EASTHAMPTON — Demolition of several century-old mill structures on Ferry Street is expected to begin within weeks, even as crews work to determine what caused a large sinkhole that opened in the middle of the street earlier this month.
The demolition will make way for the the One Ferry Project, a multimillion-dollar redevelopment. The city is finishing the process of obtaining a demolition permit, and work should start within two weeks, City Procurement Officer Michael Owens said.
The project began more than a decade ago, redeveloping the former Ferry Street mill complex into housing and commercial spaces spread across five new buildings. Already, the buildings at 3 and 5 Ferry St. have been redeveloped into market-rate residential and office space.
The largest structure to come down will be the 11 Ferry St. mill building — known as the boiler building — along with the shorter structure on the front side of the building at 7 Ferry St.
Demolition of 11 Ferry St. will make way for a 96-unit housing development, including 61 one-bedroom units and 35 two-bedroom units with 134 parking spaces. Ninety-one of these apartments will be considered affordable. According to the city’s financing plan for the project released last September, the project will cost approximately $51 million.
The larger structure at 7 Ferry St. is planned to be redeveloped into 77 market-rate housing units — estimated to cost $41 million — and the water turbine building at 9 Ferry St. is planned to become commercial and residential space, with no current cost estimate.
Time has taken its toll on the buildings slated to be demolished, however.
The 11 Ferry St. building has been deemed unsafe to enter by Building Commissioner David Gardner for being unstable and riddled with asbestos. The demolition contractor, Connecticut-based Bestech, secured what is called a nontraditional work plan from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to move forward.
Multiple conditions need to be followed as part of the plan, including having a project monitor at the site. Additionally, air quality needs to be monitored around the perimeter of the site and winds cannot exceed 15 mph while the work is being done, along with other requirements.
Rob Sullivan of Bestech told the Gazette he expects the demolition work to last until mid-January. Bestech is working alongside Atlas Technical Consultants, a national company whose closest office is located in West Springfield.
Sinkhole mystery
As demolition approaches, however, Ferry Street continues to be shut down as workers identify the severity of a 7-foot-wide pipe that collapsed, causing a sinkhole the middle of the roadway earlier this month. There is no set timeline for the roadway to reopen.
Owens said the contractors believe the sinkhole work will not interfere with the demolition.
“The demolition contractor believes, with communication and coordination, he can undertake the demolition while the sinkhole work is ongoing,” Owens told the Gazette.
The mill properties are owned by One Industrial Lofts LLC, the group responsible for the One Ferry Project. Project manager Mike Michon did not respond to a request for comment.
Gardner sent an email to Michon last month saying that the current structure at 11 Ferry St. is “unsafe and dangerous to enter or be near.” Gardner said portions of the roof have collapsed and there is damage to the walls, leaving the building in “imminent danger of catastrophic failure.”
Last September, the City Council approved borrowing up to $3 million to allow for 11 Ferry St. to be demolished and associated infrastructure improvements.
The demolition will cost nearly $2 million, to be funded through the city’s Ferry Street Improvement Financing (DIF), an economic development tool created in 2018 that established a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program that collects funds over time.
Due to a financial backlog the city is currently addressing, City Auditor Hetal Patel could not say how much is in the DIF for fiscal year 2026 or 2025. She said more information will be known in November.
Mayor Salem Derby previously told the Gazette that he does not anticipate the demolition to be delayed by the sinkhole. As for the project as a whole, Derby has long touted the redevelopment of the mills as a way to revitalize the area and elevate Easthampton.
He posted a video on his Instagram on Sept. 9 of himself using a paddleboard on Lower Mill Pond, moving toward the mill buildings, before the video switches to him talking about how the mill redevelopment will bring highly energy-efficient housing that is much needed to Easthampton.
“We’re actually cruising into the future, building a sustainable Easthampton for the next generation,” he said.
