Page 10 - BusinessWest November 24, 2025

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Lee Strives to Be More Than a Gateway
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
Lee at a Glance
Year Incorporated: 1777
Population: 5,788
Area: 27 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $11.25
Commercial Tax Rate: $11.25
Median Household Income: $41,556
Median Family Income: $49,630
Type of Government: Open Town
Meeting
Largest Employers: Lee Premium
Outlets; Onyx Specialty Papers; the
Landing at Laurel Lake; Oak n’ Spruce
Resort in the Berkshires; Big Y
* Latest information available
Jeff Cohen says he was “looking for something to do.”
That was how the long-time developer, lawyer, and
one-time police officer casually described how he began
what has become a 14-year journey (and counting) to rede-
velop the Eagle Mill in Lee, one of the oldest paper mills in
the country.
It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey — “I have lot more
gray hair now than when I started,” Cohen said — but the
Eagle Mill canvas, if you will, is filling in, and there is more
on the drawing board for this parcel bordering downtown.
Indeed, nearly 60 units of affordable housing are in the
process of being leased, and should be occupied next spring.
Meanwhile, roughly 150 more units are planned, as well
as commercial space, in subsequent phases of the project,
including a recently announced plan for 69 units of afford-
able housing on property across the street from the Eagle
Mill.
As these different phases of the project unfold, the impact
on Lee, its downtown, its business community, and differ-
ent constituencies searching for affordable housing will only
grow.
“This is going to create a village at the north end of town,”
Cohen explained. “As you drive from the Berkshires through
Lee along Route 20, there will be a great-looking community,
and there will be lots of people on the street. This is going
to enable Lee to attract people who want to work in and
around the town, it’s going to put more kids in the schools,
and it’s going to enhance the businesses in town and prob-
“This is going
to create a
village at the
north end of
town.”
ably create opportunities for new ones.”
Redevelopment of the Eagle Mill complex is one of many
converging stories in this community of almost 6,000 people.
Others include:
• A slight cooling of its housing market, which was one
of the hottest in the state just a year or
two ago. Town Manager Chris Brittain
said the market has returned to some-
thing approximating pre-COVID days,
before prices exploded amid the surge
of remote work and strong interest in
rural settings from which to do it;
• Ongoing efforts to encourage devel-
opment of other mills in Lee, and there
are many of them — the community was
once home to two dozen mills making
more paper than anywhere else in the
country;
• Progress toward construction of
a new and much-needed public safety
complex — groundbreaking is slated for next month — as
well as discussion of converting the historic fire station into
a community space;
• Continued efforts to make this community, known as
the ‘Gateway to the Berkshires,’ more of a place to stop,
dine, shop, recreate, and more, rather than being a gateway
to other, better-known destinations, including Lenox, Stock-
bridge, and Pittsfield; and
After 40 wonderful years, we’re
saying goodbye.
Thank you for letting us be part
of your celebrations, it’s been an
incredible party.
- The Jerome family,
Greg, Eileen & Greg Jr.
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NOVEMBER 24, 2025
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