Nobscot Meeting 3.5.18 Pick your poison

For those who have missed another great meeting at Heritage last night, I'll present a simplified version. First, this is the third meeting in the past few years about the shopping plaza. In attendance was the Mayor and City Council members, Stoll, King, Sistky, Richardson, Cannon, Shepard and Steiner. Just like the past meetings, frustration over what is planned by the owner Mr. Rose and what most people polled, want. Cutting to the chase, the Mayor seemed to be confused over what has transpired over the past 10 years. The Council member's seemed to be resolved to making something happen, but it seems that they are caving to Mr. Rose.
It boils down to the owner, at his expense, move the church to next to the library, so the City can widen the intersection for a right turn at the light on Water Street. He will build a new CVS in place of the professional building there now and 152 apartments and 8k in retail space on the bottom floor.
Mr. Rose has a 50 year lease with the owners of Shaws to not let another grocery store there. I submit that if Sahw's did not restrict Rose from filling that plaza, he'd have that plaza filled with small business.
In order to make his plan work, zoning has to change.

So.. pick your poison, either we get another apartment complex with the church move and widening of the intersection and a new CVS or we get to look at an empty parking lot. As an aside, if he builds the complex, we loose parking for the Library and school.
Other than changing our blight laws, I see nothing else we can do. I am NOT in favor of adding more apartments to that area, but others just want the eye soar to go away.