Comments on: Springfield Forward Goes to State in Opposition to Longhill Gardens Proposal

By: Stand4Change

Stand4Change — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:41:57 +0000

Blabit I am totally feeling you on this one. The Mayor and other people involved are the ones benefiting no the neighborhood. If they can only imagine the days of Longhill Street, I think that is what they want so there is an excuse to increase certain departments. Sarno and the rest of them forget about the middle class people. Springfield has TOO MUCH low income housing and besides lets add another so the city can look even more unattractive. I think its time we the people tell city hall whats going to happen and not the other way around. LIke I say all the time in my comments, I cannot wait until someone new that no one ever knows steps to the plate.

By: blabbit

blabbit — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:49:21 +0000

It is now February 2009 and still no public meeting. Still the same 10-12 folks speaking out in favor of this project and knocking those who oppose it. Yet, there are HUNDREDS OF NO LONGHILL SIGNS up throughout the neighborhood. Still, those supporters tell us to calm down and “give it a chance.” NO. NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT – and here is why. Once this project is completed and tenanted, we are stuck with it for 30 YEARS! THAT’S RIGHT. 30 YEARS!!! So, if it turns out to be the hellish nightmare that Northern Heights or Alan Park (other Winn projects) have turned out to be, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it then. We will be stuck with it for 30 YEARS! The time to NOT be calm is NOW —- BEFORE THE THING IS BUILT. The time to speak out against it is NOW — BEFORE THE THING IS BUILT. Sheila and BellRita would have us sit back and calm down and give it a chance until it is way too late to do anything about it. Sorry gals. No dice. This neighborhood DOES NOT WANT THIS PROJECT. And this neighborhood will fight it and speak out and shout out and put signs up and write letters and write on blogs and talk to the authorities and do whatever we can to stop this BEFORE it becomes our worst nightmare. If you like this project so much, there are still a few low-income projects in Boston that you can move into. I suggest to those who think building a ghetto is a great idea that they move into one themselves, rather than forcing the rest of us to have one we don’t want.

By: blabbit

blabbit — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:43:21 +0000

Surprise! More on Winn and Longhill! Now, for your entertainment pleasure, may I suggest going to apartmentratings.com, and checking into the feedback from people who have rented at the lovely and peaceful Mill Valley Estates Luxury Apartments in Amherst, another Winn project – supposedly an upscale project – which just may portend what the current proposed low-income only project at Longhill may end up being like. May I suggest for your dining pleasure the posts: “Run the Other Way,” or the tasty “Horrible, Unsafe, Incompetent Mgmt, Even if You’re Broke, Go Somewhere Else”, or how about the ever delectible, “Don’t Live Here” or the effervescent “Worst Apartment Experience I Ever Had.” One of my favorites was “Unsafe”, and I got a real chuckle out of “Worst Apartment Ever – Stay Away!” Just delightful. 17 posts, the majority negative. OK, to be fair there were a few anonymous positive posts (NoPol? Sheila? Investors looking out for their investment?) And who would have thought there would be all these negative opinions for an UPSCALE, LUXURY Winn project? Simply amazing. Oh yes, get ready Forest Park, get ready Springfield.

And the Mayor and City Hall wonder why we cannot attract middle-income families to the City? Why businesses keep leaving rather than new businesses locating here? Why main street has empty store after empty store after empty store? Why Tower Square is almost vacant? I’ve got news for you lunkheads – NO WORKING, TAX PAYING, MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY IS MOVING HERE OR INVESTING IN SPRINGFIELD if you KEEP BUILDING PROJECTS LIKE LONGHILL GARDENS! As long as you keep taking care of the few (insiders?) at the expense of the many (the neighborhood and the City) then YOU are the cause of Springfield’s demise.

No public meeting yet? I am SO surprised!

I wonder how the Fed investigation is going in Boston?

By: concrndcitzn

concrndcitzn — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:45:58 +0000

The MAJORITY of the neighborhood has spoken out against this project. It is the same 12-15 people pushing for it. Springfield Forward has demanded a public meeting and Winn and its supporters keep squashing that idea and doing everything they can to make SURE no public meeting takes place. The Mayor has dropped the ball – even his conditional support letter requires a public meeting and agreement from the neighborhood BEFORE Winn gets any public funding. Even without a public meeting, the majority of the community has spoken – NO WINN REDEVELOPMENT OF LONGHILL GARDENS. However, for some reason, other than this site, no media will publish the story, no public meeting will be scheduled, and the players will be making big bucks. Same ol’ same ol’ in Springfield. 5 years from now all those who support this project will have taken their money and bailed, and the rest of the community will have a direct hotline to the police. As I heard someone say: If you keep doing the same thing, you will keep getting the same results. Get ready Springfield! A dark day is a comin.

By: Winn-Win?

Winn-Win? — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:51:45 +0000

The best way to assure that Winn will not “blow it” is by not allowing that project to be reopened. What if Winn has less than 100% occupancy, will they change the tenant selection policy . Suppose Winn sells Longhill Gardens or they go bankrupt or change hands.

By: Sheila McElwaine

Sheila McElwaine — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:19:45 +0000

Calm down, Clips4U.

Are you actually HOPING things will turn out badly at Longhill Gardens so you can say you told us so? Why are you so intent on spreading dread and panic? And perhaps you might think twice about making assumptions about the life experience of people, such as Bell-Rita, whom you do not know well. The life experiences of many of neighbors with whom you disagree on this issue may surprise you.

Time will tell if you are right about what the future holds for Longhill Gardens. If after two or three years the Winn Corporation has blown it, you will have ample time to tell us how foolish we have been. In the meantime, it would be more constructive to find another cause.