By Carol Britton Meyer

After sharing their visions for the 13-acre property, Hull Redevelopment Authority members appeared have a shared desire to preserve at least part of the land as open space and for some kind of community center.

There were differences of opinion among board members and citizens who spoke during the three-hour meeting regarding the possibility of constructing affordable housing. At one point, there were 52 participants in the Zoom meeting.

Member Joan Senatore suggested as an alternative working with the Affordable Housing Committee “to see how we can support them and maybe provide some financial support to find another location to help create some affordable housing in Hull. It’s something that the town needs.”

In sharing his vision, member Dan Kernan said his starting position is “not to see the property sold, except as a last resort – no private housing, hotel, or private conference center and limited commercial,” he said. Instead, he said he favors utilizing most of the space for public use.

He also suggested – as has been a topic of conversation at numerous board meetings – conducting a survey “to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that the majority of the community is interested in a change of direction and have completely rejected Urban Renewal Plan Option 2.”

“Let’s choose a partner to help develop a new URP [Option 3] and to guide us,” Kernan said.

He also expressed an interest in a community gathering space in addition to open space.

Jennifer Romeo Porcaro, whose grandfather’s house was taken by eminent domain by the redevelopment authority 60 years ago, said she “absolutely supports” Kernan’s vision.

“I would hate to see private property that was taken by eminent domain get into the hands of a private developer or sold to some private organization,” she said. “For the land to go back to private housing would be absolutely disgusting. I would like to see it as a community space and would offer to commemorate with my own money my grandfather’s legacy with a bench. Please, please, do not sell the land back to any private developer for a private development. This is prime real estate in Hull, and I encourage you to make it a community space.”

‘Redeveloping the property is our job’

Chair Bartley Kelly discussed the property’s history and the creation of the HRA.

“It’s our job to see what redevelopment of the property could look like and how it could benefit the town,” he said. “Redeveloping the property is our job. It’s right in our name.”

He noted that listening to HRA members and input at community meetings, “some would like to see the property remain 100% open space, while others have proposed using [part of the property] to create affordable housing. … We’re looking for a compromise. … Thirteen acres is a lot of open space to maintain without a revenue stream.”

He brought up the two-way road plan – which has been discussed repeatedly during HRA meetings and is in the draft URP – stating that voters at the 2018 town meeting “endorsed the two-way road plan based on the information provided.”

Board member Adrienne Paquin asked Kelly to clarity his statement regarding town meeting endorsing that plan, with Kelly responding that the article passed by “well over the required two-thirds vote.”

Resident Lisa French expressed a different view. “The public didn’t vote for the two-way road plan,” she said, only a potential transfer of property.

Kelly responded that the town meeting vote “authorized the select board to effectuate the two-way road plan through a land transfer. They haven’t conveyed that land since we haven’t finished the URP. The town is continuing to pursue that plan, and it’s in our draft URP.”

Later in the meeting, resident C. Anne Murray said she reviewed the 2018 town meeting vote “and it was to convey the land on the bayside strip into the diagonal road so that if the select board felt that as the DCR [Department of Conservation & Recreation] developed the two-way road plan and if it made sense to go forward, that land could be transferred … to make it all work.”

“What really sticks in my craw, though, is that the two-way road plan was [created] around a development that was under consideration years ago, involving a large commercial space with residential on top … that is not going to happen, and that needs to be taken into account, because it’s [based on] a foundation that is not there anymore,” she said.

‘I love the concept of a community center’

With regard to surveys, resident Steve McCumber noted that only a small percentage of Hull residents have responded, “so it’s too early for anyone to say the town overwhelmingly wants one thing or another.

“I love the concept of a community center – something that would allow weddings to bring people here from out of town to view Hull, and maybe they would want to live her afterwards,” he said.

Resident Liz Kay asked whether there is a way to do a “value analysis on the land so the HRA is working off some real numbers – the value of gathering places and park lands and the impact on taxes and the value of homes … [as well as] the impacts to our infrastructure? The value of the property has only gone up.”

Another resident mentioned that the availability of water to serve development on the HRA property is also a concern, as the Weir River Water System is encouraging conservation of water.

‘Doing something for the good of our citizens’

Among Paquin’s priorities is “doing something for the good citizens of this town – something that is supported by the majority that is considerate of the climate-sensitive location of this land.”

Her ideas for the property include open space, a community center, and creation of community space “with benches – a casual meeting place for gatherings, children’s birthday parties, and picnics – hopefully with the infrastructure in certain places to support community events.”

“I agree that selling this land to a private developer would make [the HRA] millions, but it would be nothing but a slap in the face to the people who were moved by eminent domain many years ago,” she said.

“This might bring in some tax revenues, but our taxes will never go down. This land is a precious resource, and we want to do something on it that is worthy of it – not a huge hotel or conference center or private housing,” she said. “Maybe I’m allowing myself to dream that we can find the funding for this, but we owe it to the town to at least try.”

Kernan noted that if part or all of the property were to be sold, such a transaction “would be irreversible. The highest use is as public space, and we should try that first.”

While “money is not the most important consideration, I’m a realist,” Kelly said. “We have to have the funds to leverage. We have to fund the future.”

Regarding affordable housing, SOS Hull’s Susan Vermilya suggested “looking at what part of the 13 acres is usable space. Some of the property on the bay side is under water at high tide. Before we give away this beautiful land for affordable housing, I’m hopeful you would take a look at the [town’s inventory of land] and look at other options.”

In response to a question from Paquin, HRA technical operations manager Mark Hamin explained that URPs are required to specify an expiration date, “which is normally about 20 years to fulfill the goals of the plan.”

Near the end of the meeting, Paquin said she felt “invigorated by all this energy” expressed by citizens who spoke.

She also noted that “this redevelopment situation we are in is not unique, except we haven’t yet finished the job. Other communities have gone through this – land taken by eminent domain, the owners offered market value and moving costs. This was traumatic for some, while others found a better place to move. Land redevelopment has occurred in a huge variety of ways in other communities. Let’s look at what’s needed for the town at this time, not 50 years ago.”

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

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