To the editor:
The guest editorial by Mayor McGee along with the Item’s own editorial narrative published on Sept. 13 cannot go answered. These submissions appear to have more to do with politics to prop up a particular candidate than with what actually transpired during the City Council’s Sept. 7 meeting.
During this Council meeting there was a public hearing that was clearly placed on the Council agenda and advertised days before the meeting in accordance with the law. It involved a property that had been granted a special permit to a different developer in the past by a prior City Council and was extended for an additional year by the current City Council. The original plan for this development included commercial space for a supermarket. The public hearing before the City Council on Sept. 7 was needed because the new developer wished to remove some of the first-floor commercial space and proceed with the development of this blighted site.
The issuance of a special permit is 100 percent within the purview of the Lynn City Council as a matter of law. In fact, during the hearing, Richard Colucci, who is the ward councilor where the proposed project is located, and Council President Cyr successfully negotiated for 5 percent of the units to be deemed affordable with the developer and its legal counsel. The condition that 5 percent of the units be affordable was voluntarily agreed to by the developer and represents the first occasion where an affordability requirement was imposed upon a special permit issued by the Lynn City Council.
This particular property is extremely unique in that due to different elevations of the parcel on Silsbee and Friend streets, the property possesses two “first floors” abutting two separate public ways. The developer utilized one first floor to provide for parking for the residents and businesses and the “second” first floor to house commercial units. It is well known that developers have found it difficult to attract commercial tenants on the first floor of mixed-use buildings within the Central Business District. For example, the Washington Street Gateway Project on Washington Street still is seeking commercial tenants for its first floor years after its opening. The difficulty attracting “first-floor” commercial tenants in the downtown is exacerbated with respect to this project with two separate first floors both requiring commercial tenants.
The mayor’s and Item’s narrative give the impression that the public hearing and approval of the special permit lacked transparency. Nothing could be further from the truth. The City Council agenda was clear in stating the matters to be discussed at the Sept. 7 City Council meeting, stating: “Petition of K&K Development Corp for 181 residential units with shortage of first-floor commercial space at Friend and Silsbee Street.”
The developer and his legal counsel had been in regular contact with Councilor Colucci regarding this project for several months prior to the public hearing. I find it utterly disingenuous for the mayor, city planner, or anyone else who claims to have wished to have input in the merits of the special permit petition to declare that this public hearing was not carried out in a transparent manner. The petition was mailed to all abutters, notifying them of the details of the project and the time and date of the public hearing. The petition was duly advertised in the Lynn Item on Aug. 19 and Aug. 31 prior to the hearing as was required by law.
If any interested party claims that they didn’t know about the public hearing, it is because they failed to take the time to read the Lynn Item and/or the Council agenda, which I find difficult to believe in the case of the mayor or the planner, who both are full-time employees of the City of Lynn and are both usually in City Hall during Council meetings. The mayor, in particular, frequently attends City Council meetings when he wishes to speak for or against an issue on the agenda. Any interested party had ample time to attend the meeting to share their thoughts and/or submit written testimony.
My feeling is that this lack of participation and problems with the outcome has more to do with seizing an opportunity to take a swipe at the City Council, particularly Council President Cyr. If we are talking about lack of transparency, I do find it surprising that no one seems to have an issue with the discussion and ultimate passing of the low-income Housing Production Plan, which was brought forward in “new business” as opposed to having been placed on the agenda.
Placing such an important topic on the agenda would have ensured that all councilors could have been present, prepared for debate and the public could have been made aware that something so important to the future of the City of Lynn would be voted on. I would like to add that the city planner as well as the mayoral staff were in the Council Chamber for the “surprise” debate and discussion of that non-agenda item, but not present earlier for the advertised public hearing where testimony on the matters that they now complain about after the fact were solicited.
I find this double-barreled assault by the mayor and The Item misleading and reeking of campaign politics. I sincerely hope that the residents of Lynn can see through it.
Rick Starbard
Ward 2 city councilor
Lynn
