My View: Preserving Rockport's Main Street streetscape

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February 29, 2008

By Barbara Sparks

As you pass Rockport's Dock Square and wander up Main Street to the corner of Beach Street, on the water side you pass several decades of commercial buildings hugging the sidewalk, inviting observation in a friendly interaction with the pedestrian.

Most were constructed in the 1840s to 1880s, with the more recent Toad Hall Bookstore building inserted in 1926. The Haskins Building at 37 Main, anticipated site of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival's Shalin Liu Performance Center, dates from the 1870s. It's an eclectic collection, and that is its charm. It is the ensemble of architectural styles that gives this historic district its distinctive character.

How many people realize that if our beloved collection of storefronts were to adhere to current zoning codes, the buildings would no longer cozy up to their neighbors. Set back 15 feet from the sidewalk and 10 feet on the sides, they would sit lonely and aloof. The charming, intimate, streetscape would be fractured.

Current setbacks can remain just where they are if the proposed zoning amendment is passed. There are criteria: frontage on Main Street; newly constructed or reconstructed buildings must substantially resemble their predecessors in front façade and height; minimum lot size is 5,000 square feet; and usage must be exclusively cultural (defined in the proposed amendment); there is also an alternative parking provision for this essentially urban area. The amendment could benefit at least 10 parcels out of 36 in the overlay district, which would run from Dock Square to the intersection of Main and Beach streets. It's entirely optional whether or not the setback exemption is used. All other current regulations and required permits governing the Main Street General District remain in effect. It's a small first step toward protecting the qualities that make Rockport attractive to both residents and visitors.

Why is the festival proposing this? In the normal course of events, buildings on Main Street that have required substantial modification have been granted a variance by the Zoning Board of Appeals — as was the festival's project at 37 Main St. The festival has had the misfortune to have the variance (and other special permits) challenged in land court by an abutter. Settlement attempts have failed. To pursue the case through the court may take many more years and more money than the festival can afford. As we all know, construction costs escalate. The performance center project may not be possible in Rockport, and most people agree that would be a shame.

If the proposed bylaw amendment is passed by the required two-thirds vote at Town Meeting on April 5, Rockport Chamber Music Festival's position will be greatly improved, and it may be possible for the festival to proceed with construction at its own risk.

I urge you to vote yes on Article D, approving the proposed Main Street Cultural Overlay District, at Rockport Town Meeting on April 5.

For a copy of the petition, contact Rockport Chamber Music Festival at 978-546-7391 or www.rcmf.org.

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Barbara Sparks is co-chairman of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival Bylaw Committee. She and her husband, John, have owned their home in Rockport for 27 years.