Letter: Thank you, Bristol boards, for doing the right thing

Posted 5/10/18

As vice chairman of the Bristol Redevelopment Agency in 2005, I know James Roiter bought and restored the historic and derelict Harriet Bradford Hotel (the Herreshoffs originally built the hotel for …

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Letter: Thank you, Bristol boards, for doing the right thing

Posted

As vice chairman of the Bristol Redevelopment Agency in 2005, I know James Roiter bought and restored the historic and derelict Harriet Bradford Hotel (the Herreshoffs originally built the hotel for their clients to stay while in Bristol).

At that time, the agency had initiated a “Redevelopment Plan” to take the building by eminent domain in one year if its current owner “had not made sufficient progress” to fix the “vacant and blighted building.” Mr. Roiter came into Bristol, bought the property and restored two existing buildings which today comprise the Belvedere complex. Thank you, Mr. Roiter.

Now it’s 2018 and we’re dealing with an entirely different set of circumstances, and this time Mr. Roiter is on the wrong side of Bristol’s history. His proposal for “Belvedere on Thames” is simply too big for the site. His desire to take advantage of $1.76 million in tax credits from Rebuild RI is dictating the size of the building: either build it with 20 condo units or receive no credits!

And Mr. Roiter has made it very clear — if this plan is not accepted, he will do nothing. No compromise. Plain and simple.

So Bristol sits at a crossroads: either let “Belvedere at Thames” happen in the name of “economic development,” regardless of its mass, or adhere to the standards clearly extant in our codes and regulations.

As stated in the Historic District Commission Guidelines in relationship to the downtown historic district: “the area is characterized by small buildings on conventional sized lots. This small scale should be respected and new projects should not require the combining of existing lots.”

Tonight’s combined HDC and Planning meeting will be a significant test for their citizen members who give generously of their time and talent to serve our community and keep our beautiful town of Bristol consistent with its 338-year respect for history. We applaud them and thank them for doing the right thing.

E. Keith Maloney

72 Griswold Ave.

Bristol

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