Pittsfield ConCom Accepts Donation In Lieu of Riverfront Development Mitigation

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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James Scalise is hoping to turn an empty, but historic, warehouse on Dalton Avenue into retail space. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Check off another box for Freight House Reality LLC.
 
James Scalise of SK Design purchased the former 1929 warehouse located at 999 Dalton Ave. as Freight House Reality with the intent of developing it into retail space. The building near Berkshire Crossings used to be a storage facility for Crane & Co.
 
Since 2012, Scalise has been weaving through the city's permitting process with the most recent being the Conservation Commission. Part of the project includes altering the lands on the riverfront as the company builds out parking, which conflicts with wetlands protection laws.  
 
The geography of the building left Scalise with little room to design mitigation for the affected areas. Instead, the Conservation Commission is allowing him to donate into its Clean Rivers Fund.
 
Conservation Agent Rob Van Der Kar said the fund is under the Conservation Commission's purview and is used for things like cleaning up downed trees, debris, or keeping canoe accesses open. It hasn't been funded in recent years but remains active. 
 
"This is a unique opportunity to put money into that account," Chairman James Conant said. "We'll have some funding at our disposal to tackle these issues."
 
Scalise determined the value of the "development rights" to the riverfront area for a total of $32,124, which will be donated. His method was to determine the difference in land value between having that area being restricted and having it be fully developable. From there, he assigned a percentage to the two parcels based to determine the worth of development rights. For one parcel, he determined the rights are worth $7,124, which was 75 percent of that difference, and for the other he determined it was $25,000, which was 80 percent of that difference.
 
"Because this is on the side of a four-lane highway, the riverfront areas has a diminished value," Scalise said.
 
Van Der Kar said, "the evaluation and the way it was done seems fair" and the Conservation Commission approved accepting the donation in lieu of forcing mitigation work.
 
The geography doesn't allow for much room for riverfront mitigation but also isn't worth much as conservation lands so both Scalise and Conant said the contribution is a win-win situation. 
 
The warehouse at 999 Dalton Ave. is right near the Berkshire Crossing Shopping Center. 
Wednesday's meeting wasn't the first for Scalise on this project. He first announced it late in 2012 saying the building would be renovated, photovoltaic panels installed, and a possible addition of a second floor. From there, Freight House Reality, which lists Ronald Carver as a co-manager, would look for a tenant. 
 
He then received the Community Development Board's approval to change the zoning of that parcel from a residential restriction to allow for commercial use. That plan caused heavy resistance from residents of the Morningview Drive neighborhood, who felt more commercial land in that area will trigger even more congestion.
 
Morningview Drive has become somewhat of a short cut for drivers looking to avoid the busy Coltsville area. Residents asked for traffic calming measures to make the road less enticing for those looking to shave off a few minutes of their commute.
 
Following that, he floated the idea of razing the building and construction a new one to make the project for financially feasible. The building had always been a warehouse and never had potable water, heating or other infrastructure. 
 
But that idea faced heated outrage from those who were concerned about the historical value in the property. Opponents of seeing it razed accused Scalise of changing the zoning under the auspices of redeveloping the building — gaining support from historians — and then switching up the plans. They said the warehouse, which currently only stores items for Soldier On, was part of the area's long history with Crane & Co.
 
The Historical Commission then put a six-month hold on the demolition. 

Tags: community development,   conservation commission,   historical building,   redevelopment,   

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Crosby/Conte Statement of Interest Gets OK From Council

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Architect Carl Franceschi and Superintendent Joseph Curtis address the City Council on Tuesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the approval of all necessary bodies, the school district will submit a statement of interest for a combined build on the site of Crosby Elementary School.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously gave Superintendent Joseph Curtis the green light for the SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by April 12.

"The statement I would make is we should have learned by our mistakes in the past," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

"Twenty years ago, we could have built a wastewater treatment plant a lot cheaper than we could a couple of years ago and we can wait 10 years and get in line to build a new school or we can start now and, hopefully, when we get into that process and be able to do it cheaper then we can do a decade from now."

The proposal rebuilds Conte Community School and Crosby on the West Street site with shared facilities, as both have outdated campuses, insufficient layouts, and need significant repair. A rough timeline shows a feasibility study in 2026 with design and construction ranging from 2027 to 2028.

