by Frank Schroth

The Granite Avenue Study Committee met last night and had a brief discussion with Richard Henderson of MassDevelopment. Mr. Henderson, Executive Vice President, Real Estate, was present at the prompting of Senator Brian A. Joyce. MassDevelopment works with towns to “strengthen their economic growth,” according to web site.

The Granite Avenue Committee’s charge is:

To research potential uses for the development of the parcel of land on Granite Avenue, currently owned by the state, and that any planned development be done in conjunction with the Town’s master plan and will consider uses that will be of maximum benefit to the community, create a source of revenue for the Town while minimizing any potential cost to the Town.

One way MassDevelopment could help is to provide guidance and suggestions on street scapes. This can be done regardless of the specific use. The committee acknowledged that MassDevelopment could be an asset. There would not be an immediate cost to the town but there may be a fee assessed when if a developer acquires the property. The town is in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with MassDevelopment.

Mr. Henderson noted that the property “has a lot of potential” due in part to proximity and visibility from highway. He acknowledged that development often concerns people but “development can also make things better.” “Development can also make things better.” One of the issues regarding if and how the property can be developed concerns environmental hazards. There is an open question regarding whether or not the site is contaminated.

Another unknown the committee is grappling with is timing of the sale or even who will be the eventual buyer. If the state puts it out to bid there were a couple members who were confident it would be developed as a 40B affordable housing development. Regardless of who the eventual owner is, Member Furze believes the work the committee is doing will be of value.

Lastly, there was a concern voiced by one member regarding whether or not Senator Joyce had an agenda for how the property should be treated and what should go there. “If he is so interested why doesn’t he come talk to us.”

The committee discussed adding Citizen Speak to their agenda starting with their next session. Member Lamoureux emphasized the need for the committee to be completely transparent. Bill Clark has the approved meeting minutes and will be posting them to the town web site as soon as the IT department creates a spot for them.