'If You Slap the Hand, You're Not Going to Get' Results

One of the two men behind a pair of proposals at the center of a big Hampton Beach debate says the town must be careful as it works to eliminate the significant building and lot "decay" that has crept in over "the last 20 years."

Michael Green, of Seacoast-based Green and Co. Building and Development, spoke to town officials Wednesday night during a public forum about a proposed warrant article to change the beach's maximum building height limit. 

Green said he understands officials want to ensure Hampton Beach remains the "special place" it still is, although he said the only way to get positive change both in terms of the tax base and in a visual sense is to encourage the businesses and developers who take a "huge risk" to try something new.

"You get it by rewarding what you want," said Green, whose company has received approval for a structure on the Shirley Inn and Aegean Motel sites, but not for a controversial A Block contel project. "If you slap the hand, you're not going to get it."

Green asked the town Wednesday to "decide" what it wants and then support the businesses who have a vested interest in the beach — like his — and want to give the town the type of change it seeks.

Developers aren't going to propose that kind of change unless they have a way to make at least some money off it, especially if it's a "high-risk" proposal like A Block contel, a proposal which is effectively dead.

"If there's no profit, it's [not going to happen] purely out of the desire of purifying America," said Green, a Hampton resident. "You want to encourage development... You don't want to turn around and squash it, because [the improving economy is] fragile."

Green said his company has built 200 homes and 36 condo buildings in the area, and he said his company is still "looking to just continue our work here in a high-quality fashion." 

Green and Co. may seek to build a smaller condominium building on a portion of the multi-lot site that was targeted for the contel, and he said the business will continue to work with the town to find ways to rejuvenate the area.

"We'd like to see the beach upgraded the way it should be," said Green.