EASTHAMPTON — Developers will soon have the opportunity to weigh in on how they envision redeveloping the city’s three former elementary schools, with affordable housing identified as the top priority for some or all of the buildings that are more than 100 years old.
Following a Sept. 21 public hearing, the City Council declared the schools surplus and no longer necessary for municipal use, unanimously voting in favor of releasing a request for proposals to redevelop the vacant Center, Pepin, and Maple elementary schools.
“I wanted to say just how proud I think this community should be because there was an opportunity for everyone to be heard,” Precinct 1 Councilor James “J.P.” Kwiecinski said. “And I know that the Property Committee worked diligently to bake into the proposal, flexibility and not to be rigid in any way about any issue, but to leave it to a process of negotiation and hopefully, we’ll be able to get in plenty of bids.”
City Planner Jeff Bagg expects the RFP to be officially available around Wednesday, Oct. 12. The city is required by its charter to issue an RFP as its means to seek proposals to redevelop the property.
The RFP is the result of more than four years of community input and technical planning efforts, Emily Innes, of Innes Associates, told the council. The schools became vacant when the new K-6 Mountain View School opened to all students this fall. In May, the first draft of the RFP was submitted to the Planning Board and city Council. That draft then went to the council’s Property Committee in June, which Kwiecinski chairs.
Innes cited the city’s Downtown Strategic Plan, which was completed in March 2020, as well as the city’s Housing Production Plan, which was completed in March 2021, as elements that helped guide the process.
The primary goal of the RFP supports the creation of affordable housing in one or all of the buildings. According to the Housing Production Plan, the city must produce 38 units of affordable housing annually to reach the state’s 10% affordability threshold set by the state.
Affordable and Fair Housing Partnership Chairperson Janna Tetreault and other affordable housing advocates spoke in favor of redeveloping all of the buildings as affordable housing.
“The opportunity that the city has before it to use city-owned buildings to create affordable housing is rare,” Tetreault said. “Most of the time we are subject to other entities: developers and private landowners to help us accomplish our affordable housing goals. In this case, the city is in the driver’s seat and has the ability to make something happen. We have a responsibility to take the fullest advantage of the opportunity in front of us.”
One of the more critical changes to the RFP was the potential use of the Pepin gym or the auditorium/cafeteria becoming as a higher priority and identified as an important space for the community. However, developers are not required to maintain those features when they submit a proposal.
While several of those who spoke at the meeting echoed Tetreault’s comments, not everyone was in favor of transforming all the buildings into affordable housing.
Resident Diane Borowski suggested transforming Pepin into the city’s new senior center.
“I would just hate to see all three buildings go to affordable housing,” she said.
Thomas Brown, who is a member of the Easthampton Development and Industrial Commission as well as the Council on Aging Board, said the EDIC has recognized the city’s need for affordable housing and classified it as one of the most important drivers to economic development. He also strongly disagrees with the idea that Pepin could be reused as a senior center.
“I’ve been on the COA board for 36 years and in that 36-year period, we’ve been in four locations. And all four locations were an old something. We’re currently in the old post office,” Brown said. “Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t come in looking to buy stamps at the senior center. I for one, and I can’t speak for our board, but we’re going to hold out for a newly constructed senior center.”
The secondary goal noted in the RFP is to support community benefits such as creating public parking and playgrounds. The evaluation criteria include affordable housing, possible retention of the Pepin gym and cafeteria/auditorium, responsive design and environmental sustainability.
Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said in a statement that, “The process to bring developers willing to invest millions of dollars into Easthampton requires financial and other support from the city. We as a community must understand we are asking developers to take these buildings on and accomplish our goals. The city’s best outcome is the residents’ primary goal — affordable housing.”
Developer proposals are expected to be submitted in mid-January of 2023.
Tentatively, City Council will approve a preferred developer next April. If approved, the project would then advance into permitting and financing, with the earliest construction not expected to occur until 2024 or 2025, according to Bagg.
Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.
