Site plan of “The Beck,” near the Bradford commuter rail station.
Details of a 290-unit apartment complex, to be known as “The Beck,” near the Bradford commuter rail station will be aired Tuesday night by the Haverhill City Council when the body considers granting a special permit for the waterfront project.
Nearly a year ago, Haverhill councilors voted 7-1 to sell the former Ornsteen Heel property, 19 Railroad Ave., with Council President Melinda E. Barrett dissenting and Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan abstaining.
Developer Michael Procopio and the Procopio Company of Lynnfield plans to buy the Ornsteen property from the city for $1 million and use it as well as the land currently occupied by Skateland and an abandoned gas station lot near the Comeau Bridge. Besides apartments, the project consists of 6,500 square feet of retail space, including a restaurant with outdoor seating; extension of the riverwalk; and a park with amphitheater. The project now covers nearly seven a
Click image for Haverhill City Council agenda.
Haverhill has a second chance to buy a 22.5-acre parcel to prevent its development and help protect the city’s water supply.
While Mayor James J. Fiorentini turned down the opportunity to buy the 97 Corliss Hill Road land for $400,000 in March, Essex County Greenbelt is expected to tell city councilors tonight how it may still be preserved. At the time, the mayor said the city had only a 120-day right of first refusal and he chose to forgo the offer in favor of buying a 29.4-acre Brandy Brow Road parcel closer to the Millvale Reservoir watershed. Asked what changed, resident Christine Kwitchoff told WHAV the city has more time to act than first believed.