By Rit Carter
Concerned about the development of a property that will encroach upon their neighborhood, the Save the Gloria Dei Church Forest grassroots group held its first meeting Tuesday night at Max’s Pizza.
“Neighborhoods are not just zip codes or boroughs,” said Erik Madsen, founder and leader of the group. “When somebody knows they are in Sherman Park or Mt. View, that creates a certain tightness of community.”
For Madsen, the context is broader than the forest or conservation, it’s the importance of community and what it represents.
Madsen said that, like his father, he considers himself a conservationist and is determined to save the property from an army of land-clearing equipment trucks to build townhouses.
The property is 5.8 acres of land behind the Gloria Dei Church along Camp Street. Some of the property abuts homes on French and Michael Streets in the Sherman Park neighborhood.
For over an hour, Madsen laid out options for the group to consider. When he was done, some in attendance spoke of their concerns or asked questions.
The meeting began with the news that the property was sold Tuesday to a Plainville developer.
Larry Bryant has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 60 years, and his home is on a dead end. He provided history about its roots and is troubled by the prospect of a new development in the area and what it will bring.
“I live right there; we’ve been there forever—peaceful neighborhood, with hardly any traffic,” Bryant said. “My main concern is extending that road through French Street to Camp Street. It will be a highway out front of my house.”
Others like Lori Holcomb lamented how the wildlife in the area will be impacted.
Sebastian Panioto, a city councilor representing District 1 where the property is located, discussed boards and committees at city hall where any potential development project will have to navigate before being completed.
For information about Save the Gloria Dei Church Forest grassroots group email savegloriadeichurchforest@gmail.com.
Editor’s note: TBE will be pursuing comments from the developer. Readers with questions should send them to our reporter, Rit Carter, at rcarter@bristoledition.org.
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