Page 39 - BusinessWest May 29, 2023
P. 39

  “Housing is still a priority. I think anyone looking at the state of housing in the Commonwealth, or this country, would be foolish not to consider housing a
likely piece of redevelopment here.”
to Uniroyal, manufactured bicycle, automobile, and truck tires and adhesives at the site from 1898 to 1981.
Uniroyal closed its plant in 1980 and sold the property — which stretched over 65 acres and included 23 buildings — to Facemate Corp., located adjacent to Uniroyal, in 1981.
Fast-forwarding, he said the city spent years working to acquire both the Uniroyal and Facemate property (Facemate went bankrupt in 2003), and did so in 2009, soon embark- ing on a massive cleanup that would cost more than $40 million and involve federal, state, and local money, while also planning work for development.
Eventually, individual parcels on the site were developed; the initial redevelopment project involved construction of the RiverMills Senior Center. Later, a private developer built River Mills Assisted Living at Chicopee Falls on a three- acre parcel. A third, four-acre parcel has been optioned to Brisa Development LLC of New York, which plans to build a mixed-use development that includes a 107-unit apart- ment building, an indoor sports complex, and a brewery and restaurant.
The 9.58-acre parcel that is the subject of the request for proposals is essentially the last big piece of the puzzle, said Pouliot, adding that it’s dominated by the four remaining Uniroyal buildings.
One is the administration building, or Building 26. The city has an agreement with the Massachusetts Historical Commission to try to see that structure redeveloped, he explained, adding that it is eli- gible for listing on the National Historic Register.
There is also a smaller building, what Pouliot called a retail shop for Fisk Rubber Co., where it sold and even installed tires, as well as two large manufacturing buildings, numbered 27 and 42, that are considered to be in “structurally decent condition,” he said.
“Instead of incurring the cost of demolition, which would have been a few million dollars more than what we were paying for cleanup, we decided to preserve them and see if there was appetite within the development community to do something with them,” he explained, adding that, if there is no appetite for taking them on, the
This photograph, taken some time in the 1930s, shows a shift change at the Uniroyal plant, which employed more than 3,000 people in its heyday.
city will look at what developers are proposing and decide the best course from there.
“We’re not going to predicate a decision on just whether or not all the buildings can be reused,” he said. “Certainly it is the city’s intention to sell the land and see something happen; this is just one of the criteria we’re looking at to see what the development commu- nity can respond with.
“There are a number of developers who would prefer raw land, but the reality with this site is that it’s not raw land,” he went on. “You could consider this an industrial archaeological site; there are going to be limitations on development regardless of whether the
  Starting a new business, or looking to grow an existing one? We can help.
Chat with one of our local and experienced lenders to learn more about financing options.
    BestLocalBank.com | 877-682-0334
MEMBER FDIC MEMBER DIF
            BusinessWest
<< COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE >> MAY 29, 2023 39















































































   37   38   39   40   41