BEVERLY — The city is poised to buy the former Rowand’s Seafood property to add parking for the waterfront area and increase public access.
The City Council on Monday night agreed to spend $150,000 of the city’s money to match an $800,000 grant from the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council. The money will be used to buy and make improvements to the property, according to Mayor Mike Cahill. Cahill said the building on the site would be knocked down.
“The goal here obviously is to create more parking,” Cahill told councilors.
Rowand’s Seafood closed in January after 63 years as a family-run fish market. The property, at 2-4 Cabot St., is on the waterfront between the Beverly-Salem bridge and the railroad tracks.
In a letter to city councilors, Cahill described the city’s purchase of the site as a “friendly taking by eminent domain.” Dana Rowand, who owns the property, declined to comment for this story.
Residents, recreational boaters and commercial fishermen have raised concerns about lack of parking along the waterfront, especially with the scheduled opening of a new 350-seat restaurant on the former McDonald’s property. The city owns two marinas on the waterfront, one for recreational boats and one for commercial boats.
Although Cahill said the main goal of the purchase is to create more parking, councilors said they would also like to make sure the plans include public access along the water. Cahill said there is an opportunity to create a public walkway and boat slips. The existing pier on the site is damaged and needs to be removed, he said.
“It’s not a large space but it’s an integral part of the waterfront,” Cahill said.
“I’m looking forward to working with you on uses down there other than parking,” Ward 2 Councilor Estelle Rand, who represents the area, told Cahill.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
