By Carol Britton Meyer

The warrant article proposed by S.O.S. (Save Our Space), an organization dedicated to delaying the current development proposal for the Hull Redevelopment Authority parcel to allow more time to come up with alternatives that would maintain open space, was defeated during Tuesday’s town meeting session on a 167 to 110 vote. Although more people voted in favor, passage of the article required a two-thirds majority of voters present.

**DEVELOPING A PLAN.** Save Our Space co-founder Susan Vermilya advocated a petition that would have rezoned most of the HRA’s 13 acres to open space. [Skip Tull photo]

The citizens’ petition, submitted by resident Susan Vermilya and others, called for designating most of the HRA’s 13 acreage as a public open space district.

“This is a legacy vote that will affect the town for generations,” said Vermilya, a founding SOS member. “We’ve become a year-round community, enjoying annual events such as bonfires and carnivals [on this site]. We want this to be a beautiful space for our town. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”

She also cited climate change and flooding as other reasons to keep the property free from development.

Advisory board member Jason Frady said the HRA has already filed a preliminary subdivision plan for the parcel, which locks the current zoning in place for eight years.

“The HRA owns the property, not the town. If we were to change the zoning to open space and take away their right to develop it, I’m not sure what that cost could be,” he said.

For these reasons, the advisory board recommended unfavorable action. The board also cited the loss of future possible significant tax revenues if no development is allowed.

HRA Chair Bartley Kelly explained the history of the property and that the HRA earlier rejected two development proposals.

“We thought it was better to go back to creating an Urban Renewal Plan,” he said.

Eighty percent of the parcel will remain as open space or parking, according to Kelly. “We need economic development” to generate more tax revenue for the town, he said.

One resident feels that there are more important considerations than money. “This has been our town common for many years,” she said, noting that annual events currently held on the HRA parcel “will be gone” if the development plan goes through.

Another resident said that since citizens created the HRA through a town meeting vote many years ago, “It’s time to take it back as open space, which is the most precious thing we have in town.”

Resident Patricia Lambert said the issue is not about “20 or 80 percent, but about the quality of life and safety of everyone in town related to projected climate calamity and sea-level rise, which we are unable to control. … We’re playing profit-and-loss on our children and grandchildren, which is unconscionable in every way,” she said.

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