Neponset Village (Developer Pushes City Limits)

If they want to build 25 stories there, that wouldn't bother me. Just don't touch the parkways. The original proposal would have widened and straightened some of them and added a whole bunch of signals.
 
Bid to annex part of Dedham for development fails
By Javier C. Hernandez, Globe Correspondent | August 24, 2007

A proposal to build the largest residential development in Boston's history crumbled this week, after a developer withdrew plans that called for Boston to expand its border into Dedham.

The deal required the annexation of approximately 40 acres of Dedham land near the Boston neighborhood of Readville for the development of an 1,850-unit affordable housing complex.

But at a meeting Wednesday in Dedham, the developer, the Campanelli Cos. of Braintree, offered $5 million for the annexation, while Dedham officials valued the loss of land at $10 million to $40 million. With neither side willing to negotiate the price, talks ended.

"In order for Dedham to even consider, it would have to have been a fantastic deal for the town," said Selectman James MacDonald, chairman of the committee that examines boundaries. "Based on our analysis, the offer was not even worth pursuing or considering."

Campanelli bought the 72-acre parcel straddling the Boston-Dedham line in 2003. The developer went forward with an annexation proposal after Dedham officials said they would not allow the land, which currently is home to several vacant industrial buildings, to be rezoned for residential use.

Campanelli partner Daniel DeMarco said yesterday that while he was disappointed that an agreement was not reached, he believed that the town considered the proposal fairly.

DeMarco said that Campanelli would go forward with plans to redevelop the area, possibly using the Dedham property for commercial development or open space. He said the company would assemble a final proposal within eight weeks.

Some Dedham residents had protested the development, fearing it would create heavy traffic.

Shaw McDermott, a Boston lawyer and president of Citizens for Dedham Neighborhoods Alliance, said that he was pleased with the outcome of Wednesday's meeting. But he added that the town should keep a close eye on the developer's plans.

"The town of Dedham was and should continue to be concerned about the configuration of development on that site," he said.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino played an active role in the talks, meeting with Dedham officials in June to discuss the project. His office did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.

Javier Hernandez can be reached at jhernandez@globe.com.
 
and so it shall remain a vacant warehouse for hundreds of years to come. :cry:
 
Wow, suburban NIMBYs strike again. Well that's what you get in Massachusetts, the NIMBY capital of the world (and slowest bereaucracy because even if both communities approve it, you'd have to wait months for the Legislature to approve it). Didn't Dedham want to get rid of the land anyway? Getting money for stuff you don't want seems like a good deal, but this NIMBY selectman torpedoes yet another project.
 
I think in this situation, it is more less on NIMBY's and more about Dedham getting something back for their loss of land. Though I am disappointed this project didn't go through.
 
This really isn't a NIMBY thing, it is just money. I guess I can take this off the Google Map.
 
The Globe said:
Dedham won't give up its land, stalling giant housing proposal

September 2, 2007

With negotiations to annex a small piece of Dedham now dead, Boston officials are taking a wait-and-see approach to the future of a 72-acre property that straddles the two communities' border.

"It was a Dedham decision to make, and we haven't seen any new plan from the developer for the Boston side of the property," said Dot Joyce, spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Last month, Dedham officials and Braintree developer Campanelli Cos. reported they could not reach a financial agreement on the transfer of about 40 acres in Dedham to the city of Boston to facilitate development of a large housing complex on the property of a former Stop & Shop warehouse near the southern tip of Boston.

Campanelli officials said they are reassessing their plans for the site and have a number of options. They could try to find a new warehouse tenant or develop only the Boston side of the property as housing, according to company officials.

Lucy Warsh, spokeswoman for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said her agency has not been involved in planning for the property but is monitoring the site.

The Stop & Shop regional warehouse, which closed in 2004, was once a major employer. The city lost about 900 jobs when the grocery chain moved its warehouse operation to a larger facility off Route 24 in rural Freetown.

Campanelli had proposed a 1,850-unit development for the site, which overlooks the Neponset River and is next to the Fowl Meadow section of the Blue Hills Reservation.

As proposed, the development would have been the largest housing complex in Boston's history.

The developer had tried to broker the deal for annexation of the Dedham section, which is inaccessible from the rest of the town.

Dedham officials said they did not want more housing in the town because of the burden new residents would add to schools and other town services.

Robert Preer
? Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
Click to expand...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ar..._up_its_land_stalling_giant_housing_proposal/
 
It would be hillarious if the developer/Boston rezoned the Boston section and built like a 2,000 footer just to piss of Dedham.
 
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