By KENNEDY GRIFFIN
(Greenfield, MA) At it’s third appearance at Greenfield City Council, the French King Rezoning proposal has passed, thus expanding Greenfield’s industrial space, making room for manufacturing and other industrial works. The original proposal to rezone the entire 48 acre property to Planned Industry was defeated and so a compromise was struck wherein 7 acres would remain General Commercial, allowing for retail and housing options, and the other 41 acres will be rezoned to Planned Industry.
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(05/05/2023) A joint public hearing with the Greenfield Planning Board and Economic Development Committee will be held on Tuesday, May 9th at 6 p.m. to discuss the rezoning proposal for the French King Highway. The revised proposal includes rezoning 41 acres on the French King Highway from General Commercial to Planned Industry. This proposal allows for some of the property, about 7 acres, to remain General Commercial which would allow for retail and housing options.
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(12/22/2022) At Wednesday’s Greenfield City Council meeting, the councilors voted down the motion to rezone 48 acres on the French King Highway from General Commercial to Planned Industry. The 11 parcels of land will remain General Commercial.
The proposal had been brought to the Planning Board by Mayor Wedegartner and was then discussed by the Economic Development Committee (EDC). The recommendation coming out of the December 13th meeting of the EDC was split 2-2 with one abstention.
The rezoning was discussed at length by Councilors who had varying concerns about the proposal. Councilor Virginia DeSorgher said it was a “drastic choice” to limit the property to Planned Industry as it would eliminate possibilities such as housing and retail.
Mayor Wedegartner said “what we really need are good paying jobs here in Greenfield” and that there are other potential locations for retail and housing. Valley Steel Stamp’s (VSS) President Steven Capshaw is interested in obtaining more property to expand and bring in more living-wage jobs.
City Council Vice President Dan Guin asked why rezone the property if the interested party could obtain a special permit for the space. The Mayor’s response centered around looking to the future and opening up the doors for more industry to move into Greenfield as VSS would only require a portion of the property for their expansion.
Another point that was brought up at City Council and previous meetings was the possibility of using other land to expand the Industrial Park. However, one potential property is under the Massachusett’s Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) and the Mayor said she spoke with legislators who told her it would be difficult to get out of the APR. Another property around 200 acres in size is owned by the Mackin Construction Company and would cost around $9 million to prepare the land for development.
Councilor Christine Forgey reflected on the discussion and the many stakeholders involved and said the proposal “needs a do-over,” hoping that if it went back to the Planning Board that all of the stakeholders could express what the needs are in Greenfield. In the end, the rezoning was voted down, and while it cannot return in its exact form for two years, if could come up again as a different proposal.
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In August, Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner asked the planning board to consider an expansion of the Interstate 91 Industrial Park along French King Highway, or Route 2A.
“We are running out of land in the industrial park,” said Mayor Wedegartner. “It’s my hope that rezoning these parcels will serve as a catalyst for job creation and economic development.”
Tuesday night, the Economic Development Committee met to continue discussion with public comment on the proposed rezoning 11 parcels of land from General Commercial to Planned Industrial.
City councilors and residents expressed concerns about rezoning the property for industrial use when Greenfield has a need for retail and housing opportunities.
Stephanie Duclos, a Greenfield resident, voiced her support of mixed use for the property, that Greenfield “wouldn’t want to limit” the area to industrial purposes.
At the same time, there was support for growing Franklin County’s industrial park and the well-paying jobs it would bring to the city as manufacturers have expressed desire to expand in this area.
Mayor Wedegartner expressed her belief that rezoning for Planned Industrial is the “highest and best use of the property.”
Valley Steel Stamp is one manufacturer that could benefit from the rezoning. They have expanded their facility in 2008, 2012, and 2018, but have reached the limits of the property. If this land were rezoned, VSS could expand and bring in around 400 new jobs. The potential job creation prompted further discus
The rezoning amendment will need to be voted on by the full City Council.