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Housing committee tables Eversource easement at Hoffman Street after resident notice and development concerns
Summary
The Lawrence City Housing Committee on a motion tabled consideration of an easement request from Eversource Gas for equipment on a city-owned parcel at 1–9 Hoffman Street (207 Marston Street) after members pressed for clearer resident notification and assurances about future redevelopment impacts.
The Lawrence City Housing Committee on Wednesday tabled consideration of a request from Eversource Gas to grant a utility easement for installation of gas equipment on a small portion of city-owned land at 1–9 Hoffman Street (also referenced as 207 Marston Street), citing resident-notification concerns and questions about the site's future redevelopment.
Daniel McCarthy, planning director for the city of Lawrence, told the committee the easement would cover a narrow corner of the Tamborello site measuring about 55 by 12 feet (roughly 660 square feet) and that the administration negotiated with Eversource to move the equipment to the farthest point on the lot so it would not interfere with future redevelopment. "We negotiated with Eversource to get these' the equipment moved to the farthest point on this lot so that it won't interfere with the future redevelopment of this property," McCarthy said.
Tanner Hyslop, project engineer with Eversource Gas, described the work as part of a larger program to replace aging low-pressure mains with a high-pressure system and to add a new supply source in that area. "Currently, there is no gas infrastructure for the new high pressure system," Hyslop said. He said the company expects to finish work on this segment by the fall, depending on approval of the easement, and that no customer service interruptions are expected during construction: "No. No no service will be interrupted during any of the construction for this project."
Public commenters and several councilors pressed for clearer notice to abutters and for better restoration after work. A resident caller said residents were not informed and criticized the lack of visual materials at the committee meeting: "People don't know what's happening in their neighborhood. We don't know if this is above ground, below ground, and we're getting a lot of obfuscation here with these answers," the caller said.
Councilors also raised quality-of-life and traffic concerns and asked the company to coordinate with the police department for traffic control. McCarthy said the city is redoing the nearby intersection and that the timing of this work is intended to allow major street reconstruction to be done after the utility work so streets will not have to be dug up again.
On a motion to table the item, seconded by Councilor Fidelina Santiago, the committee voted in favor to postpone consideration and asked Eversource and city staff to return with documentation that certified letters and bilingual notices were sent to abutters, and with a formal presentation showing the equipment footprint and restoration plans. The committee recorded the outcome as tabled and asked staff to bring the requested materials at the next meeting.
The action leaves the easement unresolved; the company said the easement is needed to expand the city's high-pressure gas supply in the neighborhood and that the cabinets will be largely flush with the ground with only two visible cabinets above grade.
