Click the text to see the full article from The “Citizens For Gloucester Harbor” group from the Gloucester Daily Times
Our view: Commercial waterfront must be key to Harbor Plan
Our view
Jeanne Gallo, Steve Parkes and Sunny Robinson
My Response-
Every one of the suggestions listed in this piece such as “ocean research, boat design, marine biotech, food product development, renewable energy and wastewater management and resource recovery” are already uses that can be done and have been encouraged in past Harbor Plans.
There is no one stopping these ventures from happening.
The newly created recreational dockage 75/25 proposal is only applied to newly created dockage. It would not displace any commercial dockage but could only increase the amount of commercial dockage because anything that could be newly built on a piece of waterfront where there is ZERO dockage now would have to increase the amount of commercial fishermen’s dockage by 25%.
So on derelict waterfront where there is ZERO dockage we would create slips for more of the public AND commercial fishermen to tie up. Currently there is no plan to increase dockage for commercial fishermen but the 75/25 proposal actually would increase dockage for commercial fishermen and give waterfront property owners an ability to finance these kinds of projects with their own money instead of relying on the City or State Taxpayers money.
All Gloucester residents should be able to enjoy Gloucester Harbor and the 75/25 proposal would increase the amount of dockage space for commercial fishermen, increase access for Gloucester people to have boats in Gloucester Harbor and it would be paid for by private dollars, not the public’s tax money.
To say that the 75/25 dockage proposal would outstrip commercial dockage is false, it would increase the amount of dockage for fishermen because it is only intended for newly created dockage where there was none existed previously. Places like the Building Center Piling field which currently has no dockage for fishermen could with the 75/25 proposal create NEW dockage 75 percent for new access for the public in recreational spaces and 25 percent of NEW DOCKAGE FOR FISHERMEN THAT NEVER EXISTED BEFORE. That is a gain of dockage for fishermen and the public, paid for with private dollars. Another space would be behind Seatronics. There are many piling fields that currently have no dockage that would be able to be fixed up, pay more taxes to the city and the project be done without City Taxpayers having to foot the bill.
The more boats in this harbor, the more the fuel guy makes, the more the gear shop makes and the more that everyone benefits.
Boat building is great, cutting fish is great, marine biotech is great, but they are already and HAVE BEEN uses that are allowed.
The Citizens for Gloucester Harbor are a well meaning group and I think they should go to the bank and get the loans and make their most excellent ideas a reality, there is nothing holding them back from realizing boat building or marine biotechnology or research dreams. The zoning to do any of those excellent ideas which they are talking about has been in place forever and has never prohibited any of these uses from being a reality.
Go to it.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Sounds to me like someones looking to get rich. The city of gluicester would love to ffot this project but their broke, so send it to private holding groups or oyour local banks and no one will be able to use these new tie up areas because the rates that yo will be charged will be outrageous. then the city will find a way to a levy a tax on you so they can get in on making osme money too. but then again if oyu make enough to own a boat then you should have themoeny to pay. Obamanomics, spread the wealth.
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Thanks for the information Joey. It always nice to get facts instead of just feelings.
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I wonder where these “Citizens For Gloucester Harbor” come from? Have they seen the harbor in the 50’s,60’s and 70’s? Do they know the history of uses and the extent? And how much more the harbor was balanced between commercial and recreational than it is now? Remember the sea-going freight buisness? What happened to that was containerization. No one in power had the sense to dredge the harbor for larger deeper ships. No one had a vision of a smaller leaner fishing industry! And no one has a vision of what economic benifits a 6 billion$$$$ a year the recreational boating industry would have! The harbor’s potential is open. Finding the right key can unlock it! But to do that you have to visit the past,that’s how lessons are learned!
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A strong leader must emerge, A waterfront Czar of sort, someone who the real citizens of Gloucester can rally behind (and they will) The Nay-Sayers use all the buzz words as a scare tactic and to muddy the waters… Condos, Gentrification, Displacement Etc… some people are afraid of change and believe the harbor should be left as is, their way is the only way is narrow minded and will never change. Others would like minimal change and help solve some of the issue at hand understanding the complexity of the situation many W.P.O are faced with. The continued effort for the status quot is falling apart and they will talk louder and louder offering nothing but the same old same old as the sqeaky wheel gets the grease. We need to rise above, gather the support and do whats right in our hearts for all of the city, fix the waterfront.
Times have changed and so must we, measured change can and will be a good thing.
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