The Story
Things are getting a little heated with developers pushing for apartments behind ex-Shorty’s. Anyone have any ice?
This again?
Yup! We know, we thought it was done too after we made sure the LARP castle was safe. With the release of new information, and a school board meeting, this has become the new hot topic in Bedford. So, you’re welcome. That’d just be embarrassing if you didn’t know what this was. (A-B-U-T-T-E-R D-E-V-E-L-O-P-M-E-N-T.)
Remind Me
Okay, but just this once. Developers Bill Greiner and Dick Anagnost are looking to develop the land behind ex-Shorty’s into an apartment complex. But not just any apartment complex－they’re looking to create 120 apartments, 30 of which will be workforce housing units. It’s called diversity. Look it up.
Nope, you gotta break it down
Don’t think we’re not rolling our eyes at you. Workforce housing is affordable to people earning 60 percent of the region’s median income. For us, this means $47,410. If this was calculated by the town’s median income, workforce housing would need to be affordable to someone earning $74,054. However, the law states that we have to provide for regional needs. So @Goffstown, apparently we’ve got you covered.
Why does it matter?
The workforce housing is the only thing that allows apartments to be built there. The land is zoned as commercial, which means any sort of business, or workforce housing. Now, isn’t that lucky? The developers cannot build market rate apartments there unless they have workforce housing. Wow, just when we thought they were doing this out of the kindness of their hearts.
So it’s a done deal?
Not so fast. The developers seem to think that they’ve got this in the bag. The law states that each town has to have “reasonable and realistic” workforce housing opportunities, and provide its “fair share” of workforce housing to meet regional needs. If the town gives the no-go, the developers can take the town to court on a claim that they are hindering the development of adequate workforce housing. They’re betting on the town not wanting to go to court.
So it is a done deal
Nooooooo. Far from it. The law specifies that each town does not have to have a certain amount or percentage of workforce housing. Since Bedford already provides workforce housing, we technically might not need anymore. The law is so grey on what’s “reasonable and realistic” that it’s up to anyone’s interpretation. Bedford currently provides 68 workforce apartments, and a good amount of workforce houses (under $276,500). Is that reasonable? Who the hell knows!
Sounds a little shady
A little, but let’s not be too quick to judge. The complex will pay around $500,000 in property taxes to the town, and a large portion of that will go to the school. (Mr. Fournier, we vote to put that new money towards AC at BHS. And maybe Lurgio.) The developers will also pay impact fees to the school, which could decrease the school’s debt, which taxpayers are paying. We know, a lot of whiches, but bear with us. Decreasing the debt actually means money back in taxpayers’ pockets. And we like the green. Also, if the complex hooks up to the school’s infrastructure, the developers will completely cover the cost. So, once again, no extra money from the taxpayers.
What else?
So glad you asked. Parents are also concerned about the extra enrollment potentially crowding the school even more. The developers predict that the apartments will bring in 33.6 kids. That means 33 kids, and one amputee. This translates to 2 to 3 kids per grade. After crunching the numbers, we learned that it won’t make a huge difference. Trust us.
What’s the problem then?
Traffic. There will be 246 parking spaces at the complex. The developers seem to think that these 246 cars will not be a problem during peak hours. Their traffic study says that only about 43 to 53 cars will be active during rush hours. That’s 43 to 53 cars that work normal hours and are going to school. We’re unsure what the other 200 cars are doing. Bill Greiner, Dick Anagnost, we call BS.
Why should I care about any of this?
If you’re a senior or junior, you probably shouldn’t. Sophomores and Freshmen might have a year or two of suck it up. The developers’ goal is to get the apartments up and running by spring of 2020. But, affecting all of us, the parents are not too happy about this. And angry parents are just so much fun to be around! You have a nice dinner tonight.
What now?
Major shrug. Currently, nothing has been shot down or okayed. We’re waiting to see who wins. Our money is on the developers.
The Runaway
This is a town problem, which seems like it can only benefit the school. But, if it goes through, we’re going to have to suck in some air. Squeeze, everyone! Squeeze!
What to do…
When school safety is being brought to the next level…
Start practicing your stop, drop and roll. Not only has the school amped up safety drills, they’ve started fingerprinting volunteers, and are going to expand the practice. The district has a handy finger printing machine, which will allow them to easily check anyone volunteering with students for an extended period of time. The checks allow the school to see if the volunteers have a criminal history. Cardigan volunteers have been fingerprinted for a long time, and the scope is widening. Other schools are also doing too. The school district has been looking at its weak spots for a while, and the question of “how safe can we actually make it?” has been raised. Mr. Jozokos pointed out that we could make BHS a prison, but we say nay. We wouldn’t look good in orange jumpsuits.
When you’re ready for some trophies…
Start watching soccer. Both girls and boys have finished their regular seasons. The girls are tied for fourth, and the boys are tied for first. For the past three years, boys have won the regular season, but have done terribly in the playoffs. Though tradition is great, we think it’s time to buck that trend. But, hey, that’s just one opinion. However, the boys have a good chance at winning. We beat Manchester Central, the other team tied for first, which means we’re actually seeded first for playoffs. As for the girls, it’s going to be tougher. While we shouldn’t have lost to BG, or tied Nashua South, Manchester Central and Londonderry beat us pretty handily. Manchester Central, we don’t like you right now.
Things to know
Don’t Forget!
Intersession sign ups start this week. Our advice: do it with friends, or not at all. Because we are curious, we polled our Instagram followers on whether they actually even like intersession. 70 percent said it’s their favorite time of the year, and 30 percent voted that it’s a waste of time. Do with that what you want.
For you Show Offs
Talent show auditions are this Tuesday. They’re always looking for more acts, and cooler acts. If you can do something weird and completely useless, DM us on instagram, we want to see it.
Clear your Friday Night
It’s our last regular season game, and it has the potential to be a good one. Merrimack’s one loss came from Central, who we beat. But, they’re 7-1, and hopefully, they’re about to be 7-2.