The state advisory committee will make its recommendation for the developer of the Chestnut Hill Waterworks site to Massachusetts's Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) on May 1. The committee, scheduled to announce its recommendation publicly at a community meeting April 15, postponed that announcement and has not yet decided if it will publicly announce its recommendation before submitting it to DCAM.
"This hasn't been an easy process," Albert Rex, committee chairman, told The Heights. "There were three really good proposals and we had to look at them very closely."
The state advisory committee's recommendation will be based on a series of criteria including design, positive use of programming, architecture and landscaping, and the capacity of the development team to accomplish the project. "We tried to weigh the aspects in equal amounts," said Rex.
The committee spoke with community members and tried to gauge the community's priorities and concerns before making its decision. "The community had a lot of input. The decision we make will reflect the community's concerns and the concerns of the committee," said Rex.
The advisory committee hosted a question-and-answer session between community members and the development teams. The members of the committee have made themselves available for community members to contact with specific concerns.
DCAM, which will receive the committee's recommendation on Thursday, is not required to agree with the group's decision. It only has to consider it before making the final decision on who will develop the Waterworks site. The committee will submit its concerns about each proposal along with their recommendation.
The advisory committee is made up of representatives from local communities. Brighton has three votes, Brookline two, the city of Boston two, Newton one, and one from Rex.
"Now it's just a matter of getting the committee to sit down and make a decision," said Rex.
Be the first to comment on this article!