PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The developers of the proposed Walmart Supercenter at the William Stanley Business Park has put down $20,000 toward the purchase of the land.
The Pittsfield Economic Development Authority extended the letter of intent with Waterstone Retail Development until the end of December, making more time for the two sides to reach a purchase and sales agreement. In good faith, Waterstone has put down a $20,000 non-refundable deposit toward the purchase.
Once the purchase and sales agreement is signed, Waterstone is expected to make another $45,000 down payment.
"Waterstone is showing good faith in attaching some non-refundable funds to that request, which we believe is more than adequate," PEDA Executive Director Corydon Thurston said. "I am convinced they are absolutely committed."
It is a second extension of the letter of intent to purchase the land, giving the company exclusive right to pursue a purchase and lease agreement on the 16.57-acre parcel known as the teens. Thurston believes the "substantial" part of that agreement has been completed but final engineering needed to file with the city's permitting office has not been finalized.
"The substance of this discussion is that all of the engineering has not quite been finished. Although the board has an opportunity to look at the lease purchase agreement, that are pretty much in their substantial final form, they are not complete because of the inability to finalize all of the necessary exhibits and attachments," Thurston said.
The purchase-and-lease agreement is expected to be finalized, with budget numbers, in December. The scope is that Waterstone would lease the land for approximately two years, depending on the timing, to pursue permitting and prepare the site for construction. Waterstone has recently revised its budget estimate on the site work from $12 million up to $14 million to get the parcel ready for construction of a building.
Once the permitting and site work is completed, the company and PEDA would execute a sale of the parcel. PEDA is selling the land for $65,000 per acre, thus a total price of just over $1.07 million.
Then, construction of the new 190,000 square-foot super center would commence, which would be expected to take about a year. The time frame for the center's development is still very unknown, but estimates say the buildings wouldn't be opened until close to 2019.
Thurston said Waterstone's application for permitting to the city is expected in about a month. Once those documents are prepared, the company would execute a purchase-and-sales agreement, putting $65,000 as a down payment. In asking for another extension of the letter of intent, Waterstone put $20,000 of that $65,000 down.
"The parties agree that in consideration of Waterstone's simultaneous payment of $20,000 as a partial payment due under the lease purchase agreement contemplated under the LOI and by reason of the extensive site engineering required in preparation of Waterstone's application to the Department of Community Development and the City Council, the time frame for the lease purchase is hereby further extended through December 30, 2016," Thurston read from the agreement.
The partial deposit is the first concrete move toward the project by Waterstone. The company announced the project and was given the OK to proceed with planning and negotiations with PEDA for it but no money had been on the table. Waterstone's deposit shows a commitment toward moving the project along.
"We've pretty much gone through the heavy lifting," Thurston said of negotiating a purchase and lease agreement.
Waterstone still has to finish the engineering work to fully outline the scope of work, coupled with a project budget, in the six weeks or so to finalize the document.
The store's development has been a hot topic in the city as a debate over the usage of the former General Electric site has varying viewpoints. The parcel is one of the last large industrial sites in the city and many feel the intent of business park should be on finding manufacturing, and not big box stores.
However, city officials have found little interest in developing the site and it has sat vacant for years.
The plan would be for Walmart to close its store at Berkshire Crossing and then open the new supercenter at the intersection of Woodlawn Avenue and Tyler Street. Overall the project is estimated in the $30 million range.
The City Council opted against asking Waterstone Realty for an independent economic impact study on the proposed Walmart Supercenter at this time. The council voted 6-4 against Downtown Pittsfield Inc.'s request to have the developer pay for an independent consultant to analyze the economic the project to build a 190,000 square-foot store at the William Stanley Business Park. However, some councilors said they'd like a study done, once a proposal is made and the once the scope of the study is
If Anton Melchionda, principal with Waterstone Retail, had a manufacturer looking to move to the teens complex of the William Stanley Business Park, he'd build the building. But, he challenged anyone and City Councilor Melissa Mazzeo to find it.
These three open houses follow an event in May focused specifically on the Waterstone Development proposal to site a 190,000 Walmart Supercenter on a challenged lot in the small urban business park near Tyler Street. Another public presentation will be held by Waterstone on Monday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. at Morningside School.
The Pittsfield Economic Development Authority extended the timeframe to reach a land lease agreement with Waterstone Realty for the development of a Walmart Supercenter. On Tuesday, PEDA approved the extension to the letter of intent. Executive Director Corydon Thurston said the original 60-day window was "too aggressive" and hopes to have an agreement before the board by the next meeting.
The City Council wants a chance to ask the proponents of a new Walmart at the William Stanley Business Park some questions. However, the council needs another organization to host a discussion to avoid legal conflicts. So, the council agreed to ask the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority to host one with the developer Waterstone Realty in the City Council chambers.
Joe Castoldi has run his barber shop for years on Tyler Street, just a block away from where the proposed Walmart Supercenter is eyed to be built. The supercenters often have a salon inside the building so one would think Castoldi would be worried about competition - especially competition from such a large corporation. But he's not.
For the last 10 years Evan Hickok has formed good relationships with many of his co-workers at General Dynamics. They are recruited from out of town, come to work as engineers, and the staff at the Pittsfield facility grows a friendship. And then the young professionals leave for what they see are greener pastures. They leave for the city life of Boston or New York envisioning a thriving social scene and nightlife.
The ultimate say over the project may come before the City Council, which will be asked to approve a special permit because of the size of the store. So far, the majority of the City Council says they are keeping an open mind about the project and waiting for additional answers.
Walmart's Director of Public Affairs & State and Local Government Relations Chris Buchanan says, "holding out hope for industrial development of the site does a disservice to the residents of Pittsfield." He said the cost to remediate the land, fix the stormwater runoff, and road work adds up to $12 million, a cost few companies would bear when there are other properties for development at a lower cost.
In an interview on Wednesday, Bloomberg argued that despite increased jobs and tax revenue, the city's long-term economic picture is hindered by such a development. He would rather the city took a more aggressive approach at bringing in light manufacturing and other higher-paying jobs to the site.
As the proposed Walmart Supercenter debate begins to unfold, the developer's claims of increased tax revenue reflect what happened in North Adams. In 2013, the company closed the store it had been occupying for since 1993 and moved down the road to a former gravel bed. The gravel bed had been assessed at $1,613,800 and the redevelopment upped the value to $10,694,900, according to Ross Vivori, chairman of the North Adams Board of Assessors.
Finally. The Woodlawn Avenue Bridge is finally opened after being closed for a decade. City, state and Pittsfield Economic Development Agency officials commemorated the re-opening of the north to south connection between the Morningside Neighborhood and East Street. The bridge used to be own by General Electric and was closed in 2006 and was demolished in 2012.
Part of the selling point for the new Walmart at the William Stanley Business Park is that it will ease an environmental burden on PEDA coming down the road. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new draft permit for the Pittsfield Economic Development Agency's ability to drain stormwater into Silver Lake.
Wal Mart is looking to move to the William Stanley Business Park. The Pittsfield Economic Development Agency granted Waterstone Retail a letter of intent, giving the company and exclusive right to pursue development of a 16.5 acre parcel known as "the teens," where General Electric buildings once stood.
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.
On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.
The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.
"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.
Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."
"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.
Downtown Pittsfield Inc. proposed angled parking on North Street and was pleasantly surprised that the city responded with an in-depth study and new plans — even if they don't include angled parking.
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Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
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Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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