Post by sader1970 on Sept 4, 2022 5:27:31 GMT -5
I am sure that Phreek will have satellite photos shortly and maybe had his contacts at the meeting:
Politics and the City: New Holy Cross residence project surprises — and upsets — neighbors
Cyrus Moulton
Telegram & Gazette
The College of the Holy Cross has submitted plans to build an 8,000-square-foot, one-story residence at the dead end of Kendig Street.
WORCESTER — The College of the Holy Cross is proposing a new residence on Kendig Street for the 10 Jesuits on campus. The school is also apologizing for not informing neighbors before the proposal was taken up by the Planning Board.
“The college works very hard to be a good neighbor to folks in the College Hill area. In this instance, we messed up and we apologize,” John Hill, director of communications for the college, said in a statement Friday. “Though work has not yet started, we should have notified our neighbors before submitting an application to the city. It was an oversight, and we plan to put extra safeguards into our process to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
The college submitted plans to build an 8,000-square-foot, one-story residence with 10 bedrooms and spaces including a chapel, exercise room and a shared kitchen for the 10 Jesuits who live on campus, currently in Ciampi Hall. The proposed project is to be located at the end of Kendig Street, directly abutting the campus and immediately adjacent to the upper campus parking lot. The proposal also seeks to pave the end of Kendig Street.
The proposal appeared Wednesday before the Planning Board for a site plan review.
Attorney Joshua Lee Smith of Bowditch & Dewey, representing the trustees of the college at the meeting, noted that the number of Jesuits living on campus has decreased from as many as 36 men to 10. He said the school was “right-sizing” the Jesuits’ residence. The residence will be accessed from the main campus, and an emergency gate, requested by the Fire Department, will separate the residence from Kendig Street.
But the proposal took neighbors and District 3 Councilor George Russell by surprise.
“I’m disappointed, quite frankly, in Holy Cross as an institution,” Russell, who represents the College Hill area, told members of the Planning Board.
Russell said he only heard about the proposal when an abutter, who was notified of the plans by mail, called. He said a community meeting about the project was scheduled roughly two weeks after the Planning Board’s meeting.
“In previous years, the college had made an effort to communicate with neighbors,” Russell continued. “I personally wish the college had communicated with the neighborhood in advance of this hearing.”
Opposition from neighbors
Kendig Street neighbors had also gathered to oppose the project, with many complaining about what they said was Holy Cross’s expansion into the neighborhood.
“What this is is a consolidation of a corporation being masked by divinity,” Kendig Street resident Marc Ewings told members of the board. “The residents of Kendig Street and College Hill have been debating and fighting with Holy Cross for years…(The College) is going to keep going until they buy everything.”
Several residents also complained about construction impacts from the townhouse-style dorms the college is building on City View Street. They said that contractors are using city streets to haul equipment and materials, park on local streets despite a satellite parking lot and shuttle system, and the emergency gate for that project is continually open leading to increased foot traffic from students.
“There are quality-of-life issues here, that we as residents didn’t even get to talk to Holy Cross about…we didn’t get to say, ‘You promised this last time and didn’t deliver,’ ” College Street resident Mary Leiovich said. “These are legitimate issues, and questions need to be answered before you hand these guys a permit and tell them to start digging.”
The neighbors applauded.
Hill said that college representatives meet regularly with the neighborhood as part of our Holy Cross & Community Alliance and will meet this week and “will speak in depth about the plans for this project and take questions.”
“In the past, as with the student housing project now under way on City View Street, we have shared our plans with neighbors well in advance of any work starting,” Hill said. “We will make sure we keep up that practice in the future.”
Meanwhile, the Planning Board voted unanimously Wednesday to continue the public hearing to allow for the community meeting to occur.
“It seems like any time we read a news story about Holy Cross, it’s that the college isn’t being a good neighbor to the people next to it,” Planning Board Chairman Albert LaValley said. “Perhaps, we all need to consider how to address that broken trust with abutters.”
