Massive development proposed for downtown Hampton is pure folly: Letters
Massive development proposed for Hampton is pure folly
Dec. 1 − To the Editor:
I have lived in Hampton for more than 50 years, and have borne witness to much folly. The proposed development on Dearborn Avenue is typical of the lack of forethought that Hampton has practiced. If the idea proposed was truly fitting, there would be no need for all the variances.
1. Dearborn Ave zoning allows no dwelling with more than 8 units. The proposal is more than 11 times that size. Currently there are fewer than 50 dwellings on the entire avenue. The proposal will increase the dwellings to 3 times current use on that very small piece of roadway. All this is without addressing the Lafayette Road side, which is in “conceptual” stage. What will happen with the Webber barn and house are likely to add more issues for Dearborn Avenue, as the traffic pattern proposed is one way. Shops and hotel mean more traffic from workers as well as guests and shoppers.
2. The height of buildings in Hampton Downtown area is restricted to 35’. This is a long established residential area. The proposed 65 foot height is almost double what is allowed in this historic district. A church steeple cannot be intelligently compared to an apartment building.
3. If the units are workforce housing, it is not likely the population will be spending much time in boutiques or expensive restaurants. That is not to disparage but to deal with reality. My husband and I are working people.
4. To believe that downtown Hampton will ever be like Exeter or Newburyport or Portsmouth is absurd. It lacks the physical structure and always will unless Route 1 is diverted with a high rise bridge or tunnel, or land is taken through eminent domain to relocate the center. No amount of Master Plans can change what Hampton is without total restructure. Besides, if there is land to be taken, I think the Master Plan calls for relocation of beach front dwellers when the tides make living there impossible. Although we have know about Global Warming since the 1960s, apparently, buyer beware is not applicable here.
5. The traffic study done in November did not show promising results. If traffic is a problem during the slowest time of year, without the 94 units, it will not improve with them.
6. Yes, there is a need for affordable housing in the Seacoast. No, it is not going to go away. Expecting any one established neighborhood to bear the brunt of decades of poor planning is abhorrent at the least. For anyone to say that it is not fair for 50 people to stop this project shows a lack of understanding as to how many citizens think and feel. Which neighborhood will be targeted next? Remember, these people offering the proposals are not talking about their neighborhoods.
7. Although these next two issues are not directly related to the Dearborn Ave. proposal, they are related to the history and the future of expansion of Hampton. Hampton has neglected its long time citizens while supporting development off of Mary Batchelder Road. The septic systems that worked well before water was displaced by Silvergrass, are failing, but only the Mary Batchelder Road residents will tie into town services. The Towle Farm Road residents in the area historically known as Bowleyville, are being ignored. And it is town planners that okayed the destruction of their quality of living.
8. Those who talk of developing the west end of town have not looked at a wetlands map, and their lack of knowledge coupled with their slick talking offers hope where none exists. Nine families with “developable” land did that study more than 20 years ago, and the water table has not receded. Since then, some of the larger pieces of land have been placed in protection for perpetuity. Hampton is built. Years of bad decisions and promises of developers have yielded the result we now face. To allow a massive building in a small residential neighborhood will be the nail in the coffin for downtown Hampton.
I am not going to live long enough to experience this nightmare, to see Hampton collapse on itself for lack of clear, forward thinking. My friends will suffer the consequences of unfettered greed of a few who should know better.
Sheila Nudd
Hampton
Janet Stevens again, despite the facts, votes against reproductive healthcare
Dec. 2 − To the Editor:
With the recent passing of World AIDS day we can stop to remember the many years and deaths of our friends and the famous who were killed by a disease of which we had little knowledge or understanding. There are now medications that can prolong lives and make this disease non-communicable. However, if you don’t know you have it you cannot take responsibility for protecting yourself and others.
Janet Stevens, once again, votes in the Executive Council to deny funding for reproductive care, STD screenings and wellness programs. With plenty of factual evidence at her disposal Ms. Steven votes against our health care centers because she “believes” that such funding goes toward providing abortions. Even though she has been given the health center’s financial information she continues to vote to withhold funding without any evidence to support her beliefs of state or federal money being secretly funneled to provide abortion.
