I noticed that..

Tim Philbrook -

I'm confused about your comment, "The Museum Place construction that will take 3-4 years". What Museum Place construction? As a tenant in the Museum Place Mall, I am not aware of any construction scheduled. Are you talking about the Peabody Essex Museum construction?

99% of the trash is from Point residents. I know, I used to live there

Tee hee!

There is already a Walgreens down there, on the New Derby Street side.

Funny you should say that, Bill. A CVS is planned for there!

Sorry, I retract my statement. The CVS is planned for the ST JOE'S site.

Our mayor walks around with blinders on when it comes to single family home owners in this city. What she is causing by a higher tax for single family home and lower taxes for two family "income property" is that pretty soon you won't find a single family home in Salem because people will start turning their single family into a two family to get cheaper taxes and for extra income to afford all that taxes dumped on us now.

This location would be PERFECT for a Trader Joe's, from what I read, it sounds like it would be the right size for one. As they already have two in the area (Peabody and Saugus), it would have to make financial sense for them to open a new location closeby. If TJ's opened up, I would shop there, no question.

I learned from talking to the manager at the former Vinnin Sq TJs that this area was not lucrative enough now that Whole Foods has opened so I doubt they would put one in Salem. Would be great though.

Agreed. It will be interesting to see what the developer actually puts in here when all is said and done, given the administration's continuing efforts to increase the amount of affordable housing - despite the fact that Salem already leads the way in affordable housing in the immediate area, with the exception of Lynn. If anything, I worry that in order to turn a profit in a city with such a low median income, the developer will decide to do the same thing that was done in North Salem - change a true mixed used plan into an enormous, mostly-residential rental project with a guaranteed-for-x-number-of-years percentage of affordable housing.

It absolutely IS in the city's best interest to tell them what to do. What have we learned about over developement in the downtown area without parking? It can't continue. I find it hard to believe 3 hotels can co-exist in Salem's LONG off-season. Rockett is already trying to expand the wharf hotel.We can't trust the mayor as she blindly tries everything under the sun to bring money to Salem. Nothing she has done has lowered my tax bill and in fact I hear more complaints every day.A hotel with a view of the homeless shelter,awesome!!

Didn't I read that this proposed project has 275 parking spaces?

The problem is that -- thanks to special permits and other whimsical decisions of our zoning board -- compliance is a moving target, set to meet the needs and desires of any given developer who, after all, doesn't have to live with the consequences.

Do it James but not on the terms of UN AGENDA 21 and ICLEI.We wonder why our roads and bridges are a deplorable.

I think the real question is, where has all the money been going? Our property taxes can't be going to fix the roads because the roads are still in the same condition as when i bought my house 15 years ago! I think the residents of Salem need to demand an accounting of every dime ,of what our taxes paid to fix? As far as building another Hotel? Our mayor is slowly turning this city into nothing but a "Drive-thu"

You make a very good point about where is the money. I have been puzzled by the added fees for Forest River and Winter Island for years. Where does that double charge go? Also the ramp fee for Winter Island,where is that money? Our taxes give us a right to public parks except WI and FR? The ramp fee is for up keep of the ramp but no work has been done on the ramp since it was built. Show us the money. We can't clean up the transfer station but we found 1 million to clean McGrath park. Guess who lives right next to that park,our mayor.

I have not seen the Salem News article so my question is where are these spaces going to be and who will control them? If they are private for the development it will create problems for others. Over the past 10 or so years condo sales exploded in downtown with the feeling parking would not be a problem and today it is a hugh problem for those condo owners and they look to the city for answers.To use the word dictate is a little overboard. Salem has an obligation to the taxpayers to over see development in a manner that is not harmful to the residents or businesses. Salem has spent years doing traffic and parking studies (at the taxpayers expense) that have failed and suddenly a developer has 275 spaces for his project?

James why engage in conversation with someone who admits that he is uninformed as to the issue at hand.

Mr Edwards, my comments are not from a person that is uniformed. Read it again and tell why I am uninformed. All facts, so please tell me. If it is because I didn't read the Salem News then say so and I will understand your confused assumption.

Well, I have read the Salem News article and having done so feel no more or less "informed" than if I hadn’t. RCG openly admits that they have no idea what they’ll put in that site, only that their plan “… depends on how the market responds.” A high-end, mixed-use development with an anchor store and plenty of parking would clearly benefit the area; another housing project or condo complex dependent on public parking – like we have at the old Salem News site – clearly would not. It would be irresponsible of city officials to sign off on this project without a firm commitment from RCG to act in the city’s best interest – supporting RCG’s “…right to allow the marketplace to decide” is a bit short sighted, don’t you think?

No confusion at all John. You commented on an article citing the Salem News as a source without bothering to read the article. That tells me all that I need to know.

My informed opinion is the same as before,parking. Sounds more like a 3 level privately owned parking garage.

Ever since seeing our Mayor on the news with our Governor on the casino bill "It will not surprise me when she pushes for a casino and slots in Salem!" Does she even live in this city? I don't understand this new CPA crap of preserving our city! building hotels , a cruise ship slip, an 11 story turbine, etc... Our once nostalgic city we live in, is slowly being destroyed before our very eyes by an over zealous mayor that's turning Salem into a mini Boston. She's destroying Salem!

The ship pier will be a glorified fishing pier.Our ferry is tied up to a prime dock on long wharf in Boston,who pays for that?

John, I would like to know why our ferry is there to? "Is our mayor and governor using it for outings or deep sea fishing? Whats wrong with all the other piers in Salem it could be tied up to, like winter island pier etc.?I will never understand the logic if any of our mayor! Also of raising taxes on struggling single family home owners and lowering taxes on two family homes that generate income for the owner. Does this really make any sense at all?

It makes sense to the Driscoll brainwased followers. I see today she has hired a replacement for Jason Silva,chief aid, and I will be shocked if the new guy dosen't get paid more then the old guy. She praised the last school superintendent when he left and how much he would be missed and then the state dropped the bomb on Salem schools,so she hired a more expensive person and she wants to extend the school day.