Friday, May 06, 2011

Of Trolls and Pride

It's been a while since I've posted an update about One Benton Road, but this evening someone attempted to post an ignorant and angry comment about the work that's been done against the subdivision, which you will not see posted here, as I don't post comments by trolls, but the highlight of which was the last line, "SHAME ON YOU." It got me thinking about the status of the situation and made me realize that there are a number things I'm truly proud of that have come about through the unfortunate destruction of a historical house and its grounds.

  • I'm proud to live in a community in which the people are involved in and vocal about what goes on in their neighborhoods. Over 200 people signed letters protesting the subdivision of One Benton Road to present at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

  • I'm proud to live in a city in which the Aldermen, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals listened to our concerns and ruled against the subdivision due to its not falling within Somerville's zoning policies.

  • I'm proud that I was able to contribute to the effort to keep the developers from riding roughshod all over this neighborhood in their greed.

  • I'm proud to know the people I came into contact with through this effort because they are strong, organized, and unintimidated.

  • I'm proud to be able to say that fighting the developer has cost them money and time, and will continue to do so as the next step in the fight will be in court.


So, no, I'm not ashamed.

What MLM Realty Trust has done and wants to continue to do to that property benefits no one but themselves and the few people that can afford to buy their $500k condos, and has been at the expense of a beloved neighborhood icon.

MLM chose not to place the house on the historical register and work within the mandates set down for preserving historical property. They don't care about Somerville, they didn't care about the house that was there, nor the land surrounding it. Their one thought was and is profit and I will never be ashamed to fight those who would raise the importance of enriching themselves above the needs of the community.

Even screaming comments in all-caps don't make me feel ashamed or intimidated. They just remind me that our success so far isn't sitting well with those we oppose, and for that I'm proud.


in memoriam

1 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

That is a lovely home you have.

Great blog you have too. :)

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3:15 AM  

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