November 27, 2007
Updated Renderings of OES
Hello. We've received some new renderings of the project. These are still without trees, lamp posts, etc, but they now show the buildings in greater detail. -mm
October 25, 2007
218 Union Street Open House This Sunday
The day has finally come... 218 Union is on the market. We listed the property with Joe Fleming of JT Fleming Real Estate. (http://www.jtfleming.com/). The MLS number is 70669091. The house is 2200 gross square feet including finished basement. According to the town, the 'official' square footage will likely be 1965 sf. The listing price is $435,000.
Description:
Sparkling newly renovated home features 3 bedrooms and 3 en-suite baths. This 1860 Greek Revival classic has been painstakingly renovated over a 2 year period. Exterior is natural wood siding in Sherwin Williams Colonial Yellow with architectural slate roof. All new systems including new electrical, plumbing, and dual-zone forced air heating and air conditioning with electronic thermostats. 100% maple hardwood floors, ceramic tile baths and basement, deluxe doors, casings, and millwork. Granite and stainless steel gourmet kitchen with breakfast bar, built-in desk, recessed lighting, and IKEA cabinets. Master bath features granite counters, custom cabinets, and fully tiled shower with glass door and built-in shower seat. Guest bath features fully tiled garden tub. Guest bedroom features relaxing 184 sf balcony/terrace overlooking spacious backyard with mature trees. House includes freestanding one-car garage and is just 3/10mi walk to the Old Colony Commuter Rail station. As part of the Old English Square development, property is subject to certain architectural and landscape easements. Visit http://www.218unionstreet.com/, http://www.218union.com/, and http://www.oldenglishsquare.com/ for more information.
I've posted a few pictures here, and there are more posted on the listing page. I also have some others I'll be putting up at http://www.218union.com/. As of tomorrow you can also see more photos at http://www.218unionstreet.com/, the realtor's page for the house. And if that's not enough, you're welcome to come to our first open house this Sunday, October 28 from 12-2. Neighbors, realtors, prospective buyers, and curious passers-by are all welcome. Earthwright Landscaping should have all the new plants installed, and the place should look really great. Hope to see you there.MM
October 24, 2007
OES Zoning Appeal Dismissed
I'm pleased to report that the zoning appeal against Old English Square has been dismissed. On Monday, October 22, The Norfolk County Superior Court held a hearing on our 'Motion to Dismiss' the zoning appeal filed against OES by project abutter and selectman Katherine Connolly. Today, we received a notice from the Clerk of the Courts that the appeal was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. In short, it was dismissed because the appeal itself was filed after the allowed 20 day appeal period.
This means that the case was decided on technical grounds, rather than the merit or the arguments. If the decisions is not satisfactory, it can be appealed again by the plaintiff to a higher court. There is a 30-day period for such an appeal to take place.
MM
This means that the case was decided on technical grounds, rather than the merit or the arguments. If the decisions is not satisfactory, it can be appealed again by the plaintiff to a higher court. There is a 30-day period for such an appeal to take place.
MM
October 19, 2007
Hearing Date For OES Appeal Set For Monday, October 22
The zoning appeal of Old English Square is moving along. As previously posted, we filed a motion to dismiss the appeal since it was filed after the 20 day deadline. We received word last week that there will be a hearing on the motion Monday, Oct. 22 at 2pm at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.
At the hearing, the judge will listen to arguments whether or not the appeal should proceed. We expect the judge to respond in writing several days after the hearing. The appeal could be dismissed, or allowed to proceed. If it's allowed to proceed, there will be further motions and a trial will likely be scheduled for sometime next year.
Check back next week for an update. I'll post again as soon as we know the outcome of the hearing.
MM
At the hearing, the judge will listen to arguments whether or not the appeal should proceed. We expect the judge to respond in writing several days after the hearing. The appeal could be dismissed, or allowed to proceed. If it's allowed to proceed, there will be further motions and a trial will likely be scheduled for sometime next year.
