Residents had been working with the city’s planning department on a “neighborhood plan” for Freetown. (The plan’s centerpiece is a proposed park on the site of the Capstone development.) Capstone argued that the project does not violate any zoning laws and pledged to be a good neighbor.
In an effort to assuage residents’ concerns, Capstone Development met with council members and agreed to redesign the apartment complex neighborhood with neighborhood architectural features. The company also signed off on a $200,000 payment to a new neighborhood improvement fund. A committee consisting of one Capstone representative and two Freetown residents will decide how to spend that money.
“Basically, Freetown got sold for a $200,000 bribe,” says Istvan Berkeley, a Freetown resident who spearheaded opposition to the development. “There’s roughly 800 people that live in Freetown; that works out to roughly $250 a head.” Berkeley added that residents are “still just pretty stunned right now,” but will meet soon to consider further action. “The residents have taken a very bloody black eye,” he says, “but I think the fight will continue.”