NORTHAMPTON — A manufacturing facility is planned for one of the final undeveloped parcels of the former Northampton State Hospital, a roughly two-acre lot on Earle Street.
The 17,560-square-foot, two-story facility would house the metalworking operation for VCA Inc., a maker of custom furniture and architectural elements. The design also shows offices, studio space, a loading dock and 18 asphalt parking spaces.
Shop Development LLC won site plan approval from the Planning Board earlier this month. Terry Reynolds, owner of T. Reynolds Engineering in Florence, presented the plan to the board on behalf of the applicant.
“This is a vacant lot adjacent to the VCA shop building at 209 Earle St.,” Reynolds said, and the two sites share an owner. “It’s a mostly vegetated lot. It’s all wooded throughout with some open spaces in the back and curling around, and a small open space in the front.”
He described the site as “difficult” with “fairly steep terrain.” The parking lot would sit at an elevation 20 feet higher than the road; construction includes a “fairly significant” retaining wall at the edge of the parking lot, and most of the trees and vegetation that now abut the road would remain.
Renderings by Jones Whitsett Architects show an L-shaped building that would not be visible from Earle Street.
Carolyn Misch, the city’s assistant director of planning and sustainability, recommended establishing tree protection measures and work limit lines — which would prevent construction vehicles from being parked on the steep slope — as conditions of site plan approval.
She added that the land is the final industrial-zoned parcel on Earle Street that once comprised the Northampton State Hospital. It is zoned office-industrial, as are the parcels across the street, including a house.
Planning Board Chair George Kohout said neighbors of the site have asked for measures to block the project from view.
“We did receive, kind of, written comment from the abutters across the street and the city councilor of that ward, who are interested to make sure that there’s a visual screening, especially of that large retaining wall, so that they’re not confronted by this industrial look,” Kohout said.
The Department of Public Works has expressed concern that the stormwater system does not have the proper capacity, even though the site was issued stormwater permits in 2007 and 2018.
Reynolds said the issue raised by the DPW is “a look back at things that got missed” during the original permitting. The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, the main agency tasked with overseeing the state hospital land redevelopment, has contracted with Tighe & Bond to perform necessary studies on the system.
“It’s unfortunate. With the cost of everything these days, we’re just going to have to see what comes out of it,” Reynolds said. “It may shoot the project down. We don’t know.”
Earle Street resident Jonathan Yourga told the board that he was concerned about continued flooding on his property as a result of more construction work.
“Every project that has occurred on Earle Street has resulted in more water entering the street, and when the street can’t handle it. It comes down my driveway, and then goes in my backyard, through my neighbor’s backyard and then behind Smith College’s equestrian property there,” Yourga said. “I’ve had to sandbag my driveway on multiple occasions.”
In response, Reynolds said the new development will improve drainage in the area.
“This will be a reduction of water coming off that hillside, going into the street system,” Reynolds said. “We’re hoping we can make this happen, and if it does, it will help with the drainage situation in reducing the flows into the Earle Street system.”
Reynolds told the Gazette there is no timeline yet for construction to begin.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.