1960s Urban Renewal Site Still Sits Empty

"In the late 1960s, when urban renewal was in its heyday, the Town of Hull claimed a modest neighborhood on Nantasket Beach. About 70 buildings -- summer cottages, year-round stucco homes, a post office, cobbler's shop, and other businesses -- were bulldozed to make way for new development.

Nearly four decades later, the 13 acres sit empty most of the time, and Hull is still debating what to do with the prime beachfront land, other than to use it for beach parking in the summer.

Now the latest proposal, a combination of condominiums and a public park, is braving the stormy waters of Hull politics. Neighbors and other opponents contend the residential development will blot out spectacular views, of both the ocean and bay, and worsen flooding in a low-lying area."