Page 13 - BusinessWest November 24, 2025

Lee >>Continued from page 11 more complicated by the pandemic, but
pieces to a complicated puzzle are com-
ing together, starting with phase 1 — 56
units of affordable housing in the two
original mill buildings, the Union Mill
and the Eagle Mill.
Phase 2 includes 44 new apart-
ments at the eastern end of the site;
phase 3 is another new building with
35 units of housing and 4,000 square
feet of retail, with construction slated
for 2028 if all goes as planned; phase
4 involves redevelopment of the his-
toric machine shop building for com-
mercial and retail use, including a
restaurant; phase 5 will consist of
five condominium townhouses on the
Housatonic River; and phase 6 will
be 69 more units of affordable hous-
ing on the corner of West Center and
Canal streets.
Cohen described the sum of these
parts as game-changing, and Lee
Town Planner Brooke Healy agreed.
“These new units will provide a
boost to our downtown business own-
ers and stores,” she said. “You’ll have
people walking up and down Main
Street — the restaurants are going to
get a boost, the stores are going to
get a boost ... and while some people
will work in Lee, others will work in
surrounding towns, meaning this will
benefit not just Lee, but the Central
and Southern Berkshires.
Healy speaks from experience
when she said many workers in the
Berkshires face lengthy commutes
between their jobs and housing they
can afford, and the Eagle Mill proj-
ect will be a difference maker in this
regard and make a huge dent in the
demand for housing, especially the
affordable variety.
“I took this job about a year ago,
and it took me a few months to find
housing that was less than an hour
away; I’m very lucky to live close to
downtown Lee,” she told Business-
West. “When it comes to affordable
housing, many people have precon-
ceived notions about it, but it can real-
ly impact everyone — from families to
young professionals just starting out
in their career like I was.”
Meanwhile, there are several
other mills that remain vacant or
mostly vacant, Healy said, adding
that the town is working on revamp-
ing zoning bylaws and other strate-
gies for making these mills more
“developer-friendly.”
The town recently collaborated
with UConn students to create a site
reuse assessment and master plan
for three mills — Columbia Mill and
Greylock Mill, both on Columbia
Street; and Greenwood/Mountain Mill
on Forest Street, which was recently
sold by the town at auction.
“When a lot of the current bylaws
were written, most of these mills
“When it comes to affordable housing,
many people have preconceived notions
about it, but it can really impact every-
one — from families to young profession-
als just starting out in their career like I
was.”
interests in mind and will help in any
way it can.”
Progress Report
Brittain told BusinessWest that
Lee’s current fire station, a granite and
marble structure built in 1912, was
designed for horses, not 21st-century
firetrucks.
Which means the town has had to
special-order trucks to fit into the doors
of this facility. And they just barely fit.
“The last one had five-eighths of an
BROOKE HEALY
were still functioning, and people didn’t
really think about the next steps if
these mills were to ever go out,” she
explained. “Looking forward, we have
some mills that are not being used, and
there’s been some discussions with the
owners of those properties to make
sure they know the town has their
Lee
Continued on page 31 >>
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