SALEM — A housing project proposed for a waterfront salvage yard is going forward, despite opposition from one city board.
The Planning Board voted unanimously Thursday night in favor of the North River Condominium project, following three hours of deliberations and public comments. The approval came after the Design Review Board voted on Aug. 22 not to recommend the project — the first rejection made by the board in recent memory.
A promising chance to eliminate North River eyesore
There are spots where Salem’s tough, industrial-strength North River can seem idyllic, where you can look out at sunset toward the arch of the Beverly-Salem bridge and think you’re in another city altogether.
But those places are few and far between.
The most common view of Salem’s North River gateway, from the North Street overpass, is of the Ferris junkyard on the riverbank.
SALEM — Juniper Point Investment Co. wants to replace the Ferris junkyard on Franklin Street with a residential community, of still-undetermined size.
Neighbors can meet with the developer at the Salvation Army, 93 North St., on Monday at 7 p.m. to go over the latest version of the project, which has been adjusted to address neighbors’ concerns.
Nestled behind a row of houses on Mason Street and a row of businesses on Commercial Street sits an industrial building that is, for the moment, empty. It started life in 1917 as a Hood ice cream plant before it became an adhesive factory and most recently a metal fabrication shop. Soon it will be rehabilitated to house 10 condos, with its grounds home to an additional 19 townhouses. This type of project is really exciting for Historic Salem for two reasons.
