Peabody board debates redevelopment options for dilapidated site

PEABODY – It’s been over two months since McNiff Builders, Inc. removed themselves from discussions of redeveloping 70 Endicott St., yet Peabody city councilors can’t seem to move on without them.Members of the Industrial and Community Development Committee met in City Hall Thursday night to discuss a third request for proposal (RFP) for the dilapidated site of the former school administration building.John Crandell of J.C. Landscaping, 11 Railroad Ave., Peabody, came before the Committee in his quest to purchase the roughly 27,000 square foot lot and turn the vacant building into something aesthetically and economically beneficial to the neighborhood. His business maintains over 100 sites in Peabody and has outgrown their current location.However, Councilors couldn’t seem to get past what once was in store for the site (McNiff’s development of four single-family homes) before looking at what Community Development Director Jean Delios was now strongly supporting.She said the landscaping business would benefit the city greatly both as a productive use of the building (now a haven for crime) and as a good source of tax revenue for the city.Councilor Jim Liacos disagreed.”I just don’t buy putting a business in with residents,” he said. “A business will cause grief?It always does.”Liacos would rather see McNiff come back with their proposal, so much so that it remains his number one choice for the site’s future. Reserved open space comes in at a close second.Councilor Ted Bettencourt, Jr., also made mention of McNiff Builders, Inc.”I thought McNiff was a good, strong, proposal,” he said. “Clearly, Community Development wanted something else.”Bettencourt continued to express his disappointment with the fact that 70 Endicott has remained vacant for the last two years.”It just continues to be an aesthetic and economic drain on the city,” he said. “Lets move forward?I’m hoping (J.C. Landscaping) works out. They’re a very reputable business.”In defending her department, Delios said that the current proposal by the landscaping company offers much more than what McNiff Builders had originally brought to the table. She said the RFP works as a hybrid, including both open space and business opportunities for the city. It also includes a preference to retain the building, rather than tearing it down, as well as causing minimal impact to traffic in the area.Councilor Anne Manning supported Delios’ plans of putting in a business to generate tax revenue, but urged councilors to make sure it’s “the right business.”Liacos remained persistent in his attempt to prevent a business from entering the downtown neighborhood and made a motion for his fellow councilors to look into the use of Community Preservation Act funds to clean up the site and create a public park. He argued that other parts of the city have such resources, and downtown residents rightfully deserve a park of their own.