Cambridge’s City Manager, Tom Carroll, resigned Monday over what he says is a lack of progress in changing the direction advanced by the Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. (CWDI) for Cambridge Harbor. Mr. Carroll is the second City Manager to leave under this City Council in less than 3 years. So, what is CWDI and what are the problems?
CWDI is an independent non-profit agency set up in 2018 and funded by the City, the County and the State. The members of the board of CWDI were appointed (not elected) by the three entities. The purpose of CWDI is to oversee the development of the approximately 35 acres of land where the old hospital was on the Choptank River. By creating a single entity such as CWDI, the City, County and State allow developers to deal with just one agency instead of having to deal with the three different governmental entities. This idea has been used all over the US to develop areas but usually agencies such as CWDI hire experienced, professional development companies. CWDI is trying to develop the property on its own.
Our CWDI wants to set itself up as a permanent organization to handle all real estate, tax issues and maintenance in its area of control – very much like becoming a city within a city. CWDI is setting up funding streams using increased real estate taxes to pay for employees’ salaries and maintenance operations. This area of the City could have different codes and rules made by an appointed group and not by elected City officials. CWDI would have a separate maintenance organization, separate equipment to maintain its properties and a separate marina which it will operate.
Our CWDI wants the City, County and State to put up over $50 million for infrastructure – sewers, electrical, streets, parks, parking lots, sidewalks, and public art, etc. before any companies have committed to the project. The City would have to take out a huge loan of $33 million to net $22 million and would have to wait at least 30 years, if not more, to get paid back though increased taxes. It is estimated that the City and County would, with interest, pay $60 million over the life of the loan (or $2 million a year between the governments).
Keep in mind that even after the taxpayers have put up $60 million over 30 years for the Cambridge Harbor project, CWDI would, under their current proposal, still have a funding gap of millions. They would need to seek funding from other public subsidies or come back to the City for more funding to close this gap.
Our CWDI has an additional problem in that there is not enough “economic value” (taxable land) to make the project work financially for the City. CWDI has set aside almost the entire waterfront from the bridge around to the Richardson Museum for nonprofit use. In addition, they are planning to put the “Y” in the premier spot on the site. (CWDI states that there is no deal with the Y but if you follow the money, CWDI has spent $5,000 on plans for developing the old “Y” site and the “Y” has spent $47,000 of the City’s ARPA funds on plans for the CWDI site).
Our CWDI is very guarded with its information. It refuses to give the City pertinent information and is not cooperating with the City. Therefore, we now have two amphitheaters being planned, one at the Packing House and one at Cambridge Harbor. The City will also have two marinas – the old City Marina, which is not full and needs a lot of work, and now a new proposed and taxpayer-subsidized marina at Cambridge Harbor. It seems like there could be better coordination for multi-million-dollar projects like marinas and million-dollar projects like amphitheaters in a small City like Cambridge.
Our CWDI does not provide the public with minutes of its meetings, detailed budgets or the details of its plans. CWDI has been in existence for over 5 years and has yet to announce one private company committing to the site. Therefore, the City is being asked to develop the site with no tenants in sight. It could be a very lonely, expensive place.
There seem to be major problems with the CWDI, and the public does not know enough to make a fair assessment because the information needed is being held tightly. I can only assume that if the City Manager finds it so troubling that he feels he needs to resign, then the City Council should take action and lay out the issues to the citizens.
What can you do? Contact your City and County Council representatives and tell them to withhold any funds until all the issues are worked out in open sessions. Enough of this closed-door decision-making – let the light shine in and let the citizens know what is going on.
Chuck McFadden is the president of the Cambridge Association of Neighborhoods.
I would also like to know what their plans are for the old “Y” site. This is a residential neighborhood and a huge apartment complex is not suitable for the area. Also, why is this organization controlling the development of the old “Y” land anyway. Definitely needs to be some open door discussions going on for sure.
Excellent article, Chuck!
THANK YOU!!!!!
Everyone should have access to this information. It’s so incredibly disappointing and a shame for the future of Cambridge that this kind of transparency wasn’t happening a few years ago!
As someone who has followed the CWDI project for three years (albeit loosely) and has had concerns about the direction and planning of this project, the information in this article comes as no surprise. Of course, it is one man’s interpretation of the facts and not all sides have had a chance to speak, nor an independent assessment made of both positions. Even so, if even a handful of the points are valid (and they appear to be so) this is an out of control event.
There are too many thoughts and comments for me to list in this forum …let alone address fully…and since I (we) are not in possession of the detailed thinking behind the current CWDI process, a meaningful critique is not possible at this time. More information is needed. Note that last week I wrote to CWDI asking where I might find a copy of the master plan for the project and have yet to receive a response. A plan….developed at the outset of this entire process…would outline what CWDI proposed and is absolutely critical to successful implementation. Wanna bet there is none?
This needs to be stopped in its tracks until we see a plan and it is approved. CWDI board should be a facilitator of an approved plan and not the sole arbitrator of what is in it. They need to be accountable to elected representatives of the funding entities…Cambridge, Dorchester and the State…which in turn represent the people.
In the meantime need to get control. Do this right now:
1. Cut off all funding and liaise with the County about similar action.
2. Get competent legal advice and implement action to restructure CWDI to a more appropriate entity.
When that is done, then prepare a master plan: 1) for how all this operates 2) what the expectations of the final project are.
Alex, I agree this insanity needs to stop.
Cambridge cant afford this. Taxpayers cant afford this. So many things are wrong about this “plan”.
Ann,
We’ve experienced to many times over the past decades whereby groups of people act independent of the basic rights of the citizens of Cambridge.
Often the results are contrary to our basic rights and freedoms, ending in poor choices that residents have to live with going forward.
It’s unfortunate that nothing seems to go in the right direction here in Cambridge. It could become a beautiful city again, but…
Thank you Chuck for the information.
Nice information. I went on the CWDI website – there is very little information, no access to documents and the last press release was almost a year ago. The public should be kept up to date on public spending and creating such a liability for the city and county is concerning. It would be appropriate for CWDI to share information with Cambridge and the county.
Thank you for this information Chuck. This is very disconcerting and it certainly sounds like immediate action is required.
Thank you for laying out the issues so that the citizens can consider them and act accordingly. As a relatively new, but hopefully long term, resident in the area, I want to see Cambridge thrive. Plans like the waterfront have great potential but also great risk. The public needs transparent, comprehensive information so that they can exercise their civic rights and responsibilities.
Thank you Chuck. So glad folks like you are investigating, and working positively for the good of the community’s future.