Former Cambridge Courthouse (left), Proposed Development (right)
This is another example of misguided development in Cambridge. The site of the new Cambridge library is on land given to the city for a library and museum. But the City Council approved building the massive high school on the land contrary to the stated purpose in the gift. Now developers are determined to keep the courthouse eyesore as is. Glad to see some dedicated citizens willing to bring a legal action to try to stop it.
[From article]
The two lawsuits [. . .] contest the Planning Board’s Sept. 30 decision to grant the special permit on grounds that the building, which was once owned by the state, no longer conforms to building height and density limits now that is it is owned by a private developer.
[. . .]
“The First Street Garage is substantially full on any given weekday – there are five levels of parking and four of them are full by 10 a.m. There is simply not enough vacant parking spots to accommodate the 420 parking spaces needed for this project, unless existing tenants (like myself) are evicted,” Hill said, adding the proposal also lacks an adequate plan to manage traffic, which is often backed up at the intersections surrounding the courthouse on weekdays.
[. . .]
Leggat McCall executive vice president Robert Dickey said the Planning Board solicited and received legal advice from the city’s law department on whether the proposal classified as a legal non-conforming structure, and the law department said it was.
http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20141121/NEWS/141129028/?Start=1
Cambridge residents sue Planning Board, Sullivan Courthouse developer
By Erin Baldassari
Cambridge (at) wickedlocal.com
Posted Nov. 21, 2014 @ 9:25 am
Updated at 9:36 AM
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