By Carol McCracken (Post # 505)

A handful of interested neighbors attended an informational meeting late this afternoon regarding the pending application before the city’s planning board for Hamilton Marine, a major discount marine store, to move from its current location to 170 Anderson Street. It has been at its current location, 100 Fore Street, for the past 15 years.

The original application requested that the city change 170 Anderson Street from an industrial zone to a B5 zone. However, over the weekend, Jan Piribeck, the secretary of the East Bay Neighborhood Organization, suggested that the applicant reconsider this zoning request because of the neighborhood evaluation that is currently on-going is completed; it’s led by Alan Holt. With that new information, Brenda Buchanan, attorney, for the applicant changed her request to two zoning text amendments; one to permit “marine products wholesaling and retailing in any industrial, waterfront B6 zone’ and another regarding parking for a small number of retail customers.

Piribeck, an artist who lives in the area, said: “This is a good solution. It will relieve concern in the neighborhood. We are glad that the Compass Project will remain on the property. I’ll be happy to report this back to the East Bay Neighborhood Organization.” (See above photo.)

The public hearing before the planning board is scheduled for July 13th.

Please visit Post # 504, dated June 22, for more background information.