Check back next week for an update. I'll post again as soon as we know the outcome of the hearing.
MM
October 16, 2007
218 Union Street Nearing Completion
I'm happy to announce that the 218 Union Street renovations are nearly complete. We purchased the former Hans Andersen estate in December '05, almost two years ago. Since then, we've completed a gut rehab of the house, with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a back porch, and a finished basement.
It's safe to say the house is almost unrecognizable on the inside. It was in very tough condition when we bought it, having been shut down by the board of health. Today, only the living room and master bedroom are same as they were before. Plus, we've installed all new systems including plumbing and central air.
Today we had a sandblasting crew at the property to restore the brick and granite foundations. The work was done by General Sandblasting of West Bridgewater. They did an excellent job and I would highly recommend them. Someone applied a red cementitious watersealer to the exposed brick some years ago. We felt it looked artificial, so we had the sandblasters expose the original brick.
In addition, we had them sandblast the new brick steps in the front and back of the house to give them an 'antique' finish. If you look at the closeup photo above, you can see that the new brick steps look close to the original foundation. Once we have someone out to repoint the bricks, they should look pretty good.
Heading into late fall, we hope to have the house on the market very soon. Everything on the inside is done, and we have appointments with the Assessors and Fire Department for inspections this week. We hope to have the final CO next week if all goes well.
The plan is to have an open house once the property goes on the market. I will post some additional photos of the house, and I will certainly post to let people know when the open house will be.
MM
It's safe to say the house is almost unrecognizable on the inside. It was in very tough condition when we bought it, having been shut down by the board of health. Today, only the living room and master bedroom are same as they were before. Plus, we've installed all new systems including plumbing and central air.
Today we had a sandblasting crew at the property to restore the brick and granite foundations. The work was done by General Sandblasting of West Bridgewater. They did an excellent job and I would highly recommend them. Someone applied a red cementitious watersealer to the exposed brick some years ago. We felt it looked artificial, so we had the sandblasters expose the original brick.
In addition, we had them sandblast the new brick steps in the front and back of the house to give them an 'antique' finish. If you look at the closeup photo above, you can see that the new brick steps look close to the original foundation. Once we have someone out to repoint the bricks, they should look pretty good.
Heading into late fall, we hope to have the house on the market very soon. Everything on the inside is done, and we have appointments with the Assessors and Fire Department for inspections this week. We hope to have the final CO next week if all goes well.
The plan is to have an open house once the property goes on the market. I will post some additional photos of the house, and I will certainly post to let people know when the open house will be.
MM
October 11, 2007
Computer Models of OES Under Construction
What do you do when you can't start construction? Build a computer model instead!
The above image is a computer generated model of Old English Square and its vicinity. We've been working on 3D models of the project for a few months now. The models are being produced by a team in India working exclusively for our company. The rendering shown is a work in process, but it shows the site plan including topography, a number of nearby existing buildings (gray), and footprints for our proposed buildings in white. Also visible are a series of walkways in the cemetery, as well as Cedar Hill Road and the industrial park at Mear Road. Because this rendering shows the project and surrounding neighbohood fabric in limited detail, we refer to it as a massing mode.
The models of OES are being created for several purposes. First and foremost, as a visualization tool, they help us to plan the development. We can use the renderings to view proposed buildings from multiple angles, as well as to evaluate materials choices and color options.
Second, the models can later be used in sales and marketing materials. They can be placed in print brochures, posted to websites, and also used to create an interactive buying guide, which would allow condo buyers to view their unit and its surrounds as they will appear. We also think the models will help us market the retail spaces to prospective tenants.
Stay tuned for more renderings. We have some renderings of the English Road Subdivision that are already complete, and I will post more OES renderings as they progress.
