Where will the jobs come from or Not doing business in Massachusetts

   Opportunities are out there but few are willing or able to take advantage of them.  While we have been seeking permits from surrounding communities for solar applications, let it be known that said communities are increasing fees and requiring construction plans that few would be capable of reading or understanding.  Gone are the days of being a reputable contractor with years of experience, it is now all about the money, the towns or cities that is.

Gloucester, land for sale/development

A day after the still-empty lot at 65 Rogers St. came up from a three-month bidding period without a single proposal, one city councilor is asking the council to take a closer look at the regulations that might have stymied developers

Councilor-at-large and former four-term Mayor Bruce Tobey on Thursday asked city attorney Suzanne Egan and city planning directot Gregg Cadematori to make a presentation to the council about the legal and regulatory constraints on the I-4, C-2 property and what the city can do about them.

In all, 10 companies looked at the property and took out applications based on the city's Request for Proposals, but not one made a formal proposal when bidding closed Wednesday.

The state's DPA regulations prohibit, among other things, any hotels or residential uses along the harbor. The regulations also require that anything built in the DPA devote at least 50 percent of its development to water-dependent marine industry.

Beyond that, Tobey said, I-4, C-2 doesn't offer a developer sure access to the waterfront. The city controls the upland portion of the parcel, but a developer would have to work with the city's Waterways Board for access to the water.