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Concourse plans call for land takings Quincy mayor to present proposal to council Monday published 11-12-04 QUINCY - Designs for the critical final phase of the Quincy Center Concourse call for a four-lane crossing of Hancock Street that will require the city’s largest taking of land and buildings in decades. Mayor William Phelan’s administration on Monday will present the concourse plans to the city council, which will have to approve the land acquisitions needed for the long-planned east-west connector through the heart of Quincy Center. The proposal includes a request to obtain portions of nine properties where the proposed road is laid out. Phelan is tentatively expecting to earmark $10 million for the acquisitions, but that figure is not firm. “The location was actually incidental to the design we wanted to fulfill an objective of going straight across Hancock Street two ways,” Phelan said. “This is the best way to accomplish that.” Completion of the concourse is viewed as critical to the city’s downtown redevelopment efforts, and the city has so far secured a total of $8 million in state and federal funding for the project. The road’s first phase, a bridge connecting Burgin Parkway to Parkingway, was completed in 2002. A $1.3 million project reconstructing McGrath Highway is slated to begin next year.
Monday’s council presentation will be a starting point of sorts for a land acquisition process that could take months, or longer, to finalize. If the council approves the takings, the city will have the targeted properties appraised and then negotiate with owners. If sale negotiations break down, proposed land takings could wind up in court. Properties on the takings list include: land on Hancock Street that was the long-time home of Bernie’s formal shop; Frantic Framers; the Holy Ground bar on Hancock Street; two hair salons on Revere Road and part of the block that includes Napoli Pizza on Hancock Street. The Super Fitness gym, the Quincy Faire Mall and a tanning salon on the Parkingway are also on the acquisition list, although it’s not clear how much of each parcel the city is planning to take from each properties. Some parcels shown on designs will be completely wiped out by the road, while preliminary maps show only wedges others targeted for acquisition. Not every business owner affected by the proposed takings is looking forward to getting a cash offer from the city. Stephen Morris, the owner of the Illusion Salon on Revere Road, said he had no idea his building might be in the way of a road when he bought it two years ago. “I found out about it, and basically cried for next two days. I guess I have to get a lawyer,” Morris said. “The city says they’ll offer fair market value, but what about all the money that I put into this building - this drained our savings.” One property not on the acquisition list is American Legion Post on Mechanic Street. The group’s president, Fred McCray said Friday that it was still too early to say what effect the road design passing directly in front of the building might have, saying he’ll be going to Monday’s council meeting to learn more. “We’ll need to have a hearing process to see how we got where we are,” said Ward 5 City Councilor Douglas Gutro. “What alternatives were looked at and dismissed? What options might have been viable but were removed from consideration?” Christopher Walker may be reached at cwalker@ledger.com.
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The design essentially calls for a major widening of Revere Road into a two-way road with four lanes until crossing Hancock Street. From there, the concourse will continue straight through what is now a vacant lot and a portion of the Quincy Faire Mall, which houses a movie theater and the Registry of Motor Vehicle offices, before connecting with Parkingway and the existing concourse bridge.
