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Developer changes at 'Aggregate' site draw public criticism; council to schedule update
Summary
A longtime community proponent of the so-called Aggregate/Agrohood development told council the project has scaled back promised affordable and publicly accessible ground-floor uses, reduced unit counts and fenced off open space. City staff agreed to schedule a verbal update for council review.
Kurt Vartan, a local resident and longtime advocate for the Aggregate site’s urban-agriculture vision, told the council during public presentations that developer CORE has substantially changed the project from what was promised to the city and community.
Vartan said the current proposals slash the project’s housing from earlier counts by roughly 75 percent in certain components, remove ground-floor affordable housing and a public community kitchen, and fence formerly public open space. He urged the council to hold the developer accountable to the conditions in the planned development permit and restore ground-floor, public-facing uses and open access to the farm and ‘‘placemaking’’ amenities.
City Manager Jovan Grogan told the council he would schedule a verbal update on the Aggregate site for a future meeting so the council could review what was approved and what CORE has built to date.
Why it matters: Members of the public and the council consider adherence to approved planned-development permits, affordable housing promises and public-access commitments important to neighborhood livability. The city manager’s commitment to bring a formal update will give council an opportunity to determine whether enforcement or permit compliance actions are needed.