MM
The above image is a computer generated model of Old English Square and its vicinity. We've been working on 3D models of the project for a few months now. The models are being produced by a team in India working exclusively for our company. The rendering shown is a work in process, but it shows the site plan including topography, a number of nearby existing buildings (gray), and footprints for our proposed buildings in white. Also visible are a series of walkways in the cemetery, as well as Cedar Hill Road and the industrial park at Mear Road. Because this rendering shows the project and surrounding neighbohood fabric in limited detail, we refer to it as a massing mode.
The models of OES are being created for several purposes. First and foremost, as a visualization tool, they help us to plan the development. We can use the renderings to view proposed buildings from multiple angles, as well as to evaluate materials choices and color options.
Second, the models can later be used in sales and marketing materials. They can be placed in print brochures, posted to websites, and also used to create an interactive buying guide, which would allow condo buyers to view their unit and its surrounds as they will appear. We also think the models will help us market the retail spaces to prospective tenants.
Stay tuned for more renderings. We have some renderings of the English Road Subdivision that are already complete, and I will post more OES renderings as they progress.
MM
October 06, 2007
Lost In A Sea Of Parking
According to the following article from Livescience.com, the sprawling county of Tippecanoe, Indiana has 355,000 parking spaces... to just 155,000 residents. The number of spaces is over twice the number of residents and three times the number of licensed drivers. It is also a foreboding sign of things to come under the current engineering and land use ideology that values parking and wide travel lanes over all else.
Sadly, the Tippencanoe experience is hardly unique. I recently returned from a trip to Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill North Carolina. (Note: when a region has become so sprawled that that there's no distinction between being in one city and the next, thus forcing the use of hyphens, that's a sad sign.) In the triangle, as it's called, there are a couple small downtowns like Chapel Hill and Durham, and endless collector roads lined with strip centers, hotels, garden apartments, and the like.
In New England, we're lucky to have established towns and home rule control of zoning. And when I say lucky, I mean that local towns have been able to implement their own growth plans and development regulations. Of course, many aren't happy with the amount of growth, and an even larger number aren't happy with the quality of the 'growth' they've seen. As a result, most communities clamp down on growth hoping to weather the storm.
Having a growth mitigating strategy itself is not the problem. Far from it. Massachusetts put towns in charge of their futures and they have made their decisions. The problem is that the 1950's vintage tools they're using are out of date and harken back to a time when the car was the future and trees were defined 'roadside hazards' to the daily driver. The result? A set of land use rules, tables, and specifications that encourage 13 foot travel lanes (even in a dead-end cul-de-sac), 5 to 1 parking ratios, and recommended 'widenings' to ease traffic. These rules made sense at the time, when it was assumed future americans would make all daily trips by automobile and everything should be built accordingly. We know these systems as Euclidean Zoning, Federal and State roadway design standards, Subdivision Control Regulations, etc. etc.
The problem here in New England, where we have examples of great old towns and great old buildings, is that very few buildings of any lasting value have been built under this regime. Houses are ugly, stores are ugly, and schools are ugly. Subdivisions are quiet, but they consume enormous amounts of land and their roads are so wide and open that speeding is a constant safety issue.
As we think about the future of our towns, we need to think about what they will look like if the 1950's engineering schemes are carried out to their end goals. For Holbrook, what will the place look like when every open piece of land is a subdivision, every commercially zoned property has 40 foot setbacks and 5:1 parking, and no one can walk anywhere? The answer to that question is not something I like to think about.
The answer for Holbrook and towns like it is to be proactive about what they want to look like and what quality of life they want people to have. They need to create authentic neighborhoods where people can walk, preserve open spaces for recreation, and develop town centers where commerce can happen in a civilized, non-automotive manner.
MM
Parking Lots Outnumber People, Add to Pollution
By Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 17 September 2007 08:29 am ET
Sprawling suburban parking spaces outnumber drivers by three to one in a Midwestern county, a finding that typifies a troubling trend nationwide that increases urban heating and pollution, researchers say.