Following the SOI, the next step would be a feasibility study to determine the specific needs and parameters of the project, costing about $1.5 million and partially covered by the state. There is a potential for 80 percent reimbursement through the MSBA, who will decide on the project by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, city officials took a tour of both schools — some were shocked at the conditions students are learning in.

Silvio O. Conte Community School, built in 1974, is a 69,500 square foot open-concept facility that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s but the quad classroom layout poses educational and security risks.  John C. Crosby Elementary School, built in 1962, is about 69,800 square feet and was built as a junior high school so several aspects had to be adapted for elementary use.

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said the walkthrough was "striking" at points, particularly at Conte, and had her thinking there was no way she would want her child educated there. She recognized that not everyone has the ability to choose where their child goes to school and "we need to do better."

"The two facilities that we are looking at I think are a great place to start," she said.

"As the Ward 6 councilor, this is where my residents and my students are going to school so selfishly yes, I want to see this project happen but looking at how we are educating Pittsfield students, this is going to give us a big bang for our buck and it's going to help improve the educational experience of a vast group of students in our city."

During the tour, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, saw where it could be difficult to pay attention in an open classroom with so much going on and imagined the struggle for students.

Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said, "we cannot afford not to do this" because the city needs schools that people want their children to attend.

"I know that every financial decision we make is tough but we have to figure this out. If the roof on your house were crumbling in, you'd have to figure it out and that's where we're at and we can't afford to wait any longer," she said.

"We can't afford for the sake of the children going to our schools, for the sake of our city that we want to see grow so we have to build a city where people want to go."

Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, who served on the School Building Needs Commission for about 18 years, pointed out that the panel identified a need to address Conte in 2008.

Curtis addressed questions about the fate of Conte if the build were to happen, explaining that it could be kept as an active space for community use, house the Eagle Academy or the Adult Learning Center, or house the central offices.

School attendance zones are a point of discussion for the entire school district and for this project.

"At one time I think we had 36 school buildings and now we have essentially 12 and then it would go down again but in a thoughtful way," Curtis said.

Currently, eight attendance zones designate where a student will go to elementary school. Part of the vision is to collapse those zones into three with hopes of building a plan that incorporates partner schools in each attendance zone.

"I think that going from eight schools to three would be easier to maintain and I think it would make more sense but in order to get there we will have to build these buildings and we will have to spend money," Kavey said, hoping that the city would receive the 80 percent reimbursement it is vying for.

This plan for West Street, which is subject to change, has the potential to house grades pre-kindergarten to first grade in one school and Grades 2 to 4 in another with both having their own identities and administrations. 

The districtwide vision for middle school students is to divide all students into a grade five and six school and a grade seven and eight school to ensure equity.

"The vagueness of what that looks like is worrisome to some folks that I have talked to," Lampiasi said.

Curtis emphasized that these changes would have to be voted on by the School Committee and include public input.

"We've talked about it conceptually just to illustrate a possible grade span allocation," he said. "No decisions have been made at all by the School Committee, even the grade-span proposals."

School Committee Chair William Cameron said it is civic duty of the committee and council to move forward with the SOI.
 
He explained that when seven of the city's schools were renovated in the late 1990s, the community schools were only 25 years old and Crosby was 35 years old.  The commonwealth did not deem them to be sorely in need of renovation or replacement.
 
"Now 25 years later, Crosby is physically decrepit and an eyesore. It houses students ages three to 11 in a facility meant for use by teenagers,"
 
"Conte and Morningside opened in the mid-1970s. They were built as then state-of-the-art schools featuring large elongated rectangles of open instructional space. Over almost half a century, these physical arrangements have proven to be inadequate for teaching core academic skills effectively to students, many of whom need extra services and a distraction-free environment if they are to realize their full academic potential."
 
He said  the proposal addresses a serious problem in the "economically poorest, most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse area" of the city.
 
Cameron added that these facilities have been deemed unsatisfactory and need to be replaced as part of the project to reimagine how the city can best meet the educational needs of its students.  He said it is the local government's job to move this project forward to ensure that children learn in an environment that is conducive to their thriving academically.
 
"The process of meeting this responsibility needs to begin here tonight," he said.
 
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