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Committee forwards new layout plans for Short, Maple, Currier and Irving to full council
Summary
The Housing & Economic Development committee recommended that the full City Council accept corrected layout plans for portions of Short Street, Maple Street, Currier (Courier) Street and Irving Avenue so the plans can be recorded at the registry of deeds and enable state funding for a planned bridge replacement.
The Housing & Economic Development committee on May 27 voted to send a recommendation to the full City Council to accept layout plans for portions of Short, Maple, Currier (Courier) and Irving streets, a step staff said is required for state right-of-way funding associated with a planned bridge replacement.
Daniel McCarthy, the city's planning director, told the committee the land survey could not locate recorded plans for the side streets in the registry of deeds after an as-built review. He said the city had an updated survey and corrected layout plans that must be recorded before MassDOT and federal partners will certify right-of-way and advance construction.
Why it matters: Recording the layouts triggers state and federal funding eligibility and establishes the legal meets-and-bounds the city must use for takings, temporary and permanent easements, and contractor access during construction. McCarthy said some private takings will be required and the city will compensate affected property owners for temporary use during sidewalk and utility work.
Committee members asked about timing, local business impacts and phasing. McCarthy and project staff said construction is not imminent — it could be more than a year before heavy work begins — and that phasing will depend on contractor scheduling and state financing. Staff also described existing pedestrian-safety problems on the bridge approaches, including deteriorated side walls and sidewalks blocked by Jersey barriers.
The committee's motion to send the item to the full council with a favorable recommendation passed by voice vote. The committee also untabled the item to allow presentation of the revised plans. The full council will receive the plans and the recorded document numbers if the council approves the acceptance and the subsequent registry filing.
The next step: Staff will return to the council with easement takings and schedule details as the project approaches construction and as state permitting and Article 97 approvals proceed.
