BELCHERTOWN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION
In
the 1920’s the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired some 800 acres of land in
Belchertown for the development of a “State School for the Mentally Retarded”.
A fine “Campus” was built containing some 40 buildings, with an extensive farm
operation. Red brick colonial buildings were erected for housing, feeding,
training and supporting up to some 1000 residents. At times, employment reached
over 1200 people from Belchertown and surrounding communities. The “Farm Operation” produced, with the
aid of the retarded residents who worked the farm, sufficient food to support
the School and other similar state facilities. A large food processing
building, handled the farm’s products for immediate consumption or for
preserving for future use.
The
building of the State School in Belchertown was a major uplift to the local
economy and provided full and part-time employment for many Belchertown
residents. The community’s economy was sound, and unemployment was unheard of.
With State Retirements, many residents enjoyed a secure “Old Age”. The “Campus” became a beautiful tree-shaded
park with lovely, well maintained buildings, providing services such as “Sunday
Movies” to the entire community. Those working with the Residents frequently developed
deep rooted and affectionate, supportive relationships – and many fond
memories. Life was good for Belchertownians!
The
1970’s however saw a series of state wide lawsuits between Residents’ Guardians
and the Commonwealth over institutionalization of the Residents. In fact the
lives of those cloistered away from society, sometimes drugged to control
behavior, was less then ideal in this otherwise bucolic environment. Separation
from society was deemed inappropriate by the courts, which ordered closure of
some 12 major State School facilities, and a number of minor facilities, replaced
with construction of many new individual “community living units” throughout
the Commonwealth
The
word “closure” was received in Belchertown in the late 1970’s and folks began
to retool. Future use of the facility was open to public suggestion, and a “Reuse
Committee”, the forerunner of today’s EDIC, was formed to develop a plan for the facility. There was general agreement
that what ever replacement came in, it must be designed to expand the tax base
and employment opportunity. In 1992, the Commonwealth offered to reuse and
reconstruct the facility as a Minimum Security Prison, and, after much heated
discussion (and emotion!), the State’s offer was declined by residents in a
general ballot vote. At the 1992 May Annual Town Meeting, voters, under
authorization of MGL Chapter 121 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth,
authorized the formation of a Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial
Corporation to undertake development of a reuse plan for the State School
campus.
The
1990’s saw a lot of “studies”, mostly resulting in reuse of the State School as
some form of residential living facility, possibly with businesses incorporated,
mostly designed for support of an aging population. However, any “residential”
use in an otherwise fast growing community
did not sit well. Increased Tax Base with jobs was the town’s priority.
Little happened until the beginning of
the 2000’s, when the EDIC Directors negotiated a “Purchase and Sale
Agreement” with the Commonwealth and became the owners of record of some 300
acres of land with buildings (The remaining adjoining acreage went to the
Commonwealth’s Department of Agriculture and was leased for 15 years to the New
England Small Farm Institute).
The
Town, in need of land for schools, recreation and municipal services, acquired
three parcels of land from the Commonwealth in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Two of
these parcels now contain a new Middle School, Elementary School, indoor pool,
and organized recreation playing fields. The third parcel was obtained by the
town with five buildings and is now in use for three renovated elementary school
buildings, a Recreation Department Office and Teen Center, Public Access Cable
TV Center, American Legion facility, and, with the addition of two newly constructed buildings, a Senior Center
and Police Station
Upon
the transfer of the State School property, consisting of three separate
parcels, plans began in earnest for “Cold Spring Business Park”. Much of the
property had been zoned either Light Industrial or General Business, with a
small portion, known as Foley Field, remaining in an agricultural zone. The
EDIC began several approaches, designed to prepare the site. Several public hearings held by the BEDIC
showed citizen expectations to support a resurrection of the “Campus”, with an
attempt at saving as many of the buildings as possible. Large “Box” facilities
were deemed undesirable. A public ballot vote supported an Assisted Living
facility and Nursing Home, with some 60 age restricted condos on the
Agriculturally zoned “Foley Field”.
A
newly authorized “Business and Technology Park” overlay zone was deemed to be
most supportive of smaller business operations, and held incentives that were
designed to encourage business development with the least amount of “bureaucratic
hassles”, by gaining pre-approvals from key town boards. The Planning Board approved the BEDIC’s
request, and all State School land zoned General Business and Light Industry
came under the Business and Technology Park overlay zone.
The
BEDIC also gained state approval in 2002 to become a part of the existing Quabbin
Valley Economic Target Area. Subsequently,
the State School parcels were approved and designated by Town Meeting to be an
Economic Opportunity Area, a designation authorized under Mass General Law,
Chapter 40, sec 59, (see www.state.ma.us).
Developers of State School property, under this law, make take advantage of the
opportunity to negotiate with town officials, and secure Town Meeting approval for desirable tax incentives.
