EASTHAMPTON — The city is again moving to address the vacant, 54-acre Oliver Street Town Lodging House, with officials now aiming to sell the historic property as two potential buyers emerge.
The City Council discussed the site at an April meeting, where several residents voiced concerns with the disposal process and urged the city to prioritize the needs of Easthampton citizens. The property located at 75 Oliver St. previously housed people without homes, transient and low-income individuals for more than 130 years before it was vacated in April 2022.
“I appreciate that so many people have come forward,” Councilor Amanda Newton said at the meeting. “There are a lot of valid arguments about how this is so special to our city.”
The council was reviewing a resolution that would declare the property a surplus; if passed, this would lead to the city finalizing a request for proposals for buyers. Ultimately, the public hearing was put on pause until the council’s Wednesday, May 6 meeting. The City Council stated they hosted the hearing specifically to gather resident input.
Several residents argued that the property’s deed grants Easthampton citizens authority over its future, and many expressed frustration over a perceived lack of transparency regarding the disposal process.
“I’m here today to ask each of you to consider the cost to Eastampton citizens as the town farm is considered for disposal,” said resident Elodie Chicoine. “I also ask that you consider a proposal put together by myself and Chicoine Family Farm.”
The property deed includes three restrictions, making it difficult to develop. These include a historic preservation and an affordable housing requirement on the building, as well as an agricultural preservation on the land. The property previously drew interest from housing nonprofit Valley Community Development Corporation, which withdrew its plans.
While the request for proposal has not been released, Chicoine said their proposal would meet the deed restrictions by transforming the lodging house into a “homestead” which would maintain the hay fields and turn the property into an education center where vulnerable members of the community could live and learn about agriculture.
The two potential buyers that have emerged to date include the Chicoine Family Farm, which is located just up the street from the property, and the national nonprofit Farmer Veteran Coalition in collaboration with Renewal Initiatives, based in Springfield.
Lawrence Rhone, program manager of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, told the Gazette that the coalition received a phone call from a neighbor of the lodging house in June 2024, hoping that the national nonprofit could restore it. Rhone declined to share who the resident is, wanting to respect their anonymity.
According to the Farmer Veteran Coalition’s website, the nonprofit is the largest in the nation supporting veterans, and Rhone said the property is a good match for its work and mission, ideal for the coalition’s Holistic Impactful Veteran Engagement (HIVE) program. He said the HIVE program has been successful in other communities and has three main focuses: improve the wellness of the individuals, help engage them in the community and help teach valuable skills in agriculture that could lead to careers.
“We want to provide a setting in which these individuals can begin to heal and fortify themselves in their transition. That’s the HIVE and it is a solution,” Rhone said. “When I heard about the [town lodging] property, I said, ‘Wow, this could work.'”
Heather Takle, executive director of Renewal Initiatives, said ultimately, the two organizations want what the community feels is best for it but have heard support from residents. Rhone said the coalition and partner Renewal Initiatives will be in Easthampton engaging with the community, attending specifically during Memorial Day weekend.
“I think it’s fair to say that our proposal caters to the property and those three restrictions,” Takle said. “Farmer Veteran Coalition could make a great solution and fit for the constraints of this property.”
Many residents voiced support at the meeting for the Chicoine family who they said have been maintaining the lodging house hay fields for more than a century, and deserve a say in what happens to the land.
“The Chicoine’s have been maintaining that field forever, for a hundred years at least,” said resident Avery Lavalley. “They deserve the right to not only continue to hay that field, but they should have the right to perhaps own the field and lease it back to whoever wants to use it.”
Elodie spoke alongside her father, Bill Chicoine, who has been maintaining 15-acres of the hay fields at the lodging house’s property through a lease agreement with the city of Easthampton. Bill Chicoine harvests the hay, a portion of his crop, to help feed the farm’s cattle.
City Procurement Officer Michael Owens said he has met with Bill Chicoine and confirmed he can continue haying the fields until — or if — the property is sold. He added that the city is not considering any proposals at this time.
However, the city declined to renew the lease earlier this year, putting the farm’s sustainability in question, Elodie Chicoine said. She noted it was concerning that the city did not contact the Chicoines about the action at the property until notifying them that the lease would not be renewed.
“We run a 100% grass-fed beef farm and my father produces hay on those fields all summer,” Elodie Chicoine told the Gazette. “It’s an integral part of our grazing plan and regenerative agriculture plan.”
