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The Pittsfield Economic Development Authority has more than half the funding it needs to redevelop the 16-acre Site 9 in the William Stanley Business Park.

Former GE Site Garners Over $6M for Redevelopment

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The William Stanley Business Park is closer to fulfilling the $10 million needed to redevelop its biggest parcel, Site 9. 

"It took a while to get up to $10.8 million but I think we are very close," Business Development Manager Michael Coakley told the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority on Thursday.

 

"We have currently solidified $6.3 million." 

 

This includes $3 million from the MassWorks infrastructure program, $880,000 in Site Readiness Program funding from the state's Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, $264,000 from the state Brownfields Program and, most recently, a $500,000 earmark from a state economic development bill that was passed in November. 

 

The 16-acre parcel previously housed a General Electric factory and is the largest and most prominent section of the business park. Mayor Linda Tyer has said it resembles the "surface of the moon" because of deterioration over the past 20 years. 

 

During the meeting, PEDA authorized using the balance of its GE landscaping fund — about $1.3 million — for the landscaping portion of the redevelopment plan and expending $400,000 from its foundation fund for the site. 

 

This leaves a balance of about $4.5 million in grants. 

 

As a part of the recent economic development bill, the Berkshire Innovation Center located within the business park received $150,000 for the Tech Impact Collaborative's digital economy initiatives

 

Coakley pointed out that Site 9 is the largest project within the business park and it took a lot of work to get the funding, though the efforts are not over. 

 

He reported that a warehouse/distribution firm has been asking for several documents on the large site. 

 

The company could bring 100 jobs to the area and is looking for possibly a 70,000-square-foot building. 

 

It was said a commitment to the parcel could be helpful to move along with its redevelopment. 

 

Coakley has been in contact with a possible tenant for Site 5 for a couple of years. The company is looking into the feasibility of building a 30,000-square-foot building with another 20,000 square feet on another level to lease. 

 

A pre-fab building components manager based out of Europe, an industrial digital manufacturer, energy storage companies, and a production company have also shown interest in the park. 

 

"There’s a number of kind of irons in the fire," Coakley said. "Some are hotter than others." 


Tags: business park,   PEDA,   

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Another Holmes Road Bridge in Pittsfield Down to One Lane

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

The location of the bridge on Holmes Road. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Another bridge on Holmes Road will be reduced to one lane indefinitely beginning next month and closed for the rest of the week. 

It's the third bridge so far in the Berkshires that's been downgraded in the past month: The Briggsville bridge in Clarksburg is set to be replaced by a temporary bridge and the Park Street bridge in Adams has had weight restrictions placed on it.

On Tuesday, Pittsfield announced that the bridge over the Housatonic River, located between Cooper Parkway and Pomeroy Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic from Monday, March 2, until further notice.

"Due to a recent inspection by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation," a press release stated, it will be closed in both directions from Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 25) to Sunday, March 1, so that barriers and a signal can be installed. 

Two years ago, a bridge farther down the road over the rail line reopened after a partial closure since 2019 and a full closure of more than 60 days. 

The bridge over the Housatonic is identified as being structurally deficient by the state based on an inspection last October. Built in 1962, the 35-foot steel-and-concrete span has an overall condition of 4, or poor. 

Pittsfield has identified a temporary detour during this work, using Pomeroy Avenue, Marshall Avenue and Cooper Parkway.

On March 2, two-way traffic will be restored in one lane and directed with a temporary signal. 

Pittsfield reported that the state has selected this bridge for repair as part of the Funding for Accelerated Infrastructure Repair program and will take responsibility for design and repair "in an accelerated way." Gov. Maura Healey announced the program last month using funds from the Fair Share Act, and is part of the governor's $8 billion transportation plan.  

iBerkshires has reached out to MassDOT for more information on this project. 

Residents and officials celebrated the reopening of the bridge over the railroad in August 2023. It had been reduced to one lane since 2019 after being found structurally insufficient and in need of a $3.5 million replacement of the overpass structure. This included a new superstructure over the Housatonic Rail line, a restored sidewalk, improved bicycle access, pavement, and traffic barriers.

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