Residents Feel Left Out of Moon Street Development Process

By Phil Orlandella

North End/Waterfront residents, although the development of 16-18 Moon Street has been classified by the City’s Inspectional Service Department (ISD) as an as-of-right build, means the project would not need any community input to go through.

The single-family building would be 54 feet in height, just under the 55-foot zoning requirements. This doesn’t include anything placed on the roof top.

While there are no apparent abutter complaints, both the North End/Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA) and the North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) membership were worried about the message this sends to potential developers in the neighborhood.

Legally the developer did not have to appear before any neighborhood organization.

NEWNC President John Pregmon expressed his thoughts claiming the developer didn’t have to appear but NEWNC “always values neighborhood input.”

Residents are concerned that this issue could set a precedent in the community.

The general feeling was the developer, despite the IDS non-requirements, should have appeared at community meetings to at least hear out the neighborhood.

 It appears that these neighborhood organizations will certainly scrutinize the project because it has a big impact on local people.