EASTHAMPTON — Three different projects were recently given the green light for construction by the Planning Board, adding another 41 housing units to a growing list of planned developments in the city.
The projects, which are unrelated, were each granted a special permit at the Planning Board’s Sept. 15 meeting. The largest of the three developments involves a 14-unit condominium complex spread across three duplexes and eight single-family homes at 132 and 134 West St., also known as Fat Frog Farm.
Another project will construct a three-story, 12-unit apartment building at the intersection of Main and South streets. Lastly, a 15-unit development on the fourth floor of the mill building at 142 Pleasant St., known as The BrickYard, also received approval.
Condo complex
The condo development took up the majority of the conversation between board members and the public. The project will create a private road ending in a cul-de-sac, to be managed by a private residents’ association.
Bucky Sparkle, the project’s civil engineer, said the residents of the complex will self-govern the property through the Fat Frog Condominium Trust, a document created at the request of the Planning Board. The document outlines resident responsibilities, including snow removal, any necessary repairs to infrastructure or the landscape, waste management and more.
A master deed, created by the applicant, provides further guidelines for future residents to follow.
At the request of the board, the applicant also performed a swept-path analysis of the cul-de-sac to show that larger trucks, mainly fire engines, would be able to turn around at the end of the road.
Other minor changes were made to the proposal, and the board included 13 conditions in the permit’s approval that need to be followed as the project moves forward. Sparkle said one of the project’s main goals is to provide housing without negatively impacting wildlife in the area.
Developers plan to plant a total of 132 new trees and shrubs, along with 186 different plants, replacing approximately 50 trees that will be removed during construction, half of which are near-dead apple trees, according to Sparkle. The project will also include a 13,200-square-foot pollinator meadow.
Patti Steinman, a resident of West Street with more than 40 years in environmentalism, said she worries about the project’s impact on the biodiversity of the area.
“Development does not increase biodiversity,” Steinman said.
Sparkle reassured Steinman that he decided to work on this project as an engineer because he takes on developments that are well-intentioned.
“One of the reasons that I’ve taken this job is because it does not muck up the whole world,” Sparkle said. “I don’t do that kind of work.”
Before construction begins, Sparkle told the Gazette that, first, a gas pipe will need to be located underneath West Street to ensure that construction will not impact it, but he does not anticipate any issues. The construction timeline is not set in stone, he added, but he expects work to begin next year.
As Steinman noted, the town is home to many upcoming housing projects.
“Easthampton is a wonderful community known for its arts, cultural and natural areas, including valuing open space. Yet, in recent years, it’s been undergoing tremendous development,” Steinman said.
Apartment complex
The building at 336 Main St., next to South Street, has already been demolished to make way for the planned apartment. The building was in “disrepair” according to engineer Terry Reynolds, who presented the project on behalf of the applicant, Naresh Patel of Mahadev LLC of Easthampton, who owns numerous complexes throughout the town.
Project engineers have addressed several comments and requests from the Planning Board, including taking on a peer review of its stormwater plan. One of the main changes introduced a sidewalk on Main Street with a handicap ramp, removing one of the planned parking spaces for a total of 24 spots.
There were also changes made to the vegetated buffer on the northeast edge of the property, and engineers held discussions with abutters to keep the current fencing on one side of the property.
One of the permit’s 12 conditions includes a written agreement between the condo association of 64 South Street residents regarding maintenance of the fence.
