Storey Avenue rezoning could be voted tonight

The City Council is scheduled to meet tonight, and the rezoning of Storey Avenue might — or might not — come out of the Planning and Development Committee for a vote of the full council.

Committee Chair Barry Connell Friday afternoon said he hasn't decided whether to bring it out of committee. He could let it lie inert and permit more study on the matter.

There appears to be some question on the "deadline" for action. His committee had been operating under the belief that yesterday (Feb. 12) was the time when it had to be acted upon — or the process of hearings would have to start over.

However, city officials, including Mayor Donna Holaday, said last Monday that the city's legal counsel had opined that the city has until late April to take action.

It is likely that a discussion about deadlines for committee action will be part of the meeting tonight.

• • •

Two black-tie events designed to engage city luminaries are on the horizon, and each is tied to the historic waterfront.

Leaders of the Custom House Maritime Museum are planning a party for its "soft opening" to coincide with the sinking of the Titanic one century ago.

The doomed liner went down April 15, 1912, and museum director W. Michael Mroz said that an event on Saturday, April 15, will note this infamous date.

The museum is opening for the season (on a part-time basis) on that date, and will use the dramatic tragedy at sea as one of its themes.

A black-tie ball is scheduled to occur in conjunction with the Coast Guard City Weekend, which is slated for Aug. 3-5. Much pomp will unfold as city officials recognize the moment.

Municipal leaders had targeted Saturday, Aug. 4, for a formal ball, and were pondering an event on the back lawn of the Maritime Museum.

But alert planners noted the Saturday falls within the heart of Yankee Homecoming, and prettied-up ladies and gents might be overwhelmed by the throngs at the waterfront.

For instance, the energetic James Montgomery band is scheduled to perform at the nearby bandstand, so there was the possibility that Museum partiers wouldn't be able to make themselves heard until after the sounds of the last encore died away.

Members of the Harbor Commission, major planners of the weekend, are now favoring Friday night — perhaps at the Elks Club.

They will convene with city leaders to see if Friday is appropriate. On Saturday, formal parades, presentations and speeches will be scheduled at Market Square and other locations.

• • •

The Local Historic District Study Committee has voted to avoid the potential of expensive roofing bills by deleting a measure in its draft that would have required slate roofs to be replaced by slate roofs on structures within the proposed historic district.

The committee met Thursday night, and in discussing feedback it has received, it was stated that homeowners have expressed concern about a proposed requirement stating that a building owner had to replace slate with slate.

In mulling the matter, co-chair Doug Locy called on his own experience to say that a slate roof could cost $110,000, while a roof of another (appropriate) material could cost about $10,000.

The disparity was so significant that the handful of observers at the meeting appeared to be waiting for another shoe to drop, to wit, for someone to say that it would be an unjust financial burden to require that slate roofs be required.

Several property owners in the proposed district (High Street and the downtown business district) have also complained that if a slate roof is destroyed during a winter storm, it is almost impossible to replace it with the same material during harsh weather.

The five-member study committee agreed to delete "slate" from its final report, and thus the use of asphalt shingling or other surfaces will be included in the proposed ordinance the committee sends to the City Council in late spring.

• • •

Stats and the city: A consulting firm that presented a "housing needs assessment" report recently stated that the median value of a single-family residence here is $420,000.

The city assessor's office states that the median value is $445,000.

The difference in figures isn't of major significance, except to suggest the firm doesn't appear to have the city in fine focus.

The firm of Karen Sunnarbord Consulting, based in Jamaica Plain, is an advocate for affordable housing.

Firm representatives on Wednesday night showed slides of parts of Newburyport and made suggestions where affordable housing might be built. Consultants seemed to see construction opportunities where many local residents do not.

A slide would show a Federalist mansion on High Street, and a consultant would say it might be converted into multiple apartment units.

A depiction of a picturesque field with leafy trees would be shown, and the suggestion was "Now this might be better utilized for housing."

When a slide of the legendary Haley's Ice Cream on Route 1 was shown and the moderator suggested affordable housing could be placed there, City Councilor Ed Cameron, as if to suggest that some properties are OK the way the are, chirped in, "Hey, that place has the best ice cream in town."

• • •

The following meetings are planned and are open to the public:

Today

Public Utilities Committee, 7:20 p.m., City Council chambers

City Council, 7:30 p.m., City Council chambers

Tomorrow

Housing Authority, 1 p.m., Sullivan Building, 25 Temple St.

Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., City Council chambers

River Valley Charter School Board of Directors, 7 p.m., 2 Perry Way

Wednesday

School Building Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall conference room

Planning Board, 7 p.m., City Council chambers

Newburyport Redevelopment Authority, 7 p.m., public library

Thursday

Beach Management Committee, 2 p.m., City Council chambers

Ordinance Review Committee, 5:30 p.m., City Hall

Youth Commission, 6 p.m., 149 High St.

Affordable Housing Trust, 6:30, Planning Department of City Hall

Open Space and Recreation Plan Public Meeting, 6:30 p.m., public library

Parks Commission, 6:30, public library

Energy Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., City Hall

Historical Commission, 7:30 p.m., City Council chambers

• • •

Dyke Hendrickson covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached at 978-462-6666, ext. 3226, or at dhendrickson@newburyportnews.com.

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