Brought to you by Item Live. MARBLEHEAD — Plans to build the town’s first assisted living facility are back on track. The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously voted to approve the special permit needed for the Mariner project to proceed, reversing a decision it made last year. More than 200 residents packed the gallery to argue for and against the Mariner project, which would sit in a neighborhood of single-family homes. Developers Michael Lafayette, Heather Cairns and Phil Helmes are also allowed to exceed the area’s height restriction thanks to a special permit issued on Monday. Located … [Read more...]
Mariner sails again
Brought to you by Item Live. Like a bad penny or a cautionary tale, the Mariner assisted living project is sailing back into Marblehead for a court-ordered review by the same town board that rejected the 87-apartment project last year. Mariner’s developers hope to drop anchor at 265 Pleasant St., but their return is getting a none-too-pleasant reception from residents who have posted “single residence only” signs in the neighborhood in preparation for a Nov. 6 Zoning Board of Appeals hearing. The public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. at Veterans Middle School places the board in an almost … [Read more...]
Mariner project beats alternatives
Protesters are out holding up signs opposing The Mariner, supporters are handing out buttons in favor of the project and hecklers made their feelings known at the last Zoning Board meeting by calling out things like, “the fix is in!” An outsider might have thought there was a fierce fight destined for the polls this past Tuesday, which was Election Day for many communities, but they would be wrong. The controversy is centered on a proposal for an 87-unit assisted living facility on Pleasant Street. And only five people, the members of the Zoning Board of Appeals, will vote on whether to … [Read more...]
Opponents of Mariner ‘think long and hard’
Brought to you by the Marblehead Reporter. The proposed assisted living facility on Pleasant Street is opposed by abutters and neighbors who should think long and hard about what they might get on the property if they succeed in blocking the current - and I would suggest - needed and well thought out project. The site encompasses 4.5 acres, and the owners by right can build 14 single family units. It is highly unlikely that any single family dwelling will add a water detention system to mitigate drainage issues, so the sump pumps will continue to run north and west of the site. The proposed … [Read more...]
Public discussion thwarted at ZBA meeting on The Mariner
Brought to you by Salem News. Hundreds of people filled the auditorium of Marblehead High School Monday night for a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. The main topic on the agenda, the reason everyone gave up their time to be there, was a special permit request to allow developers to create The Mariner, a planned assisted-living facility for 265 Pleasant St. However, from the start, the stage was set for what kind of meeting it was going to be. Alternate ZBA board member Jim Rudolph said that given that the first two steps of the meeting would be presentation from the developers’ experts and … [Read more...]
Mariner not a hit with neighbors
Brought to you by Salem News. Developers under the name Pleasant Street LLC have initiated a process to bring something they feel is needed in Marblehead: an assisted living facility — slated for 265 Pleasant St. Neighbors don’t agree. A large turnout of residents so overwhelmed the accommodations at the town senior center last month that the Zoning Board of Appeals postponed its hearing until this Monday, Oct. 26. On Monday, the ZBA will deliberate in the high school auditorium on a special permit request needed in order to move the Pleasant Street project forward. Alicia Hart, a Pond Street … [Read more...]
Marblehead ZBA stays course on Mariner permit process
Brought to you by the Marblehead Reporter. Residents shivered through a special permit hearing for an assisted-living facility held in a freezing Marblehead High School auditorium Monday, but they left heated when the Zoning Board of Appeals adjourned after about two hours. A pair of ZBA denials in response to residents' pleas that officials take public comment and questions and reconsider the next hearing on Monday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. drew ire. "The fix is in," a man yelled as attendees exited. Another likened the night's presentation to a one-sided show and "a sale's pitch." The meeting … [Read more...]
Marblehead meeting on the Mariner Thursday
Brought to you by the Marblehead Reporter. Residents will have two chances over the next few days to voice their concerns, their support or to simply listen about the Mariner, the assisted living facility proposed for Pleasant Street. Developers Michael LaFayette, Heather Cairns and Phil Helmes will sit down with residents Thursday for an informational meeting at the Marblehead VFW, 321 West Shore Drive, at 7:30 p.m. And on Monday, Oct. 26 the Zoning Board of Appeals will take up the proposal at its meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Marblehead High School auditorium. LaFayette said he … [Read more...]
Meeting a housing need in Marblehead
Brought to you by Salem News. The American population is aging. According to a report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing studies, the number of Americans over 50 is expected to reach 132 million by 2030, an increase of more than 70 percent since 2000. Among that group, the fastest-growing subset is those between the ages of 65 and 74. According to the Harvard report, that group will nearly double in size from 21.7 million in 2010 to 38.6 million in 2030. It is abundantly clear there will be a need for housing designed to meet this graying population — people who are not … [Read more...]
In Marblehead, throng brings permit hearing to a standstill
Brought to you by the Marblehead Reporter. An over-capacity crowd of roughly 120 ground to a halt Monday’s Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing on an assisted living facility permit almost before it got started. “We have never had this many of people show up either at a ZBA or Planning Board meeting,” said Town Planner Becky Cutting after the room emptied. “There is certainly interest.” The crowd turned out to hear representatives of developers and residents Philip Helmes, Michael Lafayette and Heather Cairns make a pitch for a special permit needed to construct “The Mariner,” a proposed … [Read more...]
