By Elizabeth Hacala
Town Manager Richard Reed reported to the Board of Selectman on July 21 that the United States Coast Guard has agreed to work with the Town of Bedford to dispose of the Coast Guard housing property. Previously, the Coast Guard had indicated they would be putting this property out for bid by auction via the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
This change in position was enthusiastically received by the Selectmen. Selectman Mike Rosenberg thanked the Town Manager’s office for their hard work and thanked Gene Clerkin, chair of the Bedford Housing Authority, for his suggestion to hold a two-part charrette to determine what Bedford residents wanted to see on the property.
Selectmen Chair Margot Fleishman said that although events had been moving swiftly on this property recently, work has been going on for years across a variety of committees.
Under the resolution, Bedford would negotiate on behalf of the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust to purchase the property and simultaneously transfer the property to a development partner. The developer would then move forward with a development in keeping with the two most widely supported design concepts in the Pine Hill Road Charrette.
The Selectman unanimously approved the resolution supporting endorsing Pine Hill Road Charrette options A and B and the process for acquisition. The Board also resolved to bring zoning changes to the November town meeting to allow development of the property in keeping with the charrette.
The charrette for the property was developed earlier this year through a series of public meetings. Links to prior articles on the charrette process and the Coast Guard property can be found below:
- https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2014/06/05/selectman-review-status-of-coast-guard-property/
- https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2014/05/22/second-charrette-on-coast-guard-housing-more-questions-than-answers/
- https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2014/04/04/residents-turn-out-in-force-for-coast-guard-housing-meeting/
Video recordings of the Pine Hill Charrette meetings are available on the Bedford TV YouTube channel:
- Session 1: https://youtu.be/f6M4X41HAYU?list=UUpGZoHgJ7H08Lcm7aj90Gfw
- Session 2: https://youtu.be/zzOBH9Lhnsw?list=UUpGZoHgJ7H08Lcm7aj90Gfw
Correction – 07/24/2014: Gene Clerkin’s title was originally stated as a member of the Housing Trust; Clerkin is the chair of Bedford’s Housing Authority.
The town selectman lied to all of us from the start. The charade was a smoke screen to make us little people think that the property was going to be private affordable housing. Then out of the blue the Coast Guard sells the property to the town and it’s low and moderate housing. Anyone with property on PineHill will be hurt the most. High taxes with lower property value. We have to put a modular unit next to Lane school for so many kindergarten students moving in and the town adds to it with low income families. Perhaps we will see some of the illegals from Central America . Goverment lies!
Great job! Considering the restrictions placed on being able to acquire the property, Bedford’s been very fortunate to have folks that would just not give up!
It seems like a great site for the town to build an indoor swimming pool!
So much for citizens having a fair chance to bid and buy these properties.