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State overturns Quincy rejection of Long Island Bridge
By adamg on Sat, 06/08/2019 - 10:28am
Mayor Marty Walsh says the state has overturned the Quincy Conservation Commission's rejection of the proposed bridge to Long Island, because "Boston's proposal meets the performance standards under the Wetlands Protection Act and minimizes impacts to coastal wetland resources in both Boston and Quincy."
The ruling by the state Department of Environmental Protection could put to the test a vow by Quincy's mayor to go to court to stop the bridge.
The Quincy commission voted last fall to reject Boston's plans to bring the bridge back.
Boston wants to restore the bridge - shut in 2014 for safety reasons, then torn down - as a way to turn the island into a substance-abuse residential treatment center aimed at long-term recovery. Although the island is part of Boston, part of the bridge, and its connecting road, would be in Quincy.
According to the mayor's office, the state Department of Environmental Protection rejected both Quincy's rejection - and its appeal of a Boston Conservation Commission vote in favor of the bridge. Boston has rejected Quincy's proposal that it uses ferries for a variety of reasons, including that there could be problems getting first responders to and from the island in an emergency.
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Comments
"but muh resale values!!"
While I still have a strong gut feeling that Marty will carve at a least a piece of the island out for his bosses personal enrichment, this is fantastic news.
Resale values
That's what one gets for trusting government to help them and to keep picking them as a winner. Go ask cab medallion holders how that worked out for them.
Happy Pride!
Long Island Bridge "fight" as fake as 1980's wrestling
A new bridge agreement will be announced after the November elections. Both the Mayor of Boston and Mayor of Quincy are close friends, even appearing on stage recently to endorse and raise funds for the same Democrat. The L.I. Bridge deal was done even before the old bridge was blown up. The current court "fight" is all for show so that politicians "opposed" to it can say "we tried." My guess is Quincy gets to ship all of its homeless to Long Island and Marty and friends get to develop large swaths of waterfront land. They didn't build that multi-million dollar luxury pier at Camp Menino just for inner-city kids with kayaks or the small ferry that takes them there.
You forgot the best part:
You forgot the best part:
Their lawyer buddies get to collect massive billings at taxpayer expense to put on the charade without exerting much effort.
Camp Harborview
Camp Harborview opened 12 yrs ago when there was a bridge. If it was a stealth real estate development ploy, Menino didn’t get the memo.
But it sure seems like Walsh is looking at it. Boston included the island in its map of Opportunity Zones eligible for federal tax credits under the recent tax bill.
Develop part of the island and cut Quincy in
It's a big piece of real estate.
Cut 1/3 away for a park.
Cut another 1/3 away for development.
Keep 1/3 for services for the homeless and those in need of treatment.
Development subsidizes it all and pays Quincy mitigation for the traffic, etc.
The problem
If they want to have additional development on the island, they need a bigger bridge. The bigger the bridge, the higher the cost and environmental complexity. And the higher the cost and complexity, the more chances for it to be mothballed.
You’ll never need more than a two lane bridge.
Even if they went full condo mania, the island just isn’t that large.
A condition of the new bridge
A condition of the new bridge should be access for cyclists and pedestrians. Old bicycle guidebooks mention riding out to Long Island.