Board of Aldermen 02-23-2021 Page 15
Also, when we enter into a construction agreement on Schools, we enter into an agreement to select an
architect and a construction manager. When this agreement is put in place it allows the developer to finalize
things with the architect and the construction company that is going to build a building. Anything to do with
how the building is built including the parking garage will have to go through all of the City planning that normal
projects go through and all the constraints including inspections and everything else. So they will develop the
amount of parking spaces they can; right now they have plans for 49. If the Planning Board says, we don't like
this design then it’s going to be like 44 that’s beyond our control.
This agreement is allowing a good faith agreement with the developer to spend additional monies to move forth
with this project. The City will have many other checks and balances in the final design. The things that are
being questioned right now, | don’t feel are things that impact the Master Development Plan. Some of the
amendments will be added to. You know, when we build a school, we enter into an agreement with an
architect and a construction manager but we have initial drawings, we have design drawings, we have
construction drawings; there are three sets of drawings and they are very expensive. On School they are
probably about 6 to 8 inches thick and they are very, very expensive. | think this is just the City entering into a
good faith agreement, correct me if I’m wrong Attorney Bolton, with the developer to give them the
understanding that the City is willing to work with them to develop this project. Thank you.
Attorney Bolton
| think it’s correct to say that it locks up this space and the developer can be assured that if he goes and
spends money to get necessary approvals, building permits, Planning Board site plan approval, etc., we are
not going to pull it away from him and make a different deal with a another developer after the major
investment has been made. So | think it gives this developer that degree of assurance.
President Wilshire
Alderman Lopez?
Alderman Lopez
Thank you. First | just want to address some use of terminology for the public more than anything else. When
Alderman Lu is referring to “redlining” she’s referring to the red colored font when we edit documents and we
are looking at them digitally it's a Word document so you know when you make a change it is colored red. So
redlining has a particularly unfortunate connotation for poorer neighborhoods, not allowing them to get loans.
So | just wanted to clarify for anybody listening that there’s no redlining involved in this. She was referring to
corrections and changes and it is just as much jargon as using “golden rod” when it’s all digital and it is not
even exactly golden. So | just wanted to get that out of the way.
| do understand what Alderman Dowd is saying in terms of this being a Master Developer Agreement and not
needing all the details necessarily to enter into that agreement. And | do want to clarify that | think the
Developer has done his due diligence and has certainly provided things that we need like the lease and the
parking lot. But | think it’s important for us to consider those aspects of it because | am very mindful of other
large scale development projects which we have started on, we’ve committed on and then we found ourselves
pretty ensnared as the developer ended up changing things. | am thinking of the Riverfront Landing Projects
where things changed one step after another after the City had already agreed to it.
So while | don’t fault the developer at all, | think they've done what they are supposed to do, if we are not even
communicating plans and leases to ourselves | am a little concerned. | know that Attorney Bolton did some
review and only had limited time to do that review, but | would feel more comfortable with him being able to
confidently say 100% everything we need is in the lease, this is where it is, | Know where it is. | think it is
putting him on the spot to ask him to do that if we haven't really had a chance to all review it ourselves. So |
am more inclined | think at this point to support Alderman Jette’s request that we return it to the Committee,
unless there’s a reason, unless there’s a time commitment or there’s a countdown or something.
