HomeMy WebLinkAboutAbutter opposition - Mooradrkanian - April 8, 2025 - Correspondence - 45 THIRD STREET 4/8/2025 Zoning Board of Appeals April 8, 2025
Re 45 Third Street, North Andover
My name is Helen Mooradkanian, 54 Third St. I am an abutter. My family moved into the historic Oscar
Godfrey House immediately after the Godfreys. It was shortly before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
on Dec. 7, 1941 and America entered WWII. My family has lived here for generations—directly across
from 45 Third, where the Kirkpatricks lived and before them, the Abbotts and Stillings. I ask that you
deny the special permit/variance on 45 Third St., requested by developer Ryan Grasso, Prime Builders.
I'd like to leave two words with you tonight. "Crossroads"and "Honor and Remember."
CROSSROADS-45 Third Street sits at a crossroads. Literally and figuratively. Crossroads are
where decisions must be made. Literally, on the map, this house sits at the intersection of Third and
Maple Ave., in the heart of the historic Library District. Symbolically, it's a signal to "press pause":
(1) Stop. (2)Look. (3) Ask. (4) Then start Walking.
1) Stop and Press "Pause"Button. When you get to a crossroads in life, when you arrive at a
decision point, when you are confronted with a situation, Press "Pause." Slow down. Get off autopilot
and give yourself time to think. We get into trouble when we act quickly on impulse or habit. It is
crucial that we slow down and think.
2)Look carefully at the situationefrom all angles—and then ask yourself two key questions:
"Where do I stand? But most important, in what direction am I heading?"
3)Ask forcounselefrom wise and experienced people. Then evaluate. Be humble to recognize that no
one person knows everything, nor can one person foresee every possible outcome. `In the multitude of
counselors, there is wisdom."
4) Only then, take action. Start walking. Step up to the plate and do whatever needs to be done.
CROSSROADS. TONIGHT WE—ALL OF US—ARE AT A CROSSROADS. On short notice, a
developer—Ryan Grasso, of Prime Builders LLCis requesting a special permit or variance to turn 45
Third Street into...what? He wants to take a neighborhood of historic homes built in 1800s and 1900s
and turn it into what could potentially become a Commercial Zone?
WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE: Do we HONOR and REMEMBER OUR HISTORIC ROOTS?
OR Do we TEAR DOWN AND DESTROY FOREVER THE LEGACYHANDED DOWN TO US?
Long ago I read of a man who sold his soul for 30 pieces of silver—and he lived to regret it, deeply!
If he ever did any good in his life, no one remembers it. As that famous quote goes: "The evil that men
do lives after them. The good is often buried with their bones."
Like my neighbors the Lyons, the Cavallaros, the Dargan-Mulcahey families, we have all preserved
and protected the heritage handed down to us from North Andover's historic families—families like the
Osgoods and Godfreys and Davises and others who built up this town because they honored and
remembered their past. Together with them, we want to pass on a legacy to the generations yet to come.
When my own family, the Mooradkanian family, purchased the old Godfrey House (built c. 1905) on
Third Street way back in 1941, we were the second family to live here. We have preserved the historic
character of the house and property lovingly built by Oscar Godfrey as a wedding present for his bride.
He brought in skilled craftsmen from Europe to do the all the detail work.
We—as a town—must stand UNITED, as one, to preserve and protect our town's historical heritage.
awe don't, who will?
Honor and Remember. Let us Honor and Remember the noble men and women who went before us.
Honor and Remember. Let us Honor and Remember our historical roots.
Honor and Remember. Let us Honor and Remember the strong foundation these men and women
laid for us. If the foundations be destroyed, what will law-abiding people do? Will future generations see
us as unselfish, seeking to preserve what is good and noble, as they did—or interested only in money?
HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?
The following two quotations capture the heart of what I'm sharing with you tonight.
"A good name is more desirable than great riches,far more precious than fine gold"
and
"He who loves money will never be satisfied"
Mr. Grasso: How do y.2u want to be remembered? For preserving the beauty and historic character
of North Andover? Or for seeking your own financial gain?
I trust our Zoning Board of Appeals wants to honor and remember the historic character of our town.
Let us leave a Legacy of Beauty and Honor to the generations yet to come. Let us pass the torch.
I respectfully request that the Zoning Board of Appeals deny this variance on 45 Third Street.
April 8, 2025
Helen S. Mooradkanian
54 Third Street
North Andover, MA
Email: s,�� .:. i)me..:..co