Photo: Shari Small/WBZ NewsRadio
BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Residents in one Beverly neighborhood are asking for the locks to come off the gates on two plots of land the community used as parks.
The two plots of land are on Simon Street in Beverly and while they aren't actual parks, for many years residents and kids used them as community green spaces. The longtime vacant lots featured fenced in green spaces with benches in an area with scarce access to yards or parks.
One of the lots has been closed and locked up for the last few years while the other was just closed this July. One resident in the area told WBZ's Shari Small she bought a home next to one of the parks and was told by her real estate agent the park was city property they could use.
"We need green space too we deserve it," she said.
The two plots are owned by the Beverly Housing Authority, who have put the two plots of land up for sale. Beverly City Councilor Stacey Ames said the city is working to purchase one of the plots of land.
"The bigger picture is to make them parks long term," Ames said. "There's so many, especially in that neighborhood who don't have backyards, and don't have access to open spaces."
Beverly Housing Authority Chairman Tom Bussone told The Salem News the plots were locked up for liability and safety reasons.
WBZ's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports.
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