Chocolate Chip Pancakes and the Mayor

We have a standing Friday early-morning meeting with Mayor Lisa Wong at the City Hall Cafe to discuss the budget and other city-related issues. It's ungodly early at the end of the week, but the City Hall Cafe makes a damn fine chocolate chip pancake, so I'm cool with it.

There were a couple of items this morning that are of interest to Save Fitchburg readers.

First, I know where Wong was Tuesday night, and it was probably a meeting worth her attending. If something comes out it -- and there is optimism that it might -- I'll connect the two at that point. I'm sure the anti-Wongies don't care, but I was interested to find out, and I know she wasn't sitting on her couch eating bon-bons and watching "The Office" reruns.

Second, on the CVS issue. Here we go.

Honestly, this is an issue that has been slowly moving to my front burner, but it's kind of so complicated and multi-layered that I was kind of trying to avoid it, although I was on the verge of digging into it. There's more at stake here than one site and one building. There's a fundamental discussion about how the city does things, how it operates, and what its vision is. Complicating things is the relative importance of that particular intersection and its connection between downtown and the college -- a connection that everybody and their mother wants to see happen and happen correctly.

Wong is not opposed to a CVS on that location. What she doesn't like is a stand-alone, one-story CVS surrounded by a big parking lot. Or, take the Parkhill CVS, put on that corner. That's not what she wants. Instead, she wants a mixed-used development that includes a CVS (or other pharmacy to be named) and something else. Perhaps a coffee shop or cafe. A multi-level building is strongly desired, with the upper floors office space, housing, or FSC space. She wants the building to fit in with downtown, and closer to the sidewalk rather than surrounded by a big parking lot.

Here's where it starts to get complicated. The current "leading developer" builds one thing -- Parkhill-esque CVS buildings. Single-story, surrounded by parking lots. There is little to no wiggle room on building style with that developer. Wong says there are other developers interested who can build something closer to what she has in mind.

"It's not A versus B," Wong said. "It's A plus B."

For a long time, Wong has been talking about "not doing better, doing best." It's a fundamental part of her community development theory. She said it again this morning.

"This all relates to the need for community development to plan for what is the highest and best use," she said.

To probably over-simplify the issue, it comes down to this: Should the city take the quickest and easiest path, and wave through the standalone pharmacy, or should it take a little more time to try to work out a perhaps better option? That's where we're at on this particular parcel.

But for Wong, there's more at stake than just the corner of North and Main. This is the first high-profile development opportunity since she's been mayor, and it's sort of a precedent-setting situation. If she backs down on "best, not better" this time, what kind of signal does that send? She wants to use that strategy in a number of different areas in the city. If she doesn't stick to her guns now, why would anyone think she would in the future? There's some politics and long-term issues at stake here.

"We, as a community, need to stand up for ourselves and not sell ourselves short," she said. "We have such low self-esteem here. What I'd like to see is have us take pride in our city and ask for what we want to see to define our community before other types of development define us," Wong said.

So, there you go. There's where she stands on this one. I'm sure you're ready to fire away.

A Slide Upward

Since the early days of the old Save Fitchburg, I've advocated for that one big idea. That one thing that would be unique to Fitchburg in the region, something that would bring people into the city -- preferably in some kind of participatory fashion.

It appears as of one of the "big ideas" is on the path to reality, and it's probably the best, most exciting news since the SF started.

The city is working with a developer on creating an indoor water park at the Best Western on the interchange of Routes 2 and 31. It's the kind of regional attraction that Fitchburg -- and any city -- would kill for.

The developer wants to buy the property and boost the hotel's numbers (which are at like 30 percent occupancy) with a year-round water slide park. A similar park was opened by the same company recently in Danvers.

The city is working on a tax financing package and some permitting issues, but so far most folks feel like this moving forward.

The park alone is a great step forward for the city. Consider the possibilities however -- perhaps a block of family-friendly restaurants nearby, a trickle-down into downtown and the rest of the city -- and this project is as clost to a must-do as you can find right now.

There will be criticisms. Joel Kaddy aired neighbors' concerns about traffic and noise. Considering it's all of a couple hundred yards from the exit, hopefully this isn't a major stumbling block. There will probably be some permitting and construction issues. The city should make sure those issues are cleared up and figured out quickly, but correctly. Finally, residents need to get over the knee-jerk cynicism and doubt that currently is inbred in Fitchburg. Someone wants to come here and open a sizable business. Let's not navel-gaze, let's make it happen.

This is exciting stuff, even for the most crusty Fitchburgite. It's a big step forward not just for the city, but for building the momentum of making progress in Fitchburg.