Stevens School Re-Use: Not a Playground for Developers
How we use open space is an issue for every Maine community. Hallowell is blessed with a challenging opportunity to do that which is right for the Stevens School property that consists of historic buildings and open space. It is essential that Hallowell residents through its city council and the State of Maine create and take part in a process that determines growth and development in Hallowell. The Friends of Vaughn Field formed in order to secure a park for our community. This land was not privately owned, but owned by the City of Hallowell. This group’s membership included many more people than just those whose property abutted the Vaughn Field property. Many may have wanted to protect their neighborhood from development. However, there appeared to be a greater consensus for preserving the field as a park for all of Hallowell’s residents. Hallowell is a wonderful community. Our citizens realize that and seek to preserve that uniqueness.
The development on outer Central Street presents a slightly different situation -- the issue of abutting property owners objecting to a housing development on privately owned land. The development of both the Vaughn Field and the Stevens School property present the issue of how do we responsibly re-use publicly owned land.
Some people believe that development for development’s sake is good. Growth is good. I for one don’t believe that is always the case. Often the ones who benefit most from development may be the developers.
I’ll be right up front. My family has lived on Pleasant Street since 1978. My daughter and her family have returned to Hallowell and live on Pleasant Street. We live on Pleasant Street because of the integrity and character of the neighborhood. We do have issue with drivers who use Page/Pleasant Street as a shortcut. Too many drivers who use this shortcut drive too fast and therefore endanger the children and families who live in the Page/Pleasant Street neighborhoods. I don’t want our neighborhood to change. To have an access road from the Stevens School property onto Pleasant Street would endanger our children and the families living on both Page and Pleasant Streets. An access road would forever change the character and desirability of our neighborhood. Established neighborhoods are sacred. If a development plan radically changes the character and safety of a neighborhood, that plan needs to be changed. My concern is for those who are current residents who have invested in their homes, their neighborhoods, and our community.
The Stevens School Reed Center Blogserves as a forum for Hallowell citizens to express their concerns and share their visions for re-use of the Stevens School property. This blog has been visited more than one hundred time and in all of these visits not one person has set forth a vision for the re-use of the property. A poll asks visitors, “Should the City of Hallowell purchase the Stevens School property?” Thirty individuals responded to these questions: fifteen said yes, eleven have said no, and four are unsure.
When I noticed that no one was really responding to this blog, I make a conscious decision to respond to my questions. As a result, I set forth a vision for the property that included a State of Maine Charter School for the Creative and Performing Arts, a wellness center, a holistic family medical clinic with a birthing center, and a cross generation community/nature center (Map 6, Lot 27) that would manage the open space on the property. Affordable housing would be placed on the upper campus. There are three open spaces on the Stevens property. The land behind the Reed Center poses many issues related to water flow and drainage from the upper campus. The two upper fields are somewhat remote and require careful study for re-use. These are ideas. They beg response.
The blog presents each of these ideas and requests visitors to express their opinions on these ideas and perhaps present other ideas for re-use. The Stevens School property represents sixty three acres of land in the center of Hallowell. The transformation of this property needs to be done responsibly. My values say, “Leaving this transformation in the hands of developers would be irresponsible.”
Two Pleasant Street residents and others from across Hallowell are working with our mayor, the Hallowell City Council and Representative Sharon Treat to establish a process of review that includes the use of developer qualifications and standards for re-use. Hopefully this process will ensure that the development of the Stevens School will be beneficial to Hallowell and at that same time eliminate any adverse consequences to the Page/Pleasant Street neighborhoods and other abutters.
The re-use of the Stevens School property can serve our community well. This property can become the jewel of Kennebec Valley. Its re-development should result in making our community more desirable and a destination.
Stephen D. Thompson
lifework50@gmail.com
Posts
Here, here...however, I think what is missing in this analysis is where the the capital is to make risky development choices...a holistic wellness center for instance is a good idea if invested in properly and a really bad idea if done poorly. At issue here is that during poor economic times, risks are risky (how bout that for saying nothing).
ReplyDeleteFinally, where is the capital to develop, isn't that our greatest ally?