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The Community Develop Board approved an expanded use for the former Notre Dame Church.
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A drawing of a possible new configuration of the downstairs level of the Shire City Sanctuary.

Pittsfield Board Approves Expanded Uses For Shire City Sanctuary

By Joe DurwinPittsfield Correspondent
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The former Notre Dame Church, now Shire City Sanctuary, has hosted a number of businesses and activities and will be the site of this year's Berkshire Fringe Festival.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Development Board has granted a request from the owners of the former Notre Dame Church to expand the potential uses of that facility, now known as Shire City Sanctuary.

Owner Chris Swindlehurst said he and his wife, Crispina ffrench, wished to expand the potential business possibilities of the two-story, 14,000-square-foot church building, which they purchased along with an adjacent 7,000-square-foot rectory for $400,000 in 2006.
 
"At that time, my wife had a fairly substantial business with 10 employees, which was housed in the downstairs, and it was a textile manufacturing business," Swindlehurst told the board on Tuesday. "When they granted that special permit they had just one specific use, and now we'd like to expand the use."
 
For three years, the church was also the headquarters of the nonprofit Alchemy Initiative, of which ffrench was a founding member. In 2011, Alchemy was also granted a special permit to raise chickens and bees on the premises. ffrench and the organization parted ways when the building was placed back on the market in 2012.
 
Now known as Shire City Sanctuary, the facility is described as a "Makerspace, Cyberoffice and majestic Eventspace" on its website. It has been the site of an annual holiday bazaar, artist workshops, and next month will host the newly relocated Berkshire Fringe Festival.
 
Swindlehurst noted that the space also contains a commercial kitchen that they are looking to add to. He also has been looking to rent a portion of the building as "makerspace," or shared artist workspace, a perceived need for which has been of ongoing interest  to many in the local arts community over the past year.
 
"We basically want to expand the special permit to include many different issues that may come along," said Swindlehurst.
 
City Planner Cornelius Hoss noted the application for usage change was "quite similar" to that granted last year to the Whitney Center for the Arts, adding that any actual usages would still require various permitting from appropriate departments, but would now be acceptable under this amendment to the special permit.
 
"They'll still have to get building permits, or a certificate of occupancy, to match up with a change of use," Hoss told the board, which approved the change unanimously.

Tags: church reuse,   shared space,   special permit,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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