This Open letter for consideration is directed to:
The Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board, Clark Tavern Property owners, John & Michelle Linnert and the Abutters of the Clark Tavern and Medfield residents
Having attended the past two ZBA meetings regarding the Clark Tavern and as a 26 year resident of Medfield and blogger on the Medfield PATCH, I chose to share my opinion on this topic and write this open letter to all parties involved.
Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Clark Tavern on Main Street is a historic building with an unknown future.
It is a very dilapidated building with so much potential. It could become a beautified, renovated, recreated, updated and transformed functional eatery for the residents of Medfield and for those driving on east Main Street.
Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
I feel rather certain that most people in Medfield are aware of the significant history of the Clark Tavern and that the structure dates back to the 1700’s.
I am also pretty certain that most people in Medfield have driven by it on their way to Shaw’s or to get gas or a carwash at Precision Automotive or grab a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Donut Express. These businesses are just up the road from the tavern. I’ll bet many people have wondered why this building has sat empty and rotting for so many years.
Last May, the Clark Tavern was purchased by John & Michelle Linnert for the purpose of transforming it back into a restaurant/tavern.
http://medfield.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/buyers-to-restore-historic-clark-tavern
But the future of the Clark Tavern is very muddy and is a hot button topic in town as shown by all the comments, banter and “chatter” on the Medfield PATCH.
There are issues that have been raised by the abutters and other neighbors on Main Street with a different opinion and clear opposition to this project. However, there have also been many concessions made to this plan by the property owners. Sadly, this doesn’t seem to have had much impact on the opposition.
Many residents of Medfield were excited about the future of this building when they read or heard that it had been purchased by Medfield residents, John and Michelle Linnert, and that their plan was to bring new life to this rundown old building! Huge support of this plan was evidenced by over 1,000 signatures and comments which were posted on the change.org site in support of proposed plan.
Change.org petition comment from: France Murphy MEDFIELD, MA Top of Form
It's a no brainer! I think the town of Medfield is extremely fortunate to have a local family willing to restore the building to what it originally was for the most part. My hat goes off to the Linnert family. Hopefully, compromise will benefit the residents who live nearby.
Over its many years of existence, the building was, indeed, a tavern and it has also been a residence. Its structure sits in a residentially zoned area, but it is also on Rt. 109 aka east Main Street. Today I drove up that stretch of road, and estimated that although it is residentially zoned, the Clark Tavern is almost directly centered between the businesses to its East and the businesses to its West. It sits less than ½ mile from the old Lord’s building in one direction and less than ½ mile from Dunkin Donuts in the other.
This decaying, historic building is not tucked away in a cul-de-sac or a quiet neighborhood.
Change.org petition comment from: W. David Stephenson MEDFIELD, MA
We are in the neighborhood directly affected by the project, so do we have concerns about traffic (we'd also be able to see the back of the parking lot from our backyard), but we still think that, on balance, this would be good adaptive reuse of the old tavern, and preferable to whatever might replace it!
The future of the Clark Tavern is unclear.
What is clear is that if this project and renovation, in some shape or manner, proposed by the owners of the property, who purchased it for the purpose of opening it as an eating establishment, not a home, is not resolved, this ramshackle building, with its fascinating history, will rot away, be torn down, and be just another part of Medfield history that couldn’t survive.
What is also clear is that the opponents need to find a way to work cooperatively with the owners of this property and embrace compromise. Or what will become of the future of this very important part of Medfield history?
With all due respect to the abutters who oppose this project (as not all neighbors oppose this project), if this structure does not get refurbished and revamped now, while these owners are willing to pay substantial costs to do so, the tavern will succumb to ruin and it will yield to the people that choose to not find common ground. Doesn’t it make more sense for all parties involved to work toward some sort of economically feasible plan?
Change.org petition comment from: Molly Frankel MEDFIELD, MA
The preservation and restoration of the Clark Tavern is of tantamount importance to our community. It is part of our collective history, an affirmation of the value we place on the history amidst which we live. It is part of what sets our town apart from other neighboring communities. Returning the building to its roots as a local gathering place is not only fitting, but the right choice for our community in so many ways -economic, social, long-term planning, etc. Let us not forget - once it's gone, it's gone forever...
If the Linnerts are not able to continue their plan, eventually something will be built on that site. It could be another large home, it could end up being a child care facility or Alzheimer facility (both which were interested parties prior to the Linnerts purchase) and although it sits beside the very historic Peak House, whatever will go there will have NO historical value.
Medfield has always been proud of its history, and the Clark Tavern is a significant part of that history. Although the Clark Tavern is in a state of decline, I am hopeful that the two sides can see what is best for the community of Medfield, and what the majority of the community would like to see happen to this structure.
This kind of stalemate and constant indifference helps no one. I can only hope that the future of the Clark Tavern can be determined in a positive way, not the destruction of the Clark Tavern if no compromise can be reached.
It seems clear to me that if this project, with these owners, does not go forward, the Clark Tavern has no future. No one wins!
http://www.change.org/petitions/support-historic-clark-tavern
