After reading the article describing the meeting with a developer interested in developing Benny’s Plaza, I was left wondering why Select Board member [Richard] Quintal is so opposed to this proposal. The town has a largely abandoned site with buildings in disrepair. A well-respected developer has offered to turn the site into apartments and commercial space, both of which would be a benefit to the town. The project would pump millions of dollars into the local construction industry and generate much needed tax revenue for Plymouth.
In contrast, Quintal thinks the town should borrow the five million necessary to purchase the property and turn it into a park, in spite of the fact that the site is a stone’s throw from Nelson Park. Do the residents of Plymouth really need this? Do we really want the town to borrow funds to do this and increase our ever-growing deficit? I doubt it.
Perhaps if Select Board member Quintal was willing to work with this developer, he would find a way to have the developer include amenities like a small park on the site in addition to the apartments.
– Dan Garte