Williams, Clark will contribute toward cost of town master plan

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Two important Williamstown institutions — Williams College and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute — have agreed to contribute toward the cost of a master plan for the town. And this past winter, the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation had offered to contribute $5,000 to fund an open space and recreation plan, which is a component of the master plan. Rural Lands funded the town’s previous open space plan. Estimates of the cost of a master plan, mostly the cost of hiring a consultant, are about $60,000. The Finance Committee has allowed $30,000 in the budget for the town’s share of the plan. A recently-completed build-out study, still in draft form, shows a dearth of commercially-zoned land for businesses to increase the town’s tax base, confirming what town observers already knew. But the study, conducted by interns in the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s planning department, will be a valuable tool for a proposed master plan, according to Director of Inspection Services Michael Card. “This is going to be a piece of information to use for the master plan,” said Card. “It’s a planning tool that helps planners understand where growth could occur.” “This is a piece, the open space plan is a piece, the census is a piece,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll get a master plan, with a lot of community input so everyone has a say on where the town is going and where they’d like to see it go.” “We will have some idea what will happen if we choose one path versus another, so we can go into it with our eyes open.” “There’s a real scarcity of commercially-zoned property,” said Card. The study’s meaning for planning, he said, is that “it gives you a snapshot in time of what can potentially be built out in town given absolute constraints, such as lot sizes determined by zoning,” said Card. “It points up that we’re essentially built out. There’s virtually no place to go.” New limited industrial construction would have to locate at the Moore property, off Simonds Road, he said. And although the study shows land along the railroad tracks as available for limited industrial development, Card said development is essentially blocked by the Hoosic River and the presence of a former landfill. Planning Board Chairman Richard DeMayo said the Planning Board is set to begin its review of the draft study. The study, DeMayo said, “shows there’s really not much for businesses or limited industrial.” The board, in addition to its review and correction of some of the study’s points, will examine “how we want to describe limited industrial, so it won’t be so exclusive.” The study, he said, will be “a tool for whoever we hire to use for the master plan.” “The market is going to dictate a lot of what happens,” said DeMayo. “But we need to decide what’s going to happen in this town.” “We have to look at what land is still accessible,” said DeMayo. “We are basically a valley with streams flowing in it, and we don’t want to hurt the recharge areas for the aquifers.” Noting that at least two possible developers have looked at the Photech building with a view to converting it to housing, DeMayo said that would subtract another possible business site. But if money can be found to help with the environmental cleanup — the building contains asbestos, and a leaky roof has allowed deterioration — the property could return to the tax rolls, he said. Said Card, “redevelopment would be a whole other analysis.” Rezoning the General Cable building on Water Street to village business, he said, nearly doubles the space available. “That’s a very significant amount,” said Card. “There’s as much space in the mill as on all of Spring Street.” Although the draft study, conducted by UMass interns Jason Bachand, John Jannell and Rachel Sinclair, shows 1,152 buildable lots zoned Rural Residence 2, and 2,501 in General Residence 2, those numbers are based on what is possible according to zoning lot minimums. And trends are toward much bigger properties. Said Card, “develop on a 10,000-square foot lot in GR 2 or a two-and-a-half-acre lot in RR2 are unlikely. “If recent development is an indication, nothing is minimum,” he said. “Small size houses are a thing of the past,” he said. The average house built now, he said, is a “four-bedroom move-up house, a minimum of 2,000-3,000 square feet with a two-car garage.” “There are two types of construction, manufactured housing for low- and moderate-end housing, and stick building for high-end. Nobody’s stick building modest houses.” Most housing construction in the recent past has been on fill-in lots, on land off, say, Stratton Road, to be connected to town services. But the largest developments have been on rural properties. Giant houses, termed by some sardonic observers McMansions, have sprung up on country hillsides. Houses carrying million-dollar price tags, sometimes million-dollar-plus, are rising off Stone Hill Road, Adams Road, Oblong Road, as prominent as Norman castles looming over the English countryside. Card, asked if high technology or e-commerce businesses might be allowed in zones where older sorts of business operations might have been unwelcome, said that shift has, to an extent, already been happening. “There are a fair number of e-commerce home occupations that the Zoning Board of Appeals has approved, and there’ll probably be more of that. “Probably through the master plan, zoning may be changed to allow those businesses,” said Card. “Zoning is about impacts. If something is not detrimental to health, safety and neighbors, that could be quite different,” he said. “The biggest impact of e-commerce companies is the traveling to and from the building,” he said. “How much of a problem is that?” “It’s a use which is fairly low impact, and the taxes are a net plus. They bring in more in tax revenue than they cost in services rendered,” said Card. “There are definitely locations for e-commerce rather than industrial or commercial zones. There may be nonconforming uses that accomplish that.” Card cited the operation of Broude Bros music company in the old Broad Brook School building on White Oaks Road. “You don’t even know they’re there,” said Card. “They pay their taxes and the neighbors are not affected.” Williams College Vice-President for Administration Helen Ouellette confirmed the college’s willingness to help with the master plan. “We have not discussed a dollar figure,” said Ouellette. “It’s far more important for the college to be involved in more meaningful ways.” “We want to be a real active player in that plan,” said Ouellette. “We want to play a much bigger role. [The college and the town] occupy the same space. We have our own planning process ongoing and we want to coordinate that with the town. “Staying the way we are is not an option,” said Ouellette. “The college is going to change, and we need to know how we can best do that in terms of everybody’s vision.” “I look at the money as the smallest part of how we would be involved in this.” “Our eagerness presupposes this will not be just another zoning plan, not just another land use plan,” said Ouellette. “It’s got to be a whole lot bigger than that.” “As a town we have to think about [whether] we want to bring in [e-business] companies, and if we do, how to make community open to them, with not only operating space but housing,” said Ouellette. “I think there’s a lot of industry pretty broadly defined that would fit very well here and not negatively affect the way we see the town.” A ClarkArt Institute spokesman said the Clark’s agreement to contribute “relates to the Clark’s goals and town goals — our goals of promoting cultural tourism here in the region and wanting to be part of a comprehensive and thorough growth program to maximize that potential.”
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Friday Front Porch Feature: A Charming House Like New

