(This story was updated to add a photo gallery and to meet our standards.)
BROCKTON — About 70 people attended a public meeting where the would-be developer of the old Fairgrounds heard and, in many cases, responded to their concerns over the project.
City councilors whose wards touch the 66-acre former Brockton Fairgrounds held the meeting at West Middle School Wednesday night, Oct. 2.
Over more than two hours, residents showed both skepticism and enthusiasm for developer Andrew Flynn's vision. The current proposal is for residential units, perhaps 1,200 of them in various styles, plus 600,000 square feet for commercial and light industrial companies.
The meeting began with a presentation from Flynn, the project architect and two engineers.
Opposition to project
Steve Thomasy of Brockton wasn't buying it.
"I'm more upset now than when I walked in," the Brockton resident said as he took the microphone.
Thomasy said the project is out of proportion to the areas around it, drawing applause from the crowd. He compared the development team to city slickers coming to take advantage of rubes.
"This is like the Wizard of Oz. I feel like I'm being taken for a ride," Thomasy said.
As he did throughout the evening, Flynn responded. "I hear you. We need to earn your trust and credibility," Flynn said, noting that he has Brockton roots. His mother grew up not far from the auditorium where the meeting took place and attended the school when it was West Junior High. He allowed that yes, the renderings are "somewhat glossy."
Support for project
Several developers and two labor union leaders spoke in favor of the project.
"Nothing is happening at the Fairgrounds," said Geoffrey Anatole, whose Brockton projects include the apartments at XLVII West Elm. "It's glass. It's weeds. It's nothing."
One of the area's best-known developers, Ted Carman, said the proposal has legs. "I think this is feasible," Carman said. "This is not a pipe dream. This is a real possibility."
One couple came to the mic together to say Brockton gave them a chance to buy a house "by the skin of our teeth" six years ago. Colin and Kate Campbell of Ash Street say they're happy in Brockton after moving from Cambridge. They pushed for the housing to be at price points where people starting out can afford to live there. "We're pro this," Colin Campbell said, "but we want to see numbers."
The Campbells expressed doubt that tech companies would bring jobs to the commercial area sketched out as the interior of a "horseshoe" of residential units. Flynn responded that yes, there is empty space in tech neighborhoods like Kendall Square or Watertown Square.
But he said Brockton has one advantage over those places: "There's nowhere for employees to live," in those markets. He said Brockton can compete for what his team calls "tough tech" companies like robotics or clean energy tech.
Would new zoning give too much control to developer?
City Councilor Phil Griffin, the former head of the Brockton Redevelopment Authority, began the meeting saying he wanted to dispel a myth that councilors want to give control to the developer.
"Anyone who knows me knows I don't give up control," the first-term Ward 3 councilor said.
Fueling that sense among some residents is that the current draft of underlying rules on what can and can't be built, AKA zoning, are too broad. A City Council committee is set to work on them and must return to the full council and get a super-majority to become law.
Howard Street resident Lisa Crowley said she's not giving the city the benefit of the doubt. For years, she and other neighbors have sparred with a developer who promised to turn a large area including the old Remova Park into a youth sports complex.
"The zoning. The zoning. The zoning," Crowley said, directing her comments to Griffin. "You won't be able to control it if you don't zone it correctly."
Flynn said he planned to have more meetings with specific neighborhoods around the Fairgrounds.
Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on X at @HelmsNews .
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Enthusiasm and opposition to giant Brockton Fairgrounds housing plan. What each side said
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