AMHERST — As Hampshire College prepares to sell its roughly 800-acre campus, town officials are partnering with MassDevelopment to help shape future development and ensure any redevelopment aligns with community priorities.
Before entering into executive session last Monday to strategize over the possible purchase of Hampshire College property, the Town Council issued a statement, sponsored by four councilors, in support of having revenue-generating ideas for the campus. Hampshire College officials announced in mid-April plans to shut down at the end of the calendar year, though financial complications may force the college to shutter earlier than that.
At-Large Councilor Andy Churchill said the statement signals the town’s key priorities to public bidders. These priorities include buildable land for housing, small business development, habitat protection and the preservation of farming. Some of the property could also be considered for town needs.
“It seems appropriate to have this deliberate process and during our discussion these priorities have emerged fairly generally across the council,” Churchill said.
Town Council also authorized Town Manager Paul Bockelman to work with MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, on a professional analysis.
“The work with the town’s staff will lead to a full community discussion with the town’s boards and elected leaders to plan and guide future development that will align with the town’s overall goals,” Bockelman said in a statement. “We especially appreciate the speed with which MassDevelopment has responded to our needs.”
The planning process will start this month, seeking to create a vision for the developable portions of the campus to bring in property taxes and a variety of housing.
MassDevelopment will provide technical assistance and expertise on the environment, land use and economic development, with services coming from the Horsley Witten Group, Dodson & Flinker and U3 Advisors.
Bockelman said the partnership with MassDevelopment means the town doesn’t have to go through a procurement process for those services, which would likely cause delays.
The value of the multiple engagement services are about $75,000, Bockelman said.
“The loss of a major institution like Hampshire College creates challenges for the local economy, as well as opportunities,” said Sandi Silk, MassDevelopment’s executive vice president of real estate. “MassDevelopment’s real estate staff will enlist a team of consultants in a community-driven planning effort, equipping the town to engage prospective buyers and guide a future for the campus centered on economic growth and expanded housing options.”
Claire O’Neill, MassDevelopment’s senior vice president for real estate planning, told councilors that the agency values opportunities to collaborate and will work with the town step by step. The agency will also have various financing tools available.
Amherst Director of Planning and Economic Development Jeff Bagg said the hope is to create a balance between habitat protection and development, with infrastructure like roads, water and sewer already existing or that can be easily extended, allowing for creation of a zoning plan where implementation is done in phases.
Bagg anticipates that a public meeting will take place in July during the first phase of this analysis, with the work extending from August to the end of the calendar year, when a zoning proposal would be brought forward.
Bockelman said the town’s voice, no matter what happens with any transactions the college might initiate, will mostly be through zoning.
State Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, and Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, issued a joint statement in support of the work MassDevelopment will do.
“We know our constituents, advocates and town officials have many ideas for the property, and we’re confident that such an assessment process, given the technical assistance from the state and the engagement of the community, will help explore proposals and produce recommendations that meet community needs and align with community values,” they said.
A project website will be created in the coming weeks to provide updated information about the Hampshire College planning process; collect questions, comments or ideas; and share updates from the town.
Hampshire College announced about two weeks ago that it had initiated the sale of its campus land and its assets, working with Region Commercial of West Springfield to manage the sale. In addition to roughly 800 acres, the campus includes 805,917 square feet inside 24 academic, residential, administrative and recreational buildings.
Three proposals have been made public by those making them, one from a group calling itself Hampshire Next, another from a Maryland-based philosopher, and the third for the open space coming from The Trustees of Reservations and Kestrel Land Trust.
