Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth
Studio project on a roll
Momentum builds after referendum
Momentum behind a $300 million film studio, proposed for 300 acres of town-owned land in south Plymouth, is building daily as a critical June 9 Special Town Meeting vote on the project nears.
Plymouth Rock Studios received a significant boost Saturday when voters overwhelmingly backed the project in a nonbinding referendum. The vote was 8,536 ballots in favor and 1,118 opposed. The studio vote easily overshadowed a second ballot item, approval of a new town charter, which was handily defeated.
"We feel the town has given the project a green light, in movie talk," said David Kirkpatrick, one of the principals of Plymouth Rock Studios.
Saturday's ballot success followed declarations of support by the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and Planning Board for the articles that will be up for a vote at next month's Town Meeting, which are essential for the film studio to proceed.
Meanwhile, endorsements keep flowing in. Both the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and the South Shore Chamber of Commerce are strongly urging Town Meeting representatives to embrace the studio.
In a letter the Plymouth Chamber will mail to all 126 Town Meeting representatives, the directors write: "This exciting project has all the ingredients that will bring tremendous economic benefits to the Town of Plymouth, the region, and the Commonwealth."
The letter goes on to note that the studio could increase Plymouth's commercial tax base by 50 percent. Studio backers say it will create 2,000 well-paying jobs.
In a separate letter to Town Meeting representatives, Peter Forman, president and chief executive of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, predicts the project "will add a powerful new dimension to the existing tourism market from Cape Cod to Boston."
The studio, put together by a group of California movie moguls, calls for construction of 14 soundstages, two 100,000-square-foot production buildings, two back lots for exterior scenes, a village with housing, a hotel and stores, a K-12 performing arts school, vocational classrooms, a cultural center, visitors center, and a screening theater that would serve as the centerpiece of the campus.
Destination Plymouth, an organization focusing on tourism, unanimously voted two weeks ago to endorse Plymouth Rock Studios.
"Plymouth has done well using our past to draw visitors from all over the world, but we must not allow our reliance on the past to cloud our vision of the future," Destination Plymouth executive director Paul Cripps wrote in a letter to selectmen.
For the studio to proceed, Town Meeting members on June 9 must approve the creation of a zoning overlay district in south Plymouth. They also must agree to grant selectmen the authority to transfer the town-owned land targeted for the studio. Both those Town Meeting articles must pass by a two-thirds majority.
"I think the Town Meeting representatives have been given a mandate," said Loring Tripp, the former Planning Board member who was successful in getting the nonbinding referendum placed on last Saturday's ballot. "The voice of the people is a strong voice."
more stories like this"The Town Meeting representatives are not approving or disapproving the project," Tripp said. "They are just allowing it to then be considered."
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/05/15/studio_project_on_a_roll/?page=2
It is expected to take up to a year for Plymouth Rock Studios to get its permits, arrange for an interchange off Route 25 to be built, and satisfy all environmental requirements, Tripp said.
Town Meeting representative Ric Cone, who supports the studio proposal, said he believes the majority of Town Meeting representatives feel as he does.
"But I know there are some who are against the project," he said. "They should listen to their constituents. If we're not responsive to the voters of the town, then we should be replaced."
A group supporting the studio, the Yes to the Rock Committee, waged a vigorous campaign in the two weeks preceding Saturday's vote with public demonstrations. A few days before the election, everyone on the group's mailing list received a reminder to vote, with polling times and locations, a phone number to arrange for transportation to the polls, and a list of Town Meeting candidates on the ballot who backed the project.
An automated phone message went out to all residents on Saturday.
Richard Silva, Yes to the Rock president, said the campaign will continue until June 9.
"A cross section of this town wants the project," Silva said. "It's not just the union, or people struggling with their taxes, or those who support the arts. It's everyone."
Kirkpatrick said project planners have scheduled information sessions in several of the town's 14 precincts over the final week in May and first week of June. They also arranged for three Planning Board presentations. The first, focusing on the studio component of the project, took place this past Monday. The second, which will outline plans for a village comprising housing and retail space, will be held this coming Monday. The final presentation, focusing on the project's educational component, is set for the Planning Board's June 2 meeting.
"Our whole belief is to deal with any potential challenges by delivering understanding and the facts," Kirkpatrick said.
