Above: Water in the open channel has been drained so crews can repair the dam on Deerfoot Road (photo by Chris Wraight)
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I have a question about the empty patch of land on the corner of Newton and Main Street. Many people have complained about it being an eyesore forever with its overgrown grass and chain link fence, and now suddenly grass is mowed and the fence is almost gone! Are there plans for that area now?
The lot is in fact non-conforming because of it’s size and can not be built on according to the town’s bylaws. I would contact the owners and ask what there plans are if any. If there are plans, the site will have to go to the ZBA for approval. At that point I would suggest the town work with them to have something done there. If not the owner will give up again and it will go back to it’s un-mowed state. It is up to the town and the neighbors what goes there. The owners are in a rock and a hard place and at the mercy of the town and it’s residants.
Why we have another Massachusetts Miracle on our hands.
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2012/03/22/mass-gdp.html
Paging Mr Lamb.
@Jessica Levenson, I noticed the same thing the other day. How great would it be if the owner either found a use for the lot or just decided to clean it up?
@Frank, I am interested in the link you posted but it doesn’t seem to work.
For some reason the link does not work. If you are still interested, go to Boston Business Journal and search “Mass. GDP growth revised downward on lower 2011 jobs estimate.”
Has the barber shop space been filled yet next to the florist? Has the red building next to Falconi oil been sold yet? That corner of newton and main has got to hurt prospects and/or pricing of those two available commercial spaces when a small business considers viability in town and sees that joke within yards. Maybe the new southborough commerce group could help put pressure on doing something. It sure would be nice to have a reason to cross the tracks after going to the bank or having lunch or dropping off dry cleaning. Everytime I go to the florist I think I wish I came in here more often. But unless I need insurance or have the urge to lean against a chain link fence, there’s no reason to cross the tracks with my fistful of cash from the bank of america atm. .
Our selectmen seem more concerned with creating controversy (MCAS growth) than actually trying to make our town better.
I remember that lot previously having a gas station with problems, and toxic clean-up issues. It may be more complicated for whomever wants to use it or own it. Does anyone remember what happened?
The gas station went out of business and the property was sold. The underground tanks were removed by the new owner. There were no “toxic clean-up issues”. The building was torn down by the new owners which made the property non-conforming to build on. It’s as simple as that. The new owners will need the support of the PB and ZBA to do anything with the property.
Thanks for the insight Alan. Any idea how long ago that was?
This is all from memory, so I could be off in my recollections. I am thinking that the property transfer was roughly ten or twelve years ago. Alan is correct in that the new owner, by completely razing the previous, existing structure, lost all means of being grandfathered in with old zoning bylaws that may have applied to the site applicable for buildings. At one point, I believe there was talk of tying a septic into Southboro Medical’s, but there may have been logistical or other obstacles to that happening.
With no fiscal incentive and apparently no altruistic one, there it sits.
Its amazing the sustainable meadow creates so much buzz, but this eyesore sits around for so absurdly long. Is there anything the town can do or threaten to do in such situations (ie eminant domain)?
Wow, thanks for the feedback everyone! If anyone knows more please post…I drive by it every day to and from work and still wonder if anything is going to happen. I remember the gas station as well. Even if it can’t be built upon anymore without getting the proper credentials, it would be nice if it stayed mowed at least. Community flower garden perhaps?