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The home prior to renovations.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Are you looking for a newly renovated home with great space? Then this might be the perfect fit for you!

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Autumn Drive.

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom split level was built in 1965 and is 1,396 square feet on 0.32 acres.

The house was completely renovated recently. It includes a one-car garage, and comes with appliances including a dishwasher and stove/oven, and other major appliances.

The house is listed for $359,500.

We spoke with owners Michael Zeppieri and Chris Andrews, who did the renovations. Zeppieri is an agent with Alton and Westall Real Estate Agency.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

Zeppieri: I purchased this home to do a full renovation flip and saw tremendous potential in this mid-century split level home that had not been updated since it was built in the 1960s, in a great North Adams neighborhood.

 

Andrews: The house was a much different house when we first purchased it in 2022 (photo attached is from about 2010.)  The interior was painted all in dark colors and we brightened it up with neutral colors. The transformation makes you feel like you are in a totally different house.  

 

 

What were the recent renovations, any standout design features?

 

Zeppieri: The house has had a complete reconfiguration including new kitchen with high-end appliances, ceramic tiled baths, hardwood floors, new windows and roof ... just to name a few.  All a buyer has to do is move in and enjoy.

 

Andrews: Yes, we renovated the entire house.  New windows, new roof, all new custom black gutter system, new blacktop driveway, hardwood floors were installed through out the house. New kitchen and bathrooms as well as painting the exterior and interior of the house.  New paver patio in the back yard.

 

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for?

 

Zeppieri: The buyer for this home could be a first-time homebuyer or a retiree ... the location is close to attractions in North Adams ... and the property is located in Autumn Heights, which is a very small residential development with several long-term owners.

 

Andrews: This home is truly ideal for a variety of buyers. Whether a first-time homebuyer, a small family or even someone looking to downsize from a larger home.

 

 

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

 

Zeppieri: The location, price and move-in condition of this home make it a true market leader in the North Adams Market.

 

Andrews: This house is completely renovated and in a desirable location of North Adams. The natural light in the home really makes the interior pop. And with all the upgrades the home stays quite cool in the summer months.

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history?

Zeppieri: This home was built for the Gould family in 1969 and they lived there till 2010. It was always a family home during that time in which the Goulds had two children ... and Virgina Gould managed Mohawk Forest Apartments and was a very active resident of North Adams.

 

Andrews: Built in about 1965.

 

What do the current owners love about this home?

 

Zeppieri: As the current owner it was a fun project to transform this home and get it ready for its next adventure with a new family to enjoy for many years.

 

Andrews: No one has lived in the house since we purchased the home. The new owners would be the first to live in the house since the renovations have been completed.

 

 

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

 

Andrews: I would suggest seeing the house either on a sunny day or at twilight to really get a vision of how special the home feels.  

 

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

 

 

 

 

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