Digitalized aerial surveys taken in 2005 were used to calculate the total area devoted to parking lots in Indiana's Tippecanoe County and revealed the paved lots covered an area larger than 1,000 football fields and that there were three times as many parking spaces as drivers who lived in the county, said study leader Bryan Pijanowski of Purdue University.
Pijanowski said that his study was relevant across the country because generally Americans are paving an increasing amount of land each year on which to park when they go to the store, work, school or other places.
Article continues at LiveScience.com here: Parking Lots Outnumber People, Add to Pollution
Sadly, the Tippencanoe experience is hardly unique. I recently returned from a trip to Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill North Carolina. (Note: when a region has become so sprawled that that there's no distinction between being in one city and the next, thus forcing the use of hyphens, that's a sad sign.) In the triangle, as it's called, there are a couple small downtowns like Chapel Hill and Durham, and endless collector roads lined with strip centers, hotels, garden apartments, and the like.
In New England, we're lucky to have established towns and home rule control of zoning. And when I say lucky, I mean that local towns have been able to implement their own growth plans and development regulations. Of course, many aren't happy with the amount of growth, and an even larger number aren't happy with the quality of the 'growth' they've seen. As a result, most communities clamp down on growth hoping to weather the storm.
Having a growth mitigating strategy itself is not the problem. Far from it. Massachusetts put towns in charge of their futures and they have made their decisions. The problem is that the 1950's vintage tools they're using are out of date and harken back to a time when the car was the future and trees were defined 'roadside hazards' to the daily driver. The result? A set of land use rules, tables, and specifications that encourage 13 foot travel lanes (even in a dead-end cul-de-sac), 5 to 1 parking ratios, and recommended 'widenings' to ease traffic. These rules made sense at the time, when it was assumed future americans would make all daily trips by automobile and everything should be built accordingly. We know these systems as Euclidean Zoning, Federal and State roadway design standards, Subdivision Control Regulations, etc. etc.
The problem here in New England, where we have examples of great old towns and great old buildings, is that very few buildings of any lasting value have been built under this regime. Houses are ugly, stores are ugly, and schools are ugly. Subdivisions are quiet, but they consume enormous amounts of land and their roads are so wide and open that speeding is a constant safety issue.
As we think about the future of our towns, we need to think about what they will look like if the 1950's engineering schemes are carried out to their end goals. For Holbrook, what will the place look like when every open piece of land is a subdivision, every commercially zoned property has 40 foot setbacks and 5:1 parking, and no one can walk anywhere? The answer to that question is not something I like to think about.
The answer for Holbrook and towns like it is to be proactive about what they want to look like and what quality of life they want people to have. They need to create authentic neighborhoods where people can walk, preserve open spaces for recreation, and develop town centers where commerce can happen in a civilized, non-automotive manner.
MM
Parking Lots Outnumber People, Add to Pollution
By Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 17 September 2007 08:29 am ET
Sprawling suburban parking spaces outnumber drivers by three to one in a Midwestern county, a finding that typifies a troubling trend nationwide that increases urban heating and pollution, researchers say.
Digitalized aerial surveys taken in 2005 were used to calculate the total area devoted to parking lots in Indiana's Tippecanoe County and revealed the paved lots covered an area larger than 1,000 football fields and that there were three times as many parking spaces as drivers who lived in the county, said study leader Bryan Pijanowski of Purdue University.
Pijanowski said that his study was relevant across the country because generally Americans are paving an increasing amount of land each year on which to park when they go to the store, work, school or other places.
Article continues at LiveScience.com here: Parking Lots Outnumber People, Add to Pollution
October 01, 2007
OES FILES MOTION TO DISMISS ZONING APPEAL
Many people have been asking where Old English Square stands today. The project was approved by the Planning Board in late June of this year. The approval was a very good step forward towards getting a shovel in the ground, but the decision was appealed shortly thereafter by Selectman Katherine Connolly. At the bottom of this post is a press release we sent out on September 11 that updates the status of that zoning appeal.
