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The project will revive and expand the defunct historic mill site in downtown Lee into a combination of office space, both market-rate and affordable rental units, a hotel, and a “public market” with multiple restaurants and food kiosks.
A draft analysis of the cleanup alternatives essentially presented two options: Excavate and dispose of soil and remediate groundwater under the footprint of the demolished dry cleaning building; or do so in a larger area around the footprint.
U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, traveled to Lee Tuesday and joined state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield; state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox; town officials; and representatives from Eagle Mill to announce the awarding of $400,000 worth of historic rehabilitation tax credit funds.
The mixed-use development will revive and expand the historic mill site in downtown Lee. The project is expected to take at least two years to complete.
Kate McCormick, who represents 20 Castle Street LLC and its principal, Tom Borshoff, would not identify the possible buyer of the property because a purchase-and-sales agreement had not yet been signed.
In the original plan, most of the parking for the hotel would have been across the street, which would have meant lots of hotel guests crossing West Center Street to walk to and from their cars.
With the remediation that has already been conducted, along with ongoing and future clean-up, potential sale of the Main Street property could put it back on the tax rolls, thus generating revenue.
Most of the standards the Massachusetts Historical Commission says the project would violate are technical and easily remedied. Nonetheless, as a result, MHC says the proposed project does not meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's standards for the rehabilitation of historic properties.
The commissioners emphasized that, at the moment, there is no proposal. And besides, their charge was a narrow one: to interpret and enforce the state Wetlands Protection Act. Further approvals would likely be the purview of the planning board.
"I like the whole project. It's a big change for Lee but in the right direction.” Without it, the abandoned mill would "just be blight in the town."
--- Lee Planning Board Chairman and Selectman Tom Wickham
