By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Redevelopment Authority will host six public presentations of its long-anticipated draft Urban Renewal Plan during the next three months as it seeks to develop its 13-acre parcel in a way that is compatible with the town’s and the community’s vision for the property.

In-person presentations will be held in the Hull High School Exhibition Room on Feb. 13, March 14, and April 25. Online presentations will be available via Zoom on Feb. 16, March 16, and April 27. All are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m.

Click here to read the full draft of the HRA’s Urban Renewal Plan

Click here to view all of the renderings of potential buildings for the HRA site

Goals include redeveloping the property in a way that maintains the fabric of the community, avoids overwhelming the surrounding neighborhoods, and helps meet the needs outlined in the Hull Affordable Housing Committee’s Housing Production Plan while also meeting the objectives of the HRA “in a way that fits with the community at large,” HRA Chair Bartley Kelly told the Hull Times.

“We’re not looking to get the highest and biggest use out of the property, but to create a neighborhood that moves traffic freely, with open space for the public and a connection between Surfside and the north end of Phipps Street,” he said. “Now that the draft is completed, we’re seeking public input.”

The HRA’s mission is “to create a sense of place in our community through development that provides tax revenue, open space recreation, job growth, an improved business environment, event venues, and parking for Nantasket Beach within an effective and efficient traffic pattern.”

Two potential site plans (identified as Option 1 and Option 2) are included in the URP.

Option 1 and Option 2 differ only in the proposed uses on a section of the property north of the DCR parking lot, near Monument Square. Option 1 includes four-family and townhouse structures on the north end of the property, while Option 2 does not develop that area, which would remain as beach parking and potential event space. Fifteen percent of the housing will be affordable.

A 65-room boutique hotel with 5,000-square-feet of conference/convention space is part of the URP.

About 70 percent of the site will be left as open space or parking, in addition to open space that’s part of any future new development plan.

“Our charge is to redevelop the property, and [what’s described above is] what the URP calls for. There could be some changes – nothing like a seven-story building – but this is the plan we are proposing,” Kelly said. “Not on the table is doing nothing with the property, which would be a disservice to the town and to the people once living there who had their property taken by eminent domain by the government. We’re trying to strike a balance between redeveloping the parcel and providing nice, usable public open space.”

The HRA was created in 1961 by town meeting to accept a charter from the federal and state governments to redevelop this parcel of land, “which at that time was deemed to be substandard, decadent or blighted open areas for industrial, commercial, business, residential, recreational, education, hospital, or other purposes,” according to the HRA website.

Initial funding was granted at the end of 1967 in the amount of $4.7 million to take, by eminent domain, the 76 buildings on the property.

The urban renewal area has been vacant since the razing of the original neighborhood was completed in 1976. The original plan for that parcel in the 1960s “is what created the HRA and allowed the properties on the land to be taken for development,” Community Development & Planning Director Chris DiIorio told The Hull Times. “That plan expired, and the HRA is [now] drafting a new one for the site.”

During the years since the HRA was formed, there have been multiple development proposals that did not come to fruition.

Most recently, after denying in 2019 two responses to a request for proposals, the HRA determined that an approved URP was necessary in order to give the HRA the flexibility needed to negotiate with, and choose, developers for the property moving forward and to ensure the end result is in accordance with how town officials and residents would like to see the property developed.

The site could be developed in one of two ways: through a URP that gives the HRA the flexibility and ability to work with a developer to craft a development that is consistent with the plan, or through the request for proposals process, which provides for competitive bidding on the property, according to DiIorio. “The RFP process gives the HRA less input in the development of the project, and more emphasis is placed on financial considerations.”

The town’s role, through the select board, is to either support or not support a submission of the new URP to the state Department of Housing and Community Development for approval.

The public meetings are a required part of the state process, and feedback the HRA receives regarding the proposal will be used to refine the URP “to address community concerns and issues, wants and needs,” DiIorio said. “Public input should help to create a better URP and assist the select board in making their decision.”

The renderings that will be presented – which are posted on the HRA website – are a visual representation of the plan, enabling the public to have a better understanding of what is envisioned.

:Developers would be able, and would be expected, to propose a project that differs from the renderings,” DiIorio explained. “However, any project should be generally in line with what is being presented in the URP. If it isn’t consistent with the plan, the HRA could refuse to move forward with the project, and/or the permitting authorities could potentially deny the permits.”

The UPR will go before the select board for a vote following the public meetings.

Having an approved plan in place will allow the HRA greater flexibility to engage and interact with governmental agencies, potential developers, and others to achieve the objectives described in the plan.

For further information about the HRA, the draft URP, and to view all of the conceptual building renderings, visit www.hra02045.com.

In a related development, the HRA was awarded a $272,000 state MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant in support of a two-way road design for Nantasket Avenue, Hull Shore Drive, and Hull Shore Drive Extension.

This grant provides for the continued development of the two-way concept into fully designed and shovel-ready construction plans.

This major change is geared toward improving vehicular flow and pedestrian safety and access through the area, as well as helping to resolve traffic back-ups and adding open space along the bayside of the HRA property. In the mid-1970s, the streets in the neighborhood were two-way thoroughfares; they expanded and changed to one-way flow in order to accommodate the anticipated development of the site.