Without getting into a long winded explanation of the issue, I'll try to explain where we stand. The appeal is actually a lawsuit filed by the Selectman in the court system naming the Planning Board as defendants. However, as the project proponent, the Mullins Company has to defend the decision. As the press release explains, we have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit rather than go to trial. We decided to do so because Selectman Connolly missed a couple of deadlines for her appeal. There is a 20 day appeal period for the decision. Connolly was required to send a letter to the Town Clerk and file her lawsuit in the courts within that period. She sent the letter to the clerk, but didn't actually file the lawsuit in time. So we are asking the court to dismiss the entire lawsuit without getting into the arguments, on the grounds that she didn't file a timely appeal.
At this point we're waiting for a hearing on the motion to dismiss. As soon as we have a date we'll post it on this blog. In the meantime, we are working on a filing for the Holbrook Conservation Commission to amend our existing Order of Conditions for the final project (Last time around we were approved for 70 condos plus retail. We need to increase it to 211 condos...). Our hope is that we can get the conservation approval over the winter, along with a MEPA modification needed to allow an on-site ecological sewer system. More on that in a future post. Here is the Press Release, which was submitted to the Sun, the Ledger, and the Globe.
MM
Mullins Company files a motion to dismiss appeal made by Selectman Connolly
http://www.oldenglishsquare.com/
Holbrook, Massachusetts (September 11, 2007) – Old English Square files motion to dismiss
In response to an appeal filed by Holbrook Selectman Kathy Connolly on the Old English Square Development Project, the Mullins Company has filed a Motion to Dismiss along with Connolly’s opposition, at Norfolk County Court on September 7th.
The notice of appeal for this project was received by the Holbrook Town Clerk’s office on July 5, 2007, however, the appeal was not filed with the Norfolk County Superior Court until July 18, 2007. Selectman, and abutter, Kathy Connolly, who has previously indicated she is not against the project, made reference in her notice of appeal to the agricultural use of the land for the riding stable and barn proposed in the retail village component of the project. As a result of Connolly’s opposition to dismiss her appeal, the Mullins Company has filed the Motion to dismiss with the Norfolk County Superior Court and is now awaiting a hearing date.
Old English Square, proposed by the Mullins Company, was approved by the Holbrook Planning Board on June 12, 2007. The project includes two distinct components – a retail village consisting of approximately 63,500 square feet of commercial space, of which 29, 375 will be designated for retail use, 16, 795 for office space, and the remainder to include a barn and riding stable. The second component is the residential village to include 211 condominium homes and an onsite waste water treatment facility for both the residential and retail villages.
Please see the attached correspondence in regards to Selectman Connolly’s appeal, as well as Mullins Company’s Motion for Dismissal.
For more information on this development and the Mullins Company, please visit our websites,
www.mullinsinc.com and www.oldenglishsquare.com
Without getting into a long winded explanation of the issue, I'll try to explain where we stand. The appeal is actually a lawsuit filed by the Selectman in the court system naming the Planning Board as defendants. However, as the project proponent, the Mullins Company has to defend the decision. As the press release explains, we have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit rather than go to trial. We decided to do so because Selectman Connolly missed a couple of deadlines for her appeal. There is a 20 day appeal period for the decision. Connolly was required to send a letter to the Town Clerk and file her lawsuit in the courts within that period. She sent the letter to the clerk, but didn't actually file the lawsuit in time. So we are asking the court to dismiss the entire lawsuit without getting into the arguments, on the grounds that she didn't file a timely appeal.
At this point we're waiting for a hearing on the motion to dismiss. As soon as we have a date we'll post it on this blog. In the meantime, we are working on a filing for the Holbrook Conservation Commission to amend our existing Order of Conditions for the final project (Last time around we were approved for 70 condos plus retail. We need to increase it to 211 condos...). Our hope is that we can get the conservation approval over the winter, along with a MEPA modification needed to allow an on-site ecological sewer system. More on that in a future post. Here is the Press Release, which was submitted to the Sun, the Ledger, and the Globe.
