City Seeking Input On Waterfront Redevelopment

A diverse group of thirty waterfront stakeholders met with Mayor Jon Mitchell and other city officials Monday to discuss how to draw more people to the city's waterfront.

The aim is to strike a balance between an industrialized and recreational atmosphere, where people can see what happens in the local fishing industry but also feel like they're still downtown.

The city has teamed up with planning firm Sasaki Associates, who has worked on development of Boston's Seaport District and Salem harbor.

Harbor Development Council Deputy Port Director Edward Anthes-Wasburn says the key is getting the public involved with the industry.

"It would certainly benefit having somewhere in the central waterfront a fish auction or fish off-loading where people can learn about the regulations, they can learn about what they're eating, they can learn about how it was harvested," said Anthes-Washburn.

As for the former site of a proposed casino, the Cannon Street power station is still being considered a good location for industrial development.

Mitchell says he sees the site "as the transition point from the downtown to the industrial area to the south." He says the location would be better served by industrial use because less cleanup work would be required.

This planning has been in the works over the past few months and is still a long way from completion.

More public meetings will be scheduled soon to gather more input from residents and what they'd like to see.