New
businesses can receive State Tax Incentives, including 5% Investment Tax Credit
and 10 % Tax Credit for refurbishing a “two-year or more” abandoned building. The Developer can negotiate a Tax Incentive
Finance agreement with the town, applying for Municipal property tax incentives
such as Special Tax Assessments (A phased –in assessment of the total value of
the property) OR Tax Increment Financing Agreement (bleeding in the new tax
base to 100% over 5-20 years). Finally,
Federal 20% Historic Tax Credits may also be available for refurbishing
existing historic buildings.
The
BEDIC’s land came in three distinct parcels, referred to as Parcels B, D &
E. Parcels D & E contained no
buildings. Parcel E, containing 43 acres, was sold to a Developer for the Cold
Spring Business Park now under development. Parcel D, containing 52 acres (including 20 wet land acres) is
under agreement with the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority for development of a
regional Intra-model Transportation Center and the future Eastern Hampshire
County District Court House. The
possibility exists for other State service centers to follow along with
facilities for expanded services in
support of the Court. Parcel B contained a combination of open land, some 30
existing structures, 22 acres of Agriculturally Zoned land and some 30 acres of
wet land being designed now as a public park.
The
BEDIC began active efforts to develop Parcel B in a manner designated by the
Town Meeting mandate. Through the town’s Council on Aging, and the efforts of
it’s Committee on Assisted Living, a developer was identified to bring into
being a 60 unit Assisted Living Facility, re-developing the former Infirmary and
Hospital Buildings, along with 60 new Age
Restricted Condos. A Nursing Home provider is now being sought, to be a part of
an “Aging in Place” continuum.
Three
phases of development for Parcel B are anticipated. Phase One, now in the
development stage, would have two entrance roads totaling 1800 feet, with lots
containing vacant land or land with buildings. Tighe & Bond Engineering, Inc.
was retained to prepare detailed engineering design plans, which were presented
to, and approved by, the Belchertown Planning Board in 2003. These plans, now
recorded in the Registry of Deeds, enable the BEDIC to begin selling parcels to
interested businesses in 2004. Phase Two, will connect the two entrance roads into a 3000 foot long, 28 foot
wide improved road, creating a modified “Town Center By-pass” from State Route
202, north to Jackson Street, and, with town effort, eventually connecting with Route 9 to Amherst. Phase Three will
create a westerly loop road of some 1500 feet, and will be developed as
required
Negotiations for lot sales are now under way with a number of businesses, and construction is expected to begin in 2004. New road improvements, including an extra wide 28 foot, 35 mile per hour design-speed road, on a heavy duty base suitable for trucks, are also expected to begin in 2004.
Eight
inch water lines will connect to the Town’s new and expanded pumping and
storage facilities, and will replace existing ageing lines through Phases I
& II, with connections to the town’s system at both ends. Similarly new twelve
inch gravity sewer lines will connect, in Phase I & II, to existing town
sewer lines at both ends, leading to the Town’s new $10 million state-of-the-art
treatment facility
Designed
storm drains and related control facilities will be installed to engineered
plans and town approved standards for some 3000 road feet, containing storm runoff
on-site.
Remaining
infrastructure, including three phase underground electric service, designed by
Mass Electric, telephone cable, and fiber optic communication cable will
service all segments of Phase I & II
While
lots, containing open land or land with existing buildings, have been
identified on drawings, actual lot surveys await the desires of purchasers.
Lots tend to be seen in 1 to 3 acre parcels, but can be designed for larger
parcels, such as the Assisted Living Facility, as needed.
Development
of Parcel B is seen as following the general design of the former State School
Facility. On the southern end, along the entrance road from State Route 202,
open space with high visibility supports retail business. The south end
building complex – Administration Building, School Building, G building
Dormitory and areas/buildings bordering town operations, support higher end
office and the Assisted Living Development. The former campus center area,
composed of two industrial training
buildings, commissary building, several cottages and dormitories, support mixed
use, such as restaurant, services, etc. The west side composed of cottages and
dormitories overlooking the Pioneer Valley and Holyoke Range support up scale business
use as envisioned in Phase III. The rear of the campus, formerly the more
industrial support areas of the Heating Plant, Laundry, Maintenance Building,
Receiving and Store House, and the area abutting the Railroad, support Light industry.
Insuring
compatibility in use, and transition between the varying envisioned segments is
important in planed land use, and will guide the BEDIC Directors in placing
businesses. The former State School design and layout supports this use process,
and is largely being followed for the property’s next life.
Parties
interested in contacting the Directors of The Belchertown Economic Development
and Industrial Corporation may do so by written communication addressed to the
Board of Directors, 2 Jabish Street, Belchertown, MA 01007. Phone communication
can be made to the BEDIC office (unmanned) at 1-413-323-0778, and leaving a
message, by contacting the Vice Chairman, 413-732-6885, by contacting any of
the currant Directors, or through the Town Administrator at 413-323-0403.