Lee — Although December 2 was deemed “a snow day” for many residents, Lee Select Board members were hard at work, meeting remotely to attend to one of the area’s most pressing issues: housing.
Resident Mohamed Zabian approached the dais with a proposal to develop vacant property at 88 West Park Street into 42 housing units for community members. The suggested three- or four-story apartment-style building with ground-floor parking would relieve a blight for the town, he said, within a parcel that formerly housed a now-abandoned Price Chopper grocery store.
Zabian appeared at the meeting “to get the town’s temperature to see what can be done” in the space as he confirmed he has a purchase/sales agreement pending for the site.
But the project is not aimed at adding affordable housing to the town. “I was hoping to do something a little more higher end,” Zabian said. “So, I want to do something a little bit different than what’s down on the end of Main Street.”
Lee is already in the middle of the $80 million multi-phase Eagle Mill Redevelopment Project on Main Street that, using state subsidies, will transform an 1808 former paper mill, the Eagle Mill building, into affordable-housing units with commercial space abutting the Housatonic River. Phase 2 of the project is in development to add 20 workforce-housing units geared towards households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI); 16 Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units aimed at households earning less than 60 percent of AMI; and eight LIHTC units aimed at households earning less than 30 percent of AMI. At a total cost of $37 million, the project’s first phase added 20 units (up to 100 percent of AMI as opposed to Phase 2’s 80 percent), 28 units, and eight units within those categories, respectively, and is currently open for tenant applications.
Lee’s West Center/Canal Street Housing project at 58–62 West Center Street is directly across the street from Eagle Mill. The joint venture between Jeffrey Cohen, who heads up the Eagle Mill Redevelopment LLC, and nonprofit Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDCSB) will create just shy of 70 units of multi-family housing.
“The difference between me and someone else building this is, basically, they want to build something as big and low cost as possible,” Zabian said of the development of the West Park Street tract. “I want to do something that’s a little bit more attractive, a little bit better quality.”
However, at issue is the municipality’s “very serious” downtown parking problem, he said, as the parcel now provides parking, spaces that will be replaced by the structure should the project move forward. Both Zabian and his brother operate businesses in downtown Lee—jewelry and clothing stores, respectively—and he said he has 50 tenants currently residing in his building.
“I’m trying to think of something where… maybe doing something that’s good for the town and good for us,” Zabian said, adding that he might be amenable to a joint venture with Lee for the town to acquire a portion of the tract as dedicated parking.
According to Select Board Chair Sean Regnier, an agreement would be needed for the town to purchase a portion of the West Park Street tract, and Town Administrator Christopher Brittain added that a deed restriction could ensure the segment could only be used for parking. Town approval would also be required to move forward with the proposal. Select Board member Gordon Bailey offered that a multistory parking structure might be created on the site without being visible from the street, but that action would be up to the Planning Board.
The project is slated to come before the town’s Planning Board on December 8.
An additional hurdle to the project would be the lack of state grant funds for such an endeavor, monies that are more readily available for affordable-housing projects but not these types of homesites that Zabian hopes will accommodate state workers, local police officers, and nurses.
Zabian spoke to his desire to maintain Lee’s small-town vibe while developing the West Park Street tract. “I don’t want to see a four- or five-story monster building over there,” he said. “To me, the town was never geared for that. The [Eagle] Mill down there—it’s nice that they’re keeping everything somewhat to the cosmetics of what it was. It looks beautiful already. If I could do something here more quaint and somewhat attractive and if it works out numbers-wise for the town, I’m interested in anything.”
During the meeting, CDCSB Executive Director Stephanie Lane asked officials to consider drafting a letter to support amending the Eagle Mill’s Smart Growth Overlay District to include the West Center Street project. The inclusion of the West Center Street project would open the door to possible additional grant funding of more than $200,000 for the project’s construction, she said. The action would require an amendment of Lee’s zoning bylaws.
Lane also requested a waiver or reduction of permitting and utility connection fees pertaining to the West Center Street build, advising Select Board members that their approval would be “another mechanism” the town has to support the project.
The Select Board agreed to table both of Lane’s requested actions to provide more time for members to fully vet the issues.
