Tanner City turned business friendly

By FRANCI A. RICHARDSON
Essex County Newspapers

PEABODY — When the leather industry at the Tanner City began to fold, threatening to claim the livelihood of thousands of city workers, the city administration knew something had to be done.

In the 1970s, former Mayor Nicholas Mavroules began to amass land for what today is called Centennial Park. At that time, there was no Golden Triangle. Although Routes 128 and 1 were on line, there was no link to Interstate 95.

And frankly, Peabody was considered to be too far north compared with the development lining up on the Route 128 technology highway near Waltham.

But since 1979, when voters elected Peter Torigian to the corner office based on his platform of lowering taxes by broadening the commercial base, the previously laid groundwork has come alive.

Today, employers of more than 6,000 are located on 307 acres of Centennial Park. State negotiations for an I-95 connector paid off and blessed the city with the No. 1 real estate criterion: location, location, location. And the city's unemployment rate is consistently below state average _ as of last fall, around 2.3 percent.

Well aware that time is money, Torigian also made City Hall business-friendly and more accessible.

"He definitely has a vision of one-stop shopping," said Robert Bradford, president of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce. "Developers can call up the mayor's office and things will happen, if (the proposal) is a good option for the community."

Chambers of commerce typically refer inquiring developers to the city's Community Development Department, according to Mike McCurty of the Peabody Chamber. They then arrange a meeting with Torigian. If he likes the proposal, Development Director Judy Otto will outline the entire upcoming review.

"A developer can come down here and we can walk them through the entire process," said Mike Parquette, assistant director of Community Development. "It's a wonderful asset the city offers that a lot of other communities don't. Peabody housed all of these departments under one roof. People don't have to get bounced around from department to department or building to building."

In Peabody, what some may call a cosmetic feature is actual evidence of a philosophical tone. The building inspector's office is attached to Community Development and across the hall from the assessor's office. Planning and Zoning departments _ appointed by Torigian, not elected _ are just downstairs.

David Leatherwood, who has invested $33 million in a three-hotel/convention center project on Route 1, knows this service first-hand.

Before he received the necessary permits, he met with Otto every step of the way _ at least 10 times for an hour _ to discuss the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and City Council process.

"It's advanced planning," he said. "Had we gone to (various boards) without having worked with her in advance, it would have been a different outcome and at least delayed the project."

Otto, he said, is very thorough. She's insisted he install extra landscaping and more attractive architectural features.

"She's not afraid to beat you up left and right on behalf of the city, but she's fair," Leatherwood said. "She required some things of us that cost money, but to be perfectly honest, it has made our property prettier. ... We didn't get away with anything, we just addressed it in advance."

Parquette said these days, there's actually less attention given to developers today compared with the early 1980s when the system was put into place.

Today, a major role of Community Development is to link inquiring businessmen with the little space that may be left.

"There's not nearly as much land to develop now as we used to," said Parquette. "We get calls daily for people looking for 500 square feet to 500,000 square feet of land a day. We match people up."

Brooksby Village is a $250-million retirement complex on Route 114. Once Torigian bought the concept of a project for seniors, the rest of the process hasn't been too hectic, said Scott Hayward, vice president and development director at Senior Campus Living.

However, that doesn't mean Senior Campus Living was given a blank check. They've still had to meet the letter of the law.

"The mayor is pro-Peabody," said Hayward. "If a business looks good for Peabody, then I think you get his backing to help make things happen.

"But it's not like anything is that different. You still have to jump through all the hoops. It's just what you don't necessarily get is beating around the bush."

Hayward said he's gone through the permitting process for five or six retirement communities across the country. Only one or two, he said, has failed.

The difference, he said, is in the attitude and in the structure. Either communities are pro-business or anti-business.

"In Peabody, they're going to make you toe the line, but they aren't going to drag it out for two years and make you go broke while you're doing it," said Hayward.