Shaw’s Site Project Slated for Council

By Sue Ellen Woodcock

The City Council on September 12 could decide if the proposal for the old Shaw’s property at 205 Revere Beach Parkway will be placed back on the table for the council to consider whether to allow the project to go forward.

At the end of the Aug. 22 meeting, Councillor Robert Haas Jr. made a motion to table the motion about the project. The project being presented by Transdel Corp., Gate Residential Properties, and Redgate LLC includes  is proposing a five-story, 132 room hotel and a six-story multi family resident building with 204 rooms. Haas tabled the project and suggested some apartments be designated as senior housing.

The project would bring in over $12 million in property, hotel and meals tax, as well as other fees over the next five years.. The mayor’s office is also working on a $3.6 million grant to be filed by the end of this month. with MassWorks, through the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development for water and sewer and road improvements in the Beachmont section.

In order to be approved the project has to have eight city councillors vote in the affirmative.

Voting for the tabling of the project were Councillors Arthur Guinasso, Robert Haas Jr., Patrick Keefe, Steve Morabito, Ira Novoselsky, John Powers, and Jessica Giannino. Voting no were Councillors Joanne McKenna, Charlie Patch, George Rotondo and Anthony Zambuto.

“It’s in Ward 2 but it impacts Beachmont,” said Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna during the last meeting, who also pushed for the Donnelly Square to be improved. “The project is too big for the area,” she said.

Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said there is no change in the proposal from the August meeting.

“We’ll just see what happens over the next week,” Novoselsky said.

Ward 5 Councillor John Powers said he likes how the developers reduced the number of apartments from 300 to 220. He also pointed out how the city needs a new high school and needs to open up the Point of Pines Station. Having upwards of $12 million in revenue and fees could help.

Councillor George Rotondo said “if it were stand alone hotel, but the proposal is different. and “I can’t vote for it.”

Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe said he want’s to see the property use local people for landscaping, plowing and other similar jobs.

The first public hearing on the project was held on July 25. Prior to that two community meeting were held at the police station where people could see the plans and meet the developers,

Monday night, during comment time Mayor Brian Arrigo stood and said, “This was a great example of mixed use development.”

Adding, that it is not a traffic generator or burden on the schools. “This is about the city first and foremost,” he said.

The project will create 36 jobs and hundreds of construction jobs, he added.

The first project proposed a year ago had 300 apartments and no hotel and was withdrawn by the developers.

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