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— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary
Beginning the demolition process
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The closed some months ago given yet anther eminent domain land taking by Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch so as to pour even more money into his admittedly to be running in the red redevelopment of Quincy Center, Quincy’s IHop restaurant is heading towards a landfill.
The loss of the IHOP is the second Quincy breakfast restaurant to be put out of business by landlords this year and so reducing locals’ options for slow food dining for the most important meal of the day as a fast food egg sandwich or wrap to go is just not the same.
Tommy — tell me what do you need?
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More importantly, the site of the IHop was taken by the Koch Maladministration to build a parking garage and so do a solid for a long generous to the Koch campaign fund contributor along with his various family members.
The solid?
Use taxpayer-funded debt to build a city-owned public garage so that developer will not need to build on his own dime all of the parking needed for his roughly three hundred unit apartment building that will include ground level retail and is said to have developer-provided parking.
At the same time, when the developer might actually break ground remains to be seen.
The Koch Administration’s finance team
An old Columbia Pictures image
For example, when the City Council was in the process of leading up to approving the taking of the property eleven month ago and so leading up to later approving a $157 million bond issuance last April that will largely be used to pay for building two parking garages in Quincy Center, the developer for the apartment building project stated to the council last fall that he was ready to break ground on his development as early as now long-past March.
March, however, blew in like a lion and then past months ago and so far no further words have been uttered by the developer about breaking ground on a site that has long been rumored to be the home of a specialty grocer to be named latter given a non-disclosure agreement.
Further, it must be noted that the developer flipped a similarly-sized pending apartment project on Centre Street that was approved over two years ago and thus one can only wonder if the developer might be looking to perhaps also flip this also but approved, if not also well-greased, project within the Quincy Center redevelopment district.
After all, lending terms for real estate development projects are still dear as well as expected to stay so for at least a while longer.
Further, the parcel slated for redevelopment still belongs to the City of Quincy per both city and Registry of Deeds.
Needless to say, Quincy Quarry News’ ever-growing legions of loyal readers can count on the Quarry to continue to monitor this project and report updates as appropriate.
What about the emergency hospital that was planned for that area?
Philip,
I think that the long string of plans for a nearby parcel of land has tripped you up.
The owner of a telecom company based in North Quincy who has been building large apartment developments in Quincy is on his fourth plan to redevelop a nearby vacant lot opposite the Stop and Shop Headquarters.
And as for the current plan, it is for a satellite healthcare facility for a major Boston-based hospital. Doing some light surgery and such are planned but the plan is NOT for a emergency hospital. Groundbreaking is at last report still planned for next spring. We shall see if the fourth time is the charm.
Further, talk of a new hospital in Quincy somewhere in the vicinity of Centre Street have gone silent.
Honestly, is IHOP like a rite of passage for cities now? Like, “Congrats, you’re a real town because you have a diner with soggy eggs and sticky syrup.” Maybe if we all show up, they’ll give us a side of gentrification with our pancakes. Because nothing says “local flavor” quite like a corporate chain parking itself in the middle of the neighborhood.
But hey, at least now we have a spot to discuss the crumbling roads and endless construction over a lukewarm cup of coffee. And who knows, maybe Quincy’s mayor will swing by for some political glad-handing between mouthfuls of French toast.