News

Governor scheduled to visit Beverly

By Paul Leighton
Staff writer
Published: June 12, 2008

BEVERLY — Gov. Deval Patrick is scheduled to visit the city tomorrow to make what his office is calling an "economic development" announcement.

Patrick is tentatively scheduled to make the announcement at 3:30 p.m. at the Beverly train depot, where the MBTA has said it intends to build a parking garage.

State Rep. Mary Grant said the governor's office did not tell her what the announcement is about, but "one can assume it may have something to do with the garage."

"If it does happen to be about the garage, it would be very pleasing to me after the hard work we have done to try and craft this," Grant said.

The governor's press office did not return a call seeking comment.

City officials have been trying to get the MBTA to build a parking garage at the depot for 20 years. The MBTA announced in April 2007 that it plans to build the garage, but nothing has happened since.

Lack of parking has always been a problem at the Beverly depot, one of the most heavily used MBTA stations. There are now about 300 parking spaces at the station and in a parking lot off Pleasant Street, but many commuters scramble to find parking on nearby streets.

In the past, officials have said a new multilevel garage could hold as many as 600 vehicles. It would be paid for with state and federal money.

Plans have called for the garage to be built across the street from the depot on land now occupied by the Casa de Lucca restaurant, The Sports Connection bar/rooming house and the Weaver Glass building, which is owned by Windover Development of Manchester. The MBTA would either buy those buildings or take them by eminent domain.

Yesterday, Casa de Lucca owner Mark Clinton, Sports Connection owner Baylus Baum and Windover President Lee Dellicker all said they knew nothing about Patrick's scheduled visit, nor had they talked to the MBTA in the last year.

The Massachusetts Historical Society ruled in January that the Casa de Lucca and Sports Connection buildings, which are former railway hotels, are historically significant. That ruling required the MBTA to look for alternative sites but does not prohibit the buildings from being demolished.