News

Port residents craft zone of their own

By Ethan Forman
Staff writer
Published: August 20, 2008

DANVERS — Stores, waterfront homes and riverfront uses are what a group of residents want built on industrial land in Danversport.

And this group of seven is not waiting around for the Planning Board to whip up new rules about what can and cannot be built.

"We are advocating the right of residents to be free of the noxious effects of Industrial-1 zoning," Precinct 3 Town Meeting member Ann Marie Ruotolo said.

She said people should not have to live near warehouses, contractor yards and self-storage facilities.

Last September, Ruotolo formed a committee to comb through zoning rules, maps and reports.

They came up with what they have called Danversport-1, or D-1, to replace the industrial zoning in the port.

Last week, the group unveiled its plans for 20 out of the 30 Town Meeting members of precincts 1 and 3 at a meeting at the Thompson House on the grounds of the New England Homes for the Deaf.

The future of industrial-zoned land amid tightly-packed homes in Danversport has been debated for years.

The November 2006 chemical-plant explosion threw that debate into sharp relief, making a change in how the area is zoned a priority for town officials and residents alike.

"It's time for Danversport to get a fair shake," Ruotolo said.

The Planning Board is on track to come up with new rules of its own regarding the industrial zones, said Senior Planner Tali Kritzer, who said zoning in Danversport is a priority, and the Planning Board is looking to come up with an article for an upcoming Special Town Meeting.

There are three distinct industrial zones in Danversport: the area around Pope's Landing; the area of Sam and Joe's Restaurant and the Cranney Self Storage facility — which residents call the "chocolate box" for its brown metal walls; and the area along Water Street, south of Rainbow Terrace. This area encompasses Liberty Marina, Eastern Propane, the ITW Devcon chemical plant and the former location of the CAI Inc./Arnel Co. Inc. chemical plant that was leveled in an explosion nearly two years ago.

Ruotolo's proposal would enhance the use of the waterfront, allow for retail and convenience stores and even permit drive-through windows, all with an eye toward keeping them away from homes.

Trade shops, like those operated by contractors, would be allowed by special permit with no outdoor storage, she said.

The zoning rules would also come with another twist: an elected waterfront district review committee that would include three business leaders appointed by the committee.

"I think they have done a great job," Precinct 3 Town Meeting member Jack Fratus said of the residents' zoning efforts. "They put a lot of work into it. It makes a lot of sense.

"I don't know if the Planning Board or Board of Appeals will go along with it, but it's another thing Town Meeting can digest."