MM
Mullins Company files a motion to dismiss appeal made by Selectman Connolly
http://www.oldenglishsquare.com/
Holbrook, Massachusetts (September 11, 2007) – Old English Square files motion to dismiss
In response to an appeal filed by Holbrook Selectman Kathy Connolly on the Old English Square Development Project, the Mullins Company has filed a Motion to Dismiss along with Connolly’s opposition, at Norfolk County Court on September 7th.
The notice of appeal for this project was received by the Holbrook Town Clerk’s office on July 5, 2007, however, the appeal was not filed with the Norfolk County Superior Court until July 18, 2007. Selectman, and abutter, Kathy Connolly, who has previously indicated she is not against the project, made reference in her notice of appeal to the agricultural use of the land for the riding stable and barn proposed in the retail village component of the project. As a result of Connolly’s opposition to dismiss her appeal, the Mullins Company has filed the Motion to dismiss with the Norfolk County Superior Court and is now awaiting a hearing date.
Old English Square, proposed by the Mullins Company, was approved by the Holbrook Planning Board on June 12, 2007. The project includes two distinct components – a retail village consisting of approximately 63,500 square feet of commercial space, of which 29, 375 will be designated for retail use, 16, 795 for office space, and the remainder to include a barn and riding stable. The second component is the residential village to include 211 condominium homes and an onsite waste water treatment facility for both the residential and retail villages.
Please see the attached correspondence in regards to Selectman Connolly’s appeal, as well as Mullins Company’s Motion for Dismissal.
For more information on this development and the Mullins Company, please visit our websites,
www.mullinsinc.com and www.oldenglishsquare.com
September 19, 2007
Welcome to the newly relaunched OES Blog!
It's been a while!
I recently looked up the OES blog to see where things stand. We're planning some changes to the OES website, incorporating a blog as a way of posting news and updates (currently, we have to change the website pages directly). When I looked up the blog, I was shocked to find out that the last posting was in 2005!
Well, a lot has changed since then, both on the internet and in Holbrook. Blogs have emerged as equals to some forms of news media, including the papers and websites. Moreover, they have evolved as unique voices that help shape public debate. By my last count, there are 5 blogs for Holbrook (both active and inactive). Not surprisingly, the various blogs have different views on the issues, and I think the resulting discourse is quite satisfying.
So with that in mind, the OES blog will relaunch as a source of news and information about the development, and also as a voice for the some of the issues surrounding land use, development, civic engagement, and the public realm in general. I plan to personally write some entries covering the topic of new urbanism, the anti-sprawl, pro-neighborhood movement that was the inspiration for OES.
The result will hopefully be an interesting and informative resource for stakeholders of OES and anyone else interested in the future of our cities and towns.
Sincerely,
Michael Mullins
Mullins Company
I recently looked up the OES blog to see where things stand. We're planning some changes to the OES website, incorporating a blog as a way of posting news and updates (currently, we have to change the website pages directly). When I looked up the blog, I was shocked to find out that the last posting was in 2005!
Well, a lot has changed since then, both on the internet and in Holbrook. Blogs have emerged as equals to some forms of news media, including the papers and websites. Moreover, they have evolved as unique voices that help shape public debate. By my last count, there are 5 blogs for Holbrook (both active and inactive). Not surprisingly, the various blogs have different views on the issues, and I think the resulting discourse is quite satisfying.
So with that in mind, the OES blog will relaunch as a source of news and information about the development, and also as a voice for the some of the issues surrounding land use, development, civic engagement, and the public realm in general. I plan to personally write some entries covering the topic of new urbanism, the anti-sprawl, pro-neighborhood movement that was the inspiration for OES.
The result will hopefully be an interesting and informative resource for stakeholders of OES and anyone else interested in the future of our cities and towns.
Sincerely,
Michael Mullins
Mullins Company
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