Contact Cyrus Moulton at cyrus.moulton@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @moultoncyrus
Cyrus Moulton
Telegram & Gazette
The College of the Holy Cross has submitted plans to build an 8,000-square-foot, one-story residence at the dead end of Kendig Street.
WORCESTER — The College of the Holy Cross is proposing a new residence on Kendig Street for the 10 Jesuits on campus. The school is also apologizing for not informing neighbors before the proposal was taken up by the Planning Board.
“The college works very hard to be a good neighbor to folks in the College Hill area. In this instance, we messed up and we apologize,” John Hill, director of communications for the college, said in a statement Friday. “Though work has not yet started, we should have notified our neighbors before submitting an application to the city. It was an oversight, and we plan to put extra safeguards into our process to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
The college submitted plans to build an 8,000-square-foot, one-story residence with 10 bedrooms and spaces including a chapel, exercise room and a shared kitchen for the 10 Jesuits who live on campus, currently in Ciampi Hall. The proposed project is to be located at the end of Kendig Street, directly abutting the campus and immediately adjacent to the upper campus parking lot. The proposal also seeks to pave the end of Kendig Street.
The proposal appeared Wednesday before the Planning Board for a site plan review.
Attorney Joshua Lee Smith of Bowditch & Dewey, representing the trustees of the college at the meeting, noted that the number of Jesuits living on campus has decreased from as many as 36 men to 10. He said the school was “right-sizing” the Jesuits’ residence. The residence will be accessed from the main campus, and an emergency gate, requested by the Fire Department, will separate the residence from Kendig Street.
But the proposal took neighbors and District 3 Councilor George Russell by surprise.
“I’m disappointed, quite frankly, in Holy Cross as an institution,” Russell, who represents the College Hill area, told members of the Planning Board.
Russell said he only heard about the proposal when an abutter, who was notified of the plans by mail, called. He said a community meeting about the project was scheduled roughly two weeks after the Planning Board’s meeting.
“In previous years, the college had made an effort to communicate with neighbors,” Russell continued. “I personally wish the college had communicated with the neighborhood in advance of this hearing.”
Opposition from neighbors
Kendig Street neighbors had also gathered to oppose the project, with many complaining about what they said was Holy Cross’s expansion into the neighborhood.
“What this is is a consolidation of a corporation being masked by divinity,” Kendig Street resident Marc Ewings told members of the board. “The residents of Kendig Street and College Hill have been debating and fighting with Holy Cross for years…(The College) is going to keep going until they buy everything.”
Several residents also complained about construction impacts from the townhouse-style dorms the college is building on City View Street. They said that contractors are using city streets to haul equipment and materials, park on local streets despite a satellite parking lot and shuttle system, and the emergency gate for that project is continually open leading to increased foot traffic from students.
“There are quality-of-life issues here, that we as residents didn’t even get to talk to Holy Cross about…we didn’t get to say, ‘You promised this last time and didn’t deliver,’ ” College Street resident Mary Leiovich said. “These are legitimate issues, and questions need to be answered before you hand these guys a permit and tell them to start digging.”
The neighbors applauded.
Hill said that college representatives meet regularly with the neighborhood as part of our Holy Cross & Community Alliance and will meet this week and “will speak in depth about the plans for this project and take questions.”
“In the past, as with the student housing project now under way on City View Street, we have shared our plans with neighbors well in advance of any work starting,” Hill said. “We will make sure we keep up that practice in the future.”
Meanwhile, the Planning Board voted unanimously Wednesday to continue the public hearing to allow for the community meeting to occur.
“It seems like any time we read a news story about Holy Cross, it’s that the college isn’t being a good neighbor to the people next to it,” Planning Board Chairman Albert LaValley said. “Perhaps, we all need to consider how to address that broken trust with abutters.”
Contact Cyrus Moulton at cyrus.moulton@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @moultoncyrus
