Dunkin' Donuts Withdraws Pittsfield Church Demolition Plan

Staff Reports01:55PM / Monday, September 29, 2014Print Story | Email Story

Cafua Management is withdrawing plans to demolish St. Mary's in Pittsfield for a Dunkin' Donuts drive-through.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Bowing to community pressure, Cafua Management says it will withdraw plans to demolish St. Mary the Morning Star Church.

In a communication released midday Monday, the northeast's largest Dunkin' Donuts franchisee said it was preparing a revised plan for its proposed drive-through on Tyler Street and that it was willing to donate the church building to the city.

Cafua's proposal to buy the St. Mary's campus from the Springfield Diocese earlier this month and raze the church caused a significant backlash within the community, prompting petitions, "A Save St. Mary's" Facebook page and calls to boycott Cafua's four other Dunkin' Donut establishments.

The Historical Commission, which technically does not have authority to invoke a demolition delay because the building is three years short of the 75-year criteria, was also planning to weigh in on the significance of the structure at its October meeting.

St. Mary's was closed a number of years ago during a sweeping consolidation of diocesan properties because of falling attendance. The 2.6-acre campus also includes the rectory, convent, a small garage and a former school building that has been closed since 1973.

Greg Nolan, chief development officer for Cafua Management, wrote that the company values the opinion of the community and its "aim is to ultimately do right by the community." The communication is below:

With four Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Pittsfield, Cafua Management has been part of the local community for more than a dozen years. We value the opinions and needs of the community, and we are committed to listening to and collaborating with residents and city officials at all times. As such, we will withdraw our current development application for the site of St. Mary The Morning Star Church, and we are preparing a revised plan that maintains the church building. As part of our new proposal, we intend to donate the church to the city of Pittsfield, for use as the city deems appropriate.

This new plan requires support of the Special Permit Granting Authority and residents. Our next step is to meet with the City Planner, present the plan to the public and pursue city approvals. The process will take time, but our aim is to ultimately do right by the community. We look forward to many more years serving the people who live and work in Pittsfield.

Tags: church, church reuse, demolition, Dunkin Donuts, historical building,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Healey Announces Housing Development Supports at Former Pittsfield Bank

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:29PM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Gov. Maura Healey poses with the bank's old safe. The building is being refurbished for housing by Allegrone Companies. The project is being supported by a commercial tax credit and a $1.8M MassWorks grant for infrastructure improvements.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gov. Maura Healey stood in the former Berkshire County Savings Bank on Tuesday to announce housing initiatives that are expected to bring more than 1,300 units online.

"People come here from all over the world. We want them to stay here, and we want kids who grew up here to be able to afford to stay here, but the problem is that for decades, we just weren't building enough housing to keep up with demand," she said.

"And you guys know what happens when there isn't enough supply: prices go up. We have among the lowest vacancy rates in the country, so against that challenge, we made it our priority from day one to build more homes as quickly as possible."

Approximately $8.4 million from the new Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative (CCTCI) is designed help communities transform empty or rundown commercial buildings into new homes along with $139.5 million in low-income housing tax credits and subsidies through the Affordable Housing Development grant program.

The historic 24 North St. with a view of Park Square has been vacant for about two years, and Allegrone Companies plans to redevelop it and 30-34 North St. into 23 mixed-income units. The administration announced its Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative (CCTCI) and the Affordable Housing Development grant program as ways to aid housing production, both of which Pittsfield will benefit from.

The state is partnering with Hearthway for the construction of 47 affordable units on Linden Street, utilizing the former Polish Community Club and new construction, and Allegrone for its redevelopment of the block.

The Linden Street project is one of the 15 rental developments the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is supporting through $25.7 million in federal low-income housing tax credits, $32.4 million in state low-income housing tax credits, and $81.4 million in subsidies.

Allegrone's project is supported by the commercial tax credit and was recently awarded $1,800,000 from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said she fully comprehends the importance of housing and how crushing it is in communities that need it and want to build, but face difficulties with high construction costs.

"Housing is the key to keeping people in the community in a safe way and giving them an opportunity to fill those many roles that we need throughout the Commonwealth in cities and towns, large and small, urban and rural, these are all important work. Having somebody fix your boiler, fix your car, we want those individuals to be able to live in our communities as well, particularly in our gateway cities," she said.

View Full Story