O'Donovan will host three public meetings to discuss the project with neighborhood residents on Nov.29, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14 at the Visiting Nurses Association at 259 Lowell Street. 

Comments

[Maximus Packing]

If you live on Lowell Street, Cedar Street or any of the two dozen residential streets surrounding the MaxPak site, you'll want to be there Tuesday night. The unveiling of the new plan with over 200 condos will surely be the best show in town this week.

Hello Raggety Man. Welcome to Blunderdome.

[Ron Newman]

the meetings start at 6:30 pm. This was left out of the posted article.

[somerspeak]

Great news unveiled at the meeting last night. The city and elected officials successfully avoided a potential lawsuit from the "Patch People" by promising no more that 76 condos on the Cedar Street side of the development. What the dumb shits neglect to notice is the three lawyers in attendance representing at least five neighbors of the Lowell Street side of the development. Lowell Street will get over 150 condos all dumping their traffic onto the newly constructed bridges.

The breakdown as stated last night:

Total Condos 229

in and out from Cedar 76

in and out from lowell 153

Does this seem fair to you? Wonder who got a new condo in exchange for their support of this deal?

[Of Course]

Is it any wonder how the powers to beeeees’ have this project all sown up? Come on folks, we already knew that this site was a done deal.

Imagine, 76 sites, zoned for 70, are going to possibly create 110 vehicles dumping onto Cedar Street during the morning rush hour where the traffic already in the morning is backed up to Morrison Ave. Tell me there won't be a traffic/pedestrian light installed there....

Imagine 153 sties being built on the Lowell Street Bridge side dumping ONTO the bridge during rush hour in the morning into a two-lane street. Tell me there won't be a traffic/pedestrian light installed there either.

Imagine a Friday, Saturday early evening when the Armory, Max/Pac, Little Sisters and Vernon Street Studios all decide to get out for the night.... tell me there won't be any problems.

I think you were correct in saying there won't be problems with traffic in Ward 1, Sell me Roche a Job for a vote", Ward 2, Alderman/Dir of Operations DPW live in", Ward 3, "Stumbling TT", Ward 4. Maybe I will go back to Next Wave/Full Circle if they would take me" I doubt it for obvious reasons, Ward 6, “Lame Duck, still shocked Alderman on the way out” or Ward 7, "I'm way out here. It will not bother me"

Wait to see what zoning changes comes along now Ward 5 residents. You all thought this would be a happy gathering of development and residents. You never understood the fact that this ward Alderman has taken thousands in campaign contributions along with the Alderman at Large that has his headquarters just up the street from the Cedar St. site. Campaign contributions are not illegal coming from developers, but if you take those donations from them, how can you represent your constituents that voted for you AND still shove unwanted limits down their throats while you deposit those legal campaign contributions in your account? How do you sleep at night?

Watch for zoning changes folks and remember who orchestrated this project along with the Armory. Also, you may want to know that the zoning board is made up of the following: Zoning Board. Not sure if the link carried over but go to the City web site under Departments, Building & Zoning, then click on the Zoning Board and you will find the names. These people are not your average Joe off the street. They are hand picked by the Mayor, just as the Chief of Police will be very shortly. Chairman you will recognize, along with the second name who is all over this City in retirement figures and property with Boss Hogg, the hard working fourth person who for a price will demo anything that is standing and last but certainly not least, a resident of Ward 7 who’s wife just happens to be on the School Committee for now, I mean Joe has plans for these people as well, just like Menino did…

Wake up people… the city has taken 30 years worth of steps backwards into the Twilight Zone. You can’t miss these signs…

[Ron Newman]

Some of you may be interested in reading about the issues that KSS are facing in Marblehead, where they have proposed a "chapter 40B" townhouse development:

Marblehead Reporter: Lead Mills developers: It's up to town

[Of Course]

Here is a thought that would make one think.

There are so many VACANT converted condos and new construction condos alone here in the City of Somerville, there is no way they will all be getting filled.

Max/PAC adding another 229 units, Hudson Street has probably another 10-15 new construction units, Temple Street having close to 20 more new construction units. Is there anywhere else in the City that developers are building condos?

The home buy is the lowest it's been in four years and all these new condo units are going up. Somerville is not the Skyline @ Stations Landing in Medford. Somerville is not the NorthPoint Project over in Cambridge with retail at both locations. Somerville is Somerville and will always be Somerville. A hard working lower-middle class bunch of people that cannot afford what is going up.

