Debra Turnbull, assistant to the town manager, and Allen Caldwell, project superintendent for NEI General Contracting hold the final building permits issued Friday for Cable Mills.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Cable Mills redevelopment on Water Street took another step forward on Friday when the town issued the final building permits for the development of 61 housing units in the historic mill building.
The project superintendent from NEI General Contracting picked up the paper work on Friday morning.
The contractor started work on the project earlier this fall, utilizing partial permits issued by the town's Building Department.
"The partial building permit allowed them to get a jump start," Town Manager Peter Fohlin said on Friday. "They started with demolition, which they have to do."
Fohlin said he was not aware of work that was being delayed in anticipation of the final permits.
"This was a well-coordinated effort between the architects, the contractor and the building department," he said.
Developer Mitchell Properties of Boston has told the town the project is on track for a December, 2015 opening.
When it is completed, Phase 1 of the Cable Mills property project will include 13 income-sensitive units among the 61.
That affordable housing dimension of the project, along the historic preservation and the creation of a river walk along the adjacent Green River, led to the town supporting the project to the tune of $1.5 million in Community Preservation Act funds.
Mitchell Properties estimates the total project cost at $27 million.
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Williamstown Charter Review Panel OKs Fix to Address 'Separation of Powers' Concern
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter.
The committee accepted language designed to meet concerns raised by the Planning Board about separation of powers under the charter.
The committee's original compliance language — Article 32 on the annual town meeting warrant — would have made the Select Board responsible for determining a remedy if any other town board or committee violated the charter.
The Planning Board objected to that notion, pointing out that it would give one elected body in town some authority over another.
On Wednesday, Charter Review Committee co-Chairs Andrew Hogeland and Jeffrey Johnson, both members of the Select Board, brought their colleagues amended language that, in essence, gives authority to enforce charter compliance by a board to its appointing authority.
For example, the Select Board would have authority to determine a remedy if, say, the Community Preservation Committee somehow violated the charter. And the voters, who elect the Planning Board, would have ultimate say if that body violates the charter.
In reality, the charter says very little about what town boards and committees — other than the Select Board — can or cannot do, and the powers of bodies like the Planning Board are regulated by state law.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
click for more
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
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Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more