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                                                                                                                                    February (a) 2003 

 

                    Sea To The Green      

    An Update of the East Avenue Neighborhood Association ______________________________________________________________________

Last meeting:  Regular monthly EANA meeting was held on Sunday, January 26 at 3:30 PM at 20 Raymond Terrace

Attendees at Jan 26 meeting: Laurel Lindstrom (President), Toni Rossi (Raymond Terrace), Mary Kiniry (President of Glasser Street Neighborhood Association), Laurel Anderson (City Scan Coordinator), Jill Brodach (Hour Staff Writer), Matthew Vinci (Hour Photographer).

Actions update since December 22 meeting

bulletHappy Holidays to all.
bulletOn January 9 the Zoning Board of appeals did not allow the neighbors that were at the hearing to speak about the expansion that has occurred at the contractor's yard at 89B Strawberry Hill Avenue.  After a one-sided account provided by the attorneys of the property owners the ZBA voted against the cease and desist that was filed by the city on the expansion.  The problem that the ZBA focused on was the wording of the cease and desist that was crafted by the office of the Zoning Inspector.  The restrictive wording, according to the ZBA, gave them no chose but to exclude the testimony of the neighbors and rule as they did. City staff has indicated that the ZBA could have interpreted the wording to allow a hearing that would have allowed the neighbors to speak and their testimony to be considered before a ruling was made.  EANA is still looking for answers and a remedy for the impacted neighbors that are experiencing hardships because of the expansion on the site.
bulletThe decision that was made at the January 9 hearing mentioned above was published in the Hour on January 16.  Fifteen days after this date the decision is final.  Within the 15 days the decision can be appealed to Superior Court. There is a good chance that the ZBA decision would be overturned there and the expansion would need to be removed on the site of the Contractor's Yard.  Unfortunately, the cost of the appeal in legal fees is $7,500 to $10,000. It is a lot of money to put out, especially since had the January 9 hearing been conducted in a fair manner and had the city's staff presented the case adequately the appeal to superior court would not have needed to be considered.

Key items discussed January 26 meeting

bulletNeighborhood Zoning Concerns:  Brief discussion.  Zoning inspectors of city aware of concerns and are addressing them.
bullet89B Strawberry Hill Avenue Contractor's Yard Issue:  Lengthy discussion about the January 9 ZBA hearing.  Update by EANA president regarding contact with the neighbors and various city departments.  Future strategies discussed.
bulletPetitioning for Stop Signs:  Contact needs to be made with home owner on Fort Point St. EANA will follow-up.
bulletAndrews Field:  Still awaiting Sierra Club proposal for clean-up.
bulletEvent Planning:  Brief reminder that EANA needs to begin planning early.
bulletNewsletter and EANA membership issues:  Not discussed.  To be discussed at next meeting.

Next meeting:  Sunday, February 23 at 3:30 PM at 20 Raymond Terrace

Contact numbers:

Phone: 855-7668                                                                                     

E-mail: SeaToTheGreen@cs.com                         

Website: CalmTraffic.org

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