Belchertown is a growing community with the potential to add a lively mix of commerce and entertainment in eastern Hampshire County. The town is preparing for that growth with smart planning that engages its residents, who numbered 14,649 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census.
Belchertown’s population increased by 1,681, or nearly 13 percent, in the decade after 2000 – one of the largest rates of growth in the county during that period. And the town anticipates further growth as redevelopment starts at the former Belchertown State School property along Route 202.
“A lot of things are starting to align,” says Douglas Albertson, the planner in Belchertown since 1997. He is among those leading the effort to develop a coordinated vision for the Route 202 corridor that will serve the town for the next 50 years, “as opposed to piecemealing things together.”
Among the goals are improving the marketability of the 846-acre former state school campus, and encouraging new business, cultural and recreational opportunities while maintaining the town’s rural character. The town is engaged in several activities focused on linking that Route 202 corridor – which includes the town’s public schools complex and Eastern Hampshire District Court – and the Town Common, with Town Hall at its southern end.
Nicholas O’Connor, who was elected to the Select Board last year, has brought together more than a dozen representatives from town departments and boards to consider how well-managed growth will make Belchertown a more desirable place to live and visit, in what he calls a “community development exercise.”
The master plan for the former state school property calls for creating more retail space along Route 202. Other ideas: construct additional recreational fields and perhaps a sports complex extensive enough to host tournaments; create performance and community space for concerts, theater and other gatherings.
“We are trying to build an overall vision for the town,” says O’Connor, with a goal of creating vibrant spaces to attract visitors. “We are going to need more than just the citizens in town. We are going to need pass-through traffic and walking traffic by giving people reasons to come to Belchertown to then spend money at these retail locations.”
Albertson secured a grant that brought a team of consultants to Belcehertown for three days in February to focus on managing development in that same area of the Town Common and Route 202.
Its exercise, titled “Belchertown Beyond: A Vision for a Lasting Community,” included two public forums and produced a 92-page report with ideas ranging from practical (securing state money for sidewalks and bicycle lanes along Route 202) to preserving history (saving at least the smokestack and foundation of the former state school’s power plant and turning it into a brewpub and farm-to-table restaurant).
Redevelopment of the property at the former state school, which closed after 70 years in 1992, is starting with an 83-unit assisted living facility by the Grantham Group LLC, a Boston-based developer. Demolition of several buildings and tunnels and the subsequent cleanup work at the site began a year ago, and the beginning of new construction is awaiting approval of the developer’s application for a federal tax incentive.
Albertson says another immediate goal is to permanently preserve the section of the former state school campus known as the Lampson Brook Farm, which is owned by the state and listed as surplus property. Its 222 acres of woodland and 166 acres of farmland is leased by the New England Small Farm Institute. That land – with its “magnificent view of the Holyoke Range and sunsets to the west” is ideal for recreation, including use by hunters and hikers, and meeting future municipal needs, says Albertson.
This leadership provided by Albertson, O’Connor and others in Belchertown advocating for smart growth will serve the town’s immediate needs and provide a solid foundation for future generations.