By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Redevelopment Authority this week heard a presentation from a Cohasset family to build a wellness and community center on its property, the second time in as many meetings that informal presentations of development ideas have taken place.

Cohasset resident Lisa Rogers, speaking on behalf of herself and her husband, Paul, discussed a preliminary vision for a non-profit, multi-generational Dylan’s Tide Child Wellness and Community Center in honor of their late son. Their goal is for this all-season, roughly two-acre project to be included in the HRA Urban Renewal Plan that is currently in the “Option 3” stage, or a complete rethinking of property’s development strategy.

This presentation was not part of a formal request for proposals for the property, but is another in a series of meetings where development options are being informally discussed.

Rogers said the preliminary proposal, geared toward helping people of all ages feel safe, manage stress, and make connections with others, features all-season space for diverse indoor and outdoor educational and recreational activities. These include walking paths, sports for all ages, musical swings, an art gallery, a rooftop vegetable and flower garden and farm-to-table events, summer fun days, an outdoor fitness court, patio with fire pits, string lights, and casual furniture for group gatherings, a retail store selling beach clothing, towels, candles, surfboards, bikes, and beach buggies, inspired jewelry, and other items, and a library, among many other uses. All profits from the store would support non-profit organizations.

Key to the concept is adding vibrancy to local shops and restaurants all year long, she said.

‘Holistic vision’

“Hull deserves a community resource like this that will bring retirees together with families as part of a holistic vision where everyone benefits and all talents are welcome,” Rogers said. “This is just magic.”

The concept is for the building of the center to be paid for through private investments, fundraising, grants, and other sources, according to Rogers. The town would be asked to contribute to the maintenance as part of what they hope will become a public-private partnership.

“We’re not looking to be a developer or to make money but purely to honor our son,” Rogers told the HRA at its meeting Monday night. “This would be a place of peace and joy for the entire community – a space filled with light and love. We think this project would fit perfectly into the mix of other ideas that we’ve heard are proposed for the surrounding property.”

Rogers explained that they “have a lot of resources [among friends and other contacts] willing to donate their time, talents, and efforts to help get us established” and that a paid director would create a staffing and community activities plan, “with input from us all, who would be responsible for management of the center.”

The Rogers family would hire an individual to manage the staffing, year-round activities, and other components.

Rogers explained that those willing to invest in the project have set a six-month timeframe for a decision by the HRA as to whether to embrace the concept as part of the URP.

She noted that the name “Dylan” means “keeper of the sea.” “He was and is our shining star and the reason for pursuing this project,” she said. Dylan Rogers, who was known for his kindness, compassion, and love for children, passed away in 2021.

The redevelopment authority was formed in the 1960s under a federal program to revitalize urban and suburban neighborhoods. The HRA’s original footprint – designated Town Center No. 1 – encompasses the land between the beach and bay from Water Street to Phipps Street; at one time, the authority planned to expand its territory into three additional districts that stretched south toward Atlantic Hill.

Much of the HRA land has been vacant since the 1970s, when homes and businesses were taken by eminent domain by the authority and bulldozed, burned, or relocated in anticipation of development proposals that never materialized. The HRA has been working for the past several years to create a set of guidelines for future development.

A 2023 version of the URP envisioned several uses for the property, including a boutique hotel and buildings with ground-floor retail and residential units on the upper floors. For the property north of the DCR parking lot near Monument Square, options included affordable housing or beach parking and event space. The HRA stepped back from that plan and has embarked on the current process to rework the URP.

‘For the greater public good’

Family member John Rogers, an attorney who is assisting with the proposal, noted that after 76 homes were razed and 126 individuals displaced more than 50 years ago when the property was taken by eminent domain, the questions were asked, why, and for what purpose?

“The answer to why is ‘for the greater public good,’” he said, and repurposing the land is the answer to the other question. “[The HRA] has set a goal that redevelopment of this part of town should create a sense of place. That’s a noble and necessary goal and mission. What Lisa presented satisfies that goal, I believe.”

Other benefits, according to John Rogers, include creating a place where community members can go “to achieve health and wellness for body, mind, and spirit; where everyone feels welcome.”

Calling the Rogers “philanthropists,” he explained that they both “love Hull and want to donate their own wealth and fundraising efforts to enter into a public-private partnership. There would be no income for them – no private benefit other than knowing that they would be helping the HRA achieve a public benefit for all – making a public asset even better.”

This proposal “checks off a lot of boxes of what people in the community want to see on, and envision for, the HRA property,” board member Bartley Kelly said.

Member Joan Senatore agreed. “This is what a lot of our residents have been asking for,” she said. “The proposal has my support.”

Paquin said she also believes that the proposal “is in the spirit of the public good. This is such a beautiful way to honor Dylan.”

HRA Chair Dennis Zaia referred to the proposal as “a lightning bolt for us to grab.”

During the public comment period at the end of the meeting, resident Lisa French asked whether there would be an admission fee and whether the Rogers family is asking to purchase the land and would own the center privately.

“It seems like these are reasonable questions to be asked at this point,” she said.

Kelly – who along with HRA member Adrienne Paquin met with Town Manager Jennifer Constable and Lisa and Paul Rogers to listen to the concept – and Zaia emphasized that this was a preliminary conversation and that there would be further discussions, with opportunities for community input, at a later date.

“This is as far as we’ve gotten,” Kelly said.

Lisa and Paul Rogers’s son, Griffin, watched the Zoom meeting and said at the end of the discussion, “You have my full commitment to this vision and the Town of Hull for many years to come,” he said. “That is my promise to you all.”

A replay of the meeting is available at Hull Community Television’s website, www.hulltv.net.

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