Great Barrington — The Select Board discussed but could not decide on either of the two proposals to redevelop the former Housatonic School at its meeting on Monday, November 21.
The elementary school building, located at 207 Pleasant St. in Housatonic, was built in 1907 and has been vacant since it shut down in 2003. In January, the town put out requests for proposals to redevelop the building. Of the proposals submitted, the town eventually determined that WDM Properties LLC of North Adams and Pittsfield, along with Arete Venture Partners LLC of Nanuet, N.Y., met the project’s minimum bid criteria.
Representatives from Arete Venture Partners LLC presented its plans at the Select Board meeting on October 24. Arete’s plan includes the construction of 14 residential apartments on the second and third floors of the building, which includes four 650-square-foot studio apartments that will be set at affordable housing rates, along with installing 5,500 square feet of open-concept commercial space on the ground floor. The company’s plan includes four studio apartments with rent set at $984 a month, with the other 10 apartments’ rent set at $1,800 a month. Arete does not list in its proposal whether or not utilities are included with its rent.
At the November 10 Select Board meeting, representatives from WDM properties presented its plans which include turning the building into a 10-unit apartment complex, with rents set at $1,765 a month.
At the November 21 meeting, the Select Board agreed that the proposals were good and met the standards that it set out for redeveloping the property. However, Select Board members issued several concerns with multiple facets of both projects.
For Arete’s plan, it proposes a budget of $5.8 million for the project. The company is asking for $2.7 million from the town to complete the project. WDM’s proposed budget to redevelop the building is $3.5 million, and the company is asking for the $650,000 offered by the town as part of its agreement for abatement for the redevelopment project.
“Obviously there is a big difference between their budgets,” Select Board member Eric Gabriel said. “If you break it down to [redeveopment costs] per square foot, Arete is $276 per square foot, and WDM is $167 per square foot.” Gabriel said that he is concerned about whether or not either proposed budget was reasonable. “It’s not unheard of for construction projects to run over budget,” Gabriel said. “If and when it goes over budget, where is the money coming from? We can get into that when we’re negotiating.”
“I think both projects are of good quality,” Select Board Chairman Stephen Bannon said. “I don’t have any concerns about the teams that they have put together. WDM obviously knows and works with contractors in Berkshire County. I also think that they have an idea of what it costs to work in Berkshire County, and I’m sure that they have taken that into account. I’m concerned about going to a town meeting for $2 million [for Arete’s plan]. I just don’t know what we would get out of it for $2 million.”
While WDM representatives said that they would seek historic tax credits from the state, representatives from Arete said they would not. “If there is some ‘if’ about financing through historic tax credits, there is also some ‘if’ about going to town meeting for $2 million extra dollars,” Selec Board member Edward Abrahams said. “I don’t know how to judge which is more iffy. I know locally we’ve done very well for historic tax credits, but I have no idea what it would mean for [the WDM project].”
Select Board Vice Chairman Leigh Davis said that she is also worried about a potential town meeting request for $2 million for the project, but that she is not worried about WDM obtaining historic tax credits. “David Carver and his company, WDM, have had much success seeking and achieving historic tax credits [for other projects],” Davis said. “They’re not an unknown entity and I believe that if they felt that it wasn’t attainable, they would they wouldn’t go for this project.”
Members of the board also issued their concerns with Arete’s plan for a mixed-use building, which would have commercial space on the ground floor of the building along with apartments throughout the building. “The general need for mixed-use is what I have been hearing from most people,” Gabriel said. “We had a farmers market this week, and nine out of 10 people who talked to me were pushing for the mixed-use option.”
“I would love to have that commercial space,” Vice Chair Davis said. “But I don’t feel confident that it would actually work. It’s more like wishful thinking.”
Select Board member Garfield Reed said that he is concerned that WDM’s proposal did not address the ongoing water problems in Housatonic, while Arete’s plan would include a water filtration system for the building. Reed also took issue with the WDM’s proposed rent for their proposed apartments, which would be set at $1,765 a month, not including utilities. “I’m not a money man, but that doesn’t seem affordable to me,” Reed said. “I own my own home and the mortgage is never that high, at any point. That seems like a lot of money.”
The board eventually decided to continue its discussion on the plans to its Monday, December 19 regular meeting. According to Chairman Bannon, not all of the members of the Select Board will be present at its next regular meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 5.