My unfortunate wish is that all these high-class developers that are being wined and dined by our elected officials loose their draws on these land deals. It will be bad for Somerville as a whole but those that think they are running this City deserve nothing better. It’s your fault that the City had failed. You brought them down, not us.

The tax rates will be going up each and every year. Mass Transit won't be here for another 8 years or more. So go ahead elected officials, do your job that we didn’t ask you to do. What comes around goes around.

[brickbottom]

To ofcourse,

If you did your homework you would realize that the chairman of the zoning board WAS NOT appointed by the current mayor.

Get your facts straight before you mouth off.

[Tricky]

Somerville may always be Somerville, but someday (ha ha hoo hah) there's going to be a Green Line extension and you'll never, ever have a problem selling living quarters five minutes walk from a T stop.

OTOH, I can't wait to see how long it takes to fill up those Temple Street condos. Maybe the ad will say "Close to freeways"...

[Of Course]

Sorry Brick, don't get the pony tail tangled. I presumed the Mayor appointed all boards... My bad. If you know, who does appoint the Chairman of the Zoning Board? Tell me the Alderman and I will throw a snowball at you...

[somerspeak]

stop fighting you two. Mr Daly of the Zoning Board and Mr Prior of the Planning Board were appointed to those boards by a different Mayor. Each may have been re-appointed by this Mayor but I'm not really sure.

[Of Course]

Somerspeak, Brick and I aren't fighting. We exchange valuable information through this fabulous site. There isn't even snow on the ground yet.

I am pretty sure the Mayor appoints these boards. The Kelly-Gay Adminstration may have appointed the Chairman but it could be a hold over to the current Administration.

The fact is, this Chairman would have been the perfect choice for Joey due to the fact, while Joey was Alderman-at-Large, he was also Chairman of the Finance Committee when he was forcing the Zoning issues through like a runaway locomotive. So this Chairman does and did know what went on for the past 4 or more years. He knows what the agenda is for the future.

But my original point was Joey picked these 5 people for a reason, for their ability to follow the leader and ask no questions. You do it, or your out. So no friction here on this board so everything that is needed for Max/Pac or the Armory, will have no problem passing with flying colors...

[delusional]

oh yeah somerspuke? that doesnt mean theyre not all political whores/hacks, does it? what about herbie hackboy and sal q-ball? those two are infamous, so is q-ball's other half...all squirrelled away working for the biggest political whore matriarch this city has ever seen - the frumpster......hahahahahahahahaha good luck trying to penetrate (what an appropriate word) that cone of silence that lingers over all the relatives suckling off the tite of this city for the frumpy one, o'drinkivan and whitey the dipshit

[whoareboardmembers]

The mayor appoints and alderman approve or reject. The mayor can replace when term is up but Joe Joe won't do that because he hasthem in his pocket. Now the interesting thing is WHO is on the ZBA and Planning boards and how long have they been there?? Where do these board members WORK? or better yet where are there relatives working. When you expose the names of the members to the site here. Then connect the dots to there relatives and how many work for the CITY. All very interesting. Match the contrbutions to Joe Joe and you'll know why he hasn't replaced a board member yet. The best is Herb Foster & his demolation pal Sal on the board, someone should check it out, hopefully the NEWS will.

[whoareboardmembers]

The mayor appoints and alderman approve or reject. The mayor can replace when term is up but Joe Joe won't do that because he hasthem in his pocket. Now the interesting thing is WHO is on the ZBA and Planning boards and how long have they been there?? Where do these board members WORK? or better yet where are there relatives working. When you expose the names of the members to the site here. Then connect the dots to there relatives and how many work for the CITY. All very interesting. Match the contrbutions to Joe Joe and you'll know why he hasn't replaced a board member yet. The best is Herb Foster & his demolation pal Sal on the board, someone should check it out, hopefully the NEWS will.

[delusional]

hahahahaha should have been named whoreboardmembers instead of whoareboardmembers. mayor mccheese wants a line of yes pods to do his bidding....someone should connect the dots to all the hacks in hackville. forget cambrivill forget whoville we have hackville. bunch of tools.

[Of Course]

If you go to the City Web site and make your way to the Planning and Community Development section, then click on Maxpak Planning, you will find the rest of the Story.

Do you know that THIS Mayor appointed 11 members of the community to the Maxpak Site Design and Development Review Committee? I am sure they are a upstanding members of Ward 5 but who are they all? How come 4 come from Warwick St?

