The Beall’s Grant II Committee was formed last fall in response to concerns that were raised at the October general membership meeting regarding the size and scale of the building and its impact on the surrounding community.
The Committee, ably led by Dennis Cain and Bridget Newton, has worked diligently over the past 6 months to reach a compromise with MHP. This compromise includes a revised design for a smaller building with a reduced number of units. In addition, access to the building was changed to minimize traffic on Beall Ave. There were many other details that were discussed, negotiated and agreed to by both the Committee and MHP.
The details of our agreement were drafted into a Memorandum of Understanding, a copy of which can be found in the article below.
At the meeting on Tuesday night, we will review this document and you will be able to see the changes that have been negotiated and what the revised building will look like.
While it was the goal to present a fully executed agreement to the general membership, it appears this is not going to be possible.
Subsequent to the Committee signing the MOU, MHP modified the terms of the agreement.
This was unacceptable for two reasons, first they modified the terms of a signed and executed document, and second they inserted language that the committee had previously rejected. This language allows them to invalidate the agreement for events beyond the Committee’s control and that do not relate in any way to the design of the project. Their version of the MOU essentially nullifies the last 6 months of negotiation.
That being said, we are confident that the hard work the Committee has put into negotiating the details of the project will not be lost and that by ratifying the MOU, WECA can forward this new and improved plan to the City for their consideration.
