Neighborhood Association Meeting Report

Barkley’s Neighborhood Association held its quarterly meeting Nov. 15 in a filled conference room in the Dorothy Haggen building on Rimland Drive. During the meeting, citizens and business owners discussed movie theater construction, new apartment buildings and businesses and potential traffic changes.

Bob Putich, President of Barkley’s Homeowner Association (different, he explained, from the group gathering that evening) directed the night’s topics and served as the primary speaker. Gina Urcuyo, Barkley’s MNAC representative, was absent.

Before the Neighborhood Association tackled any issues on the agenda, Abby Lund from House2Home Furniture Bank made a guest presentation about the charity she coordinates. House2Home, she said, picks up used furniture from donors’ houses and gives it to people who were recently homeless and acquired housing.

“The holidays are just one more time to think about people who don’t have a table to eat dinner on or a bed to sleep on,” Lund said.

She explained, “demand is high, but donations are low,” and asked for donations of furniture and household items and volunteers, particularly those who have pickup trucks or don’t mind heavy lifting. House2Home has delivered 447 items this year, she said, but in general they deliver about five items per week.

Following Lund’s presentation, Stowe Talbot gave his “Barkley Update.” Regal Cinema Barkley will celebrate its soft opening Dec. 10 and a grand opening Dec. 14. Three smaller buildings will sit next to the theater, he said, and among these tenants will be a Woods Coffee and a conveyer belt sushi restaurant.

“I’m gonna move my tent from the Best Buy parking lot to the movie theater,” joked a Neighborhood Association member.

“The rest of the space will be food and beverage related,” Talbot said.

Condominiums will also arise next to the cinema, but Talbot couldn’t say when. He also addressed the future construction of the Cornerstone Apartments, across the street from the Drake building. Contrary to popular belief, he said, the Cornerstone would be the same height as the Drake.

            “The apartment market is hot,” Talbot said. “No one is buying condos anymore.”

            Several people who live close by the movie theater said that the berm (plant buffer) installed by the Talbot Company isn’t doing its job, and wanted to know what will be done to further block the bright cinema lights.

            “The light shines directly into my family room,” said an attendee.

Talbot said the berm is “extremely expensive” to upgrade, and that planting will fully serve its function within the next five years. He also said that it “wasn’t planted in a quality manner,” to begin with.

            Putich added that they had been waiting for the spell of dry weather to end in order to plant the berm, and after that, they were stopped by constant rain.

            A woman who said she works for Windermere claimed that the movie theater had reduced her home’s value by 15 percent.

            Talbot said a stoplight on Rimland and Woburn will be installed and working within the next week. Somebody recommended reducing the speed limit along that street from 35 to 25 miles per hour.

            In the future, Talbot said most development in Barkley would be centered towards the residential. However, he expressed hopes that more exercise facilities will one day be part of Barkley Village. A Barre 3 Studio is about to open on Rimland Drive, but Talbot would like to see more of those kinds of businesses.

            “There’s some synergy between office workers and fitness places,” he said.

As a final order of business, attendees moved to have a BBQ or picnic in a park for their summer meeting.