Don't forget too, that KSS Realty pumped into the city coffers $35,000 so the City could "engaged in a standard MGL 30B procurement procedure to obtain these professional services. The consultants were hired by the City of Somerville and were retained exclusively to assist the City with the workshop process. Furthermore, they were instructed that they would be unable to engage in subsequent work for any developer on this site without the approval of the community." Anyone know who those consultants were?

Continuing: GLC Development was one of the consultants hired by the Mayor. GLC also were one of the many developers that gave to Joe's cause.

I can go on and on and on but I think the point is made. MaxPak will be built with the contributions made to the Mayor and Ward Alderman, along with Alderman-at-Large and with appointment or re-appointment of Joe's wand...

It is amazing what one can do when they pay for public information, campaign finance reports filed by all elected officials, the massive use of the search engines of the internet and the cross referencing of names, companies you name it. It all comes to one conclusion. It's your call...

[somerspeak]

I mean no disrespect to you two keen observers of our elected and appointed officials, but how many executives, government or not, do you know that go out of their way to hire people that won't do what they say? Think about it for a minute. Joey is the executive. He gets to hire and appoint who he thinks will carry his message for the "company". Nothing wrong there. I used to do it too. What I resent and will work to undo, is that this executive hires without any thought about the qualifications. Look at some of the appointees. Are they really qualified to comment and rule on planning and zoning issues? Most I fear are not. Some, and I've witnessed it, cannot even wade their way through the zoning ordinances to do their own research on an issue. It turns my stomach, as I'm sure it does yours. What's worse about some of the clowns now serving on these boards, they don't even make any pretense of hiding the fact that they are serving on the boards for their own benefit. That's the deepest cut of all.

["Obsession"]

Why is Tony L. so obessed with being the mayor of Somerville. What makes him him think that he would be the next in line? I could name many people that have a better shot than him. Why do people even talk about him. Is it true about the 100K that he won on a scratch ticket. It appears that money goes to money. Spoiled rich boy gets even more money. This guy has his hands in everything.

[Ron Newman]

You're the only person on this page who has talked about Tony L. at all ... which pretty much negates your entire point.

[Got to have more of Ron N!]

Hey Ron N, I'm one of your biggest fans. I just love what you write about and how you write it! I feel tingles all over! Sometime we should get together! Some of the boys here at Cedar Junction describe you as looking like the little boy on the last years movie "Polar Express"! Keep on writing as you do and stay try to stay in touch. Love Fred!

[Ron Newman]

I was not able to attend the first meeting, but I did go to yesterday's. as vice-chair of the Somerville Bicycle Committee.

The Bicycle Committee takes no position on the desirability of this particular proposal, but does want to ensure that whatever is built there accommodates bicycles and works well with the Community Path extension.

This is what I recall from yesterday's presentation:

- KSS wants to build 229 condominium units

- about 75 of them will be townhouses accessed (by car) from the Clyde Street side only

- the other 150 or so will be in several 4-5 story buildings accessed (by car) from the Lowell Street bridge only

- anyone can walk or bicycle through the entire development, from Clyde Street to Lowell Street, but there will be no way to drive a car through it. However, some provision will be made for emergency-vehicle access to the entire development from both sides.

- they don't have approval yet from MassHighway for a driveway onto the Lowell Street Bridge, but expect such approval in the next week or so. They will not build the 150-unit part without this approval.

- about 3/4 of the parking spaces will be underground, the remainder will be mostly parallel-parking spaces on the development's internal streets. I don't think there were any surface lots in the plan, but I'm not 100% sure of this. There will be 1.4 parking spaces per unit.

- there will be bicycle parking in the garages, but I didn't hear any specifics.

- there will be 3 or 4 entrances to the development from the Community Path. The entrance closest to Lowell Street will include a stairway from the path
to the bridge. The Community Path extension is very important to KSS, and they will either help build it or help pay for it.

- bicyclists and wheelchair users can travel through the development to get between the Lowell Street bridge and the Community Path

- they're thinking about building a twisty switchback path in the triangle between
the railroad, the Lowell Street bridge, and the Community Path. However, KSS doesn't own this property, and I wonder if this land might be used by the MBTA for the future Green Line station.

- they will build a 1-acre public park in the middle of the development, open to everyone

- they kept talking about the development being "a 7-minute walk from Davis Square". In my experience, this is inaccurate. It's more like 12 to 15 minutes walk to Davis. I hope they don't plan to put the 7-minute walk in their marketing materials.

[Solh Zendeh]

One small addition to the above note. My recollection is that there will be no parallel-parking on the street, but that there is an above ground lot planned for the west end (cendar street side) of the development.