Future Building Use Task Force Chair Paul Dunkerley and member Earl Godrey met with the Longmeadow Select Board on Aug. 17.
Photo credit: LongmeadowTV
LONGMEADOW — The Longmeadow Select Board received a preliminary recommendation from the town’s Future Building Use Task Force on Old Town Hall, requesting the distribution of a “request for future use without restrictions” for the building’s development.
The task force is collecting data to make recommendations to the Select Board on the future uses of the Community House, Town Hall and Old Town Hall.
Select Board approval allows the town to move forward with asking private developers, businesses or buyers for proposals regarding the building’s future without zoning restrictions or proposal rules.
The Select Board met with Task Force Chair Paul Dunkerley and member Earl Godfrey at its meeting on Aug. 17 to discuss the recommendation.
“While the task force remains hard at work gathering data on all three buildings, we are confident that we have sufficient information to make this preliminary recommendation,” Dunkerley said. “We anticipate that the responses received to this request for future use without restrictions will provide additional data for the task force to consider as the final recommendations are developed.”
The task force justified the recommendation in an Aug. 17 memorandum to the Select Board based on the building being vacant for over two years and department heads indicating the building’s use will not help address any unmet needs.
June and July surveys also showed that residents were open to the town not owning the building or it being under private ownership if renovation costs were too high, with potential uses as a cafe or restaurant.
Fuss & O’Neill concluded that the building will cost $800,000 solely to be made ADA-compliant, not including additional expenses for structural analysis and engineering.
The DPW predicted from past experience and requirements that the building’s renovation costs will be “significantly higher than the Fuss & O’Neill estimate,” and private ownership could generate property taxes and new business and employment opportunities, according to the memorandum.
Dunkerley said that the task force is tracking efforts by other municipalities to use as data, many of which are years-long projects driven by nonprofits or the arts.
He said, “to that end, we respectfully request that the Select Board act on this recommendation quickly in support of our efforts to provide appropriate recommendations in the time frame allotted.”
Select Board Chair Dan Zwirko asked if there is a timeline on the next steps to get to “shovels in the ground.”
“We’re a ways away from making a recommendation to what we think should be done with these buildings,” Dunkerley said. “Where we are at is that, we’re looking at data from our residents and also informing them at the same time, and again, I would direct people to go back to our website and they can see not only the reports that you all made available to us but other data that we’ve been able to gather as well, including tours of the three facilities.”
Select Board member Vineeth Hemavathi said this approach is smart and will be good to see options, and asked if there was a reason it wouldn’t be done for the other two properties.
Dunkerley said Old Town Hall has fewer restrictions because it is outside of the historic district and that the other two properties are “unique.”
“They are both on the same plot,” Dunkerley said. “Any separation of those two is going to require the Zoning Board to become involved and may, and will likely, require town vote. Then, of course, we also have the issues of zoning and use, coupling that with the fact that Community House is still used extensively by [Parks & Recreation] … we still have more data to gather.”
The task force’s plan is to gather data for about six more weeks and then construct a follow up survey for resident wishes for the buildings now that possibilities have been shown, while also reaching out to abutters and inviting them to forums to hear their concerns.
The Select Board discussed plans to put the recommendations vote on the agenda for its next meeting on Sept. 8.
Residents can visit the task force’s website for more information at longmeadowma.gov/FutureBuildings.
