Little River project

I know, this ain't Newbury and I'm not the NEWBURY Reporter Unlimited ... but I didn't realize there was so much opposition to the project. I mean, I should have, seeing all those letters to the editor of the DN telling people why it would be good.



And, of course, (a couple of) people in Newbury apparently do read this blog.

There was another one of these signs, perched on top of huge bales of hay that had been made to look like a comical figure, but when I saw that, I didn't have my camera on me. I'll try to get a shot of it - I think they were making another, closer to Tendercrop Farm, where this sign was.

Matthew Kozazcki of Tendercrop had a little flier he wrote up available for shoppers to pick up, so I grabbed one. It is headlined, "I like Newbury just like it is - that's why I live here."

It's not entirely clear to me, but it seems that, aside from tax and conservation issues, Kozazcki's objection has to do with the state-required 10% low income housing and that only 30% of the units designated low income are Newbury resident preferred. And, he says, "we are only protected for two years according to the planning board." Newbury, he says, is currently at 3-1/2% low income housing.

"Newbury residents - do you understand that if this vote passes - that area of Route 1 has the potential for 500-600 more housing units. This will be Newbury's future."

Does Newbury have any poor or diminished income people, at all?

Also, he talks about Newburyport's water and sewer and that Newburyport "will need a Newbury site for a sewer plant and Tendercrop Farm land for a water source."

Excerpt from a story in today's Daily News:

In order to provide sewer service outside its boundaries, Newburyport would need to get a special act of the state Legislature. Special acts are usually the result of what are known as "home rule petitions." In Newburyport, getting a home rule petition passed requires positive votes from eight of the City Council's 11 members, so just four "no" votes by city councilors could kill the deal.

No such requirement exists for providing water service. Indeed, Newburyport already provides water to several streets in the Oldtown section of Newbury.

Hmmmm ... did the people on those streets have to pay betterments, I wonder? I believe I heard a whisper at one point that they did not ...