As we have seen in our political landscape nationally and within our state the collection of political office holders who behave according to their beliefs and not the facts, this is the outcome. We are harmed and poorly served by her position of power and ignorance.
If you voted for her then maybe you are pleased. I am not and will always vote against Ms. Stevens.
Steve Little
Portsmouth
Kennebunk Savings Bank is Leadership Seacoast’s 2024 Premier Partner
Nov. 29 − To the Editor:
Leadership Seacoast, a non-profit organization committed to developing informed and engaged citizens, is pleased to announce Kennebunk Savings Bank’s sponsorship as the 2024 Premier Partner.
Kennebunk Savings is a mutual savings bank founded in 1871, serving York County, Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire. Each year, the Bank donates 10% of its after-tax earnings to local nonprofits through their Community Promise. 2024 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Community Promise, and the bank’s total giving will pass the $20 million mark.
Bradford C. Paige, Kennebunk Savings President & CEO, said “We’re pleased to be this year’s premier partner for Leadership Seacoast. As a mutual bank with deep roots in the community, we appreciate the way Leadership Seacoast builds informed and engaged citizens whose actions create a ripple effect for positive change.”
“Each year, the Leadership Seacoast class takes on the challenge of becoming the best class ever. The board would like to thank all of the volunteers, community organizations, and sponsoring companies that help make each class special, especially Kennebunk Savings for their premier sponsorship of the 2024 class,” said Ben VanCamp, Board Chair of Leadership Seacoast.
Annually, Leadership Seacoast unites civically engaged individuals from the region and provides them with a unique learning experience. The program consists of ten themed program days with interactive presentations from subject matter experts, discussions, experiential programming, site visits, and networking opportunities.
The class for the 2024 program year will be announced soon and can be found at www.leadershipseacoast.org.
For more information on becoming a corporate sponsor or program candidate, please visit www.leadershipseacoast.org.
Lori Waltz
Executive Director, Leadership Seacoast
Historical connections between Barbie and Oppenheimer
Nov. 27 − To the Editor:
For those who have seen the films Barbie or Oppenheimer this year, you may not realize that they were sort of sequels to the 2022 film Amsterdam. Barbie and Amsterdam both star Margot Robbie, with Amsterdam containing scenes including Taylor Swift as well. Some explaining is certainly required.
Amsterdam is set in the 1930s and shows the continued suffering of WW1 veterans, and how they were fighting for their rights. The city of Amsterdam is where diarist Anne Frank was hiding prior to her capture and death in a concentration camp. She would have turned 94 this year had she lived.
In the early 1930s, the Great Depression was in full swing. A generation was still traumatized by WW1 and likely those lost during the Flu Pandemic that occurred at the end of WW1. Industrialists were not too happy about FDR being President. Fascism was rising in Europe and in the US with the German American Bund attempting to gain popularity. WW2 came later as a result.
People were also weary of living in fear, as gangsters were shooing each other in the streets. Scientists such as Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi fled their home countries due to the rising anti-Semitism and the risks to themselves or their spouse. Einstein and Fermi would later work on the Manhattan Project, resulting in development of the weapons shown in Oppenheimer.
As for Barbie, you may not realize that she had an older German sister named Lilli. Lilli came to life in the pages of the conservative and nationalistic Bild, which was a popular tabloid publication in Germany. Lilli began as a cartoon and evolved into a fashion doll that was a popular gift at bachelor parties and hung from rearview mirrors of cars. Lilli was not for children. Years after Lilli came into the world, Barbie was “born.”
Now we have come full circle.
Fascism is rising around the world and folks think the solution is to embrace strong men once again. The thing is, authoritarianism doesn’t last, and the results are not healthy for the leaders or good for the citizens, who live with the aftermath for decades. If you would like to dig deeper, let me suggest the 1955 book They Thought They Were Free: the Germans, 1933 -1945, by Milton Mayer. It shares the stories of ten everyday German men who explained why their nation fell for the big lie, what led up to it, the brutal aftermath, and what it was like living in an occupied country. If book reading isn’t your thing, search for commentary by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, or other experts, who are knowledgable on the dangers of fascism. We don’t need to see the film Amsterdam repeat itself in the United States 90 years later, more than it already has.
Don Cavallaro
Rye
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Massive development proposed for Hampton is pure folly: Letters
