By Carol Britton Meyer

As the Hull Redevelopment Authority discussed a process to revisit its draft Urban Renewal Plan, board members decided to invite project engineers and Hull Community Development and Planning Director Chris DiIorio to provide an update on that two-way road proposal at an upcoming meeting.

The controversial street reconfiguration would remove two of the four lanes of traffic crossing the HRA land and convert the remaining two lanes to one in each direction from Monument Square through the Surfside business district to the Anastos Corner area. Hull Shore Drive and Hull Shore Drive Extension also would become two-way, and would connect with a redesigned intersection with incoming traffic from George Washington Boulevard near the Mezzo Mare restaurant.

Click here for more information about the two-way road plan (scroll down).

Planning board member Cindy Borges suggested the board also notify the select and planning boards about this meeting once it is arranged.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) also is weighing into the two-way road plan. A 2023 letter to the town indicates that the current two-way road layout is not compatible with the state agency’s master plan for the Nantasket Reservation. But the HRA is waiting to hear more.

However, member Adrienne Paquin emphasized the importance of “moving forward with a plan, regardless of whether there will be a two-way road or not.”

A couple of board members expressed concern that HRA Chair Bartley Kelly’s strong support for the two-way road proposal – a plan he said the town is moving forward with – is being misinterpreted by some members of the community as support by the overall board, which is not the case.

Grant funding available

Kelly noted that grant funding is already in place – contingent on overall project approval – for improvements, resiliency measures, and safety enhancements that would positively affect the HRA property, in his opinion.

There continues to be a difference of opinion among some members about the two-way road proposal and whether there should be development on the HRA land geared toward economic development and increasing tax revenue, although all board members agree there should be at least some open space.

“We have to come up with something, or we will continue to talk in circles,” Kelly said. “I want to get off this merry-go-round.”

As an option to Kelly’s approach, Paquin urged board members to think creatively, “perhaps pairing with organizations and seeking grants for climate resilience and open space preservation” before taking what she called Kelly’s “black-and-white approach, which could be our fallback [position]. After all this time, why not take a little longer to get it right?”

Paquin asked Kelly what his vision for the URP process is moving forward, now that there is a full board following Charles Richardson’s recent appointment to the open seat following Dennis Zaia’s resignation.

Moving forward

Looking at maps of the property to determine which parcels might be suitable for development, if any, encouraging HRA members to endorse the two-way road plan, “and then starting to edit the URP and getting back to public meetings once the board reaches a consensus on some kind of direction and moving forward with this plan,” Kelly responded.

Resident C. Anne Murray has concerns about the proposed two-way road plan, recalling when the road was made one-way in the mid-1970s.

“Now it’s back to two-way [if the plan goes through],” she said, expressing safety concerns.

Paquin responded that she wants to do a survey “so that feedback from the community would guide the [URP] process. Is this board willing to do that or will it [continue to] be just five people throwing ideas around?”

Board member Dan Kernan noted when Kelly started displaying maps of the property from the earlier URP that there was a general agreement earlier not to “rehash” the old one. He suggested reviewing the property maps parcel by parcel or coming up with a vision of what the board wants “in general, and then figure out where things should go. Both would work,” he said.

Richardson, who said he’s “done his research and listened to people in town,” suggested a combination of development – looking at different parcels – and open space “that would make it more conducive to watching a sunrise or a sunset.”

Kernan was appointed by the board as HRA representative to the DCR-town working sessions to ensure the authority has a seat at the table about a variety of related issues.

“If they’re willing to accept us,” member Joan Senatore quipped.

Meetings to be in-person

HRA meetings, typically held on Zoom, will be in-person for the most part moving forward – after a majority vote of the board this week –with a Zoom option as an alternative, depending on how much of an interest the public is expected to have in a particular agenda.

The Monday, November 10 meeting will be held in-person in the select board meeting room at town hall. Hull Community Television will record the meetings live so they can be watched at the same time and on demand, but there is no provision for remote public input while the meetings are in session.

A few citizens said they feel Zoom meetings enable more people to participate who might not be able to attend in person, with a concern that the select board meeting room has a limited capacity and might be inadequate during in-person HRA meetings of particular interest.

The high school exhibition room is equipped for recording meetings, when a large in-person turnout might occur, but the HRA and school committee both meet on Monday, so their schedules would have to be coordinated for the board to meet there.

A replay of the meeting will be available on Hull Community Television’s website, www.hulltv.net.

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