By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Redevelopment Authority began its paragraph-by-paragraph review of the draft Urban Renewal Plan this week, starting with the 15-page executive summary at the beginning of the lengthy document. Members Adrienne Paquin and Bartley Kelly were not present, but Paquin had earlier submitted her comments for the discussion.

HRA Chair Dennis Zaia told citizens participating in the Zoom meeting that while no comments from the audience would be accepted that night, they are invited to submit comments by email.

Identifying outdated sections

“The goal of going through the draft URP is to identify what is outdated and to make necessary changes as well as to [ensure the document] reflects changes in what HRA members and members of the public think [should be the] priorities since the last version,” HRA Technical Operations Manager Mark Hamin said.

The PDF version of the 65-page document that he displayed on the screen from the HRA website could not be marked or edited physically in its current form, but Hamin said he will find a way to be able to do so at future meetings as well as to number the lines of type on each page for easy reference.

Click here for the current version of the draft Urban Renewal Plan

As part of the lengthy discussion, it was decided unanimously by the three members present – Zaia, Joan Senatore, and Dan Kernan – to remove references to residential and commercial development and to emphasize instead the idea of “improving” the HRA property without specific details, and to remove from the draft URP references to the proposed two-way road plan and related infrastructure. The topic will be discussed by the HRA at some point in the future.

‘Putting off a difficult decision’

Taking out the two-way road references in the current draft allows the HRA “to make progress while putting off a difficult conversation,” Kernan said. “At some point, though, we will have to make a decision.”

Hamin suggested that the final URP include a glossary of terms, such as “development,” which he said doesn’t only relate to residential and commercial projects but can also include open spaces, community plazas, and other features.

It was also suggested that more research be done about the different parts of the executive summary related to demographics, young professionals and families moving to Hull, the growing senior population, and other points and to seek updated data from a more recent census “to help determine whether some of this information is aspirational or [supported by current data],” Hamin said.

He then asked whether the town has ever embarked on a marketing plan to make visitors aware that Hull isn’t just about going to the beach, but also about enjoying other attractions.

Zaia explained that a number of years ago, the town had a signage program resulting from some grants, “but it was not as robust or expansive as anyone of us might think.”

Hamin said it is important to find a balance between attracting more visitors to local shops, restaurants, and other offerings and the associated increase in traffic.

HRA property occupies ‘pivotal location’

The overarching theme, Hamin said, “is that the HRA property occupies a pivotal location in town with opportunities yet to be realized and taken advantage of in terms of general development possibilities – not necessarily residential or commercial – including the property becoming a gateway through which visitors can become aware of the many other amenities Hull has to offer beyond the beach.”

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

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