The older Cumberland Farms at First and Adams streets will be replaced by a new 4,700 square-foot building. The regional chain began updgrading its 600 locations in 2009.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Cumberland Farms was approved to replace its outdated First Street facility with a new structure and double the number of pumps.
The Community Development Board on Thursday night unanimously approved the site plan for the 4,700 square-foot convenience store and a parking waiver that reduces the number of required parking spots.
Cumberland Farms is scheduled to go before the City Council on Nov. 24 for a special permit to operate an automobile service station. The Zoning Board of Adjustment on Sept. 30 approved a variance to allow two curb cuts wider than the standard 25 feet.
The project will encompass two lots, one at 154 First St. and the second at 12 Adams St. There are currently two structures on the 26,000 square foot parcel, a 8,797 square foot retail building on the Adams lot and a 1,900 square foot Cumberland Farms and two pumps on the First Street lot.
"Under the proposed plan, all of the existing structures, both at grade and subsurface features, are proposed to be demolished and rebuilt," said Luke DiStefano, a senior project manager with Bohler Engineering of Albany, N.Y. "Specifically what Cumberland Farms is looking to do is to construct a 4,738 square foot Cumberland convenience store on the eastern portion of the property, or the rear portion of the site."
It will also include two 20,000-gallon, underground fiberglass tanks, a canopy and four pumps that can accommodate eight vehicles, double what the current store has.
DiStefano said the property now is nearly 100 percent paved over, with maybe 3 percent of "packed dirt."
"Cumberland Farm is proposing a significant landscaping to the property," he said, with about 15 percent of the parcel in grass, shrubs and trees "designed to enhance the property."
The project also includes underground utilities and a new storm-water management and treatment system that will "raise the quality" of the runoff entering the city's wastewater system.
Attorney F. Sydney Smithers of Cain Hibbard & Myers, representing Cumberland Farms, said the second matter before the board was the waiver for parking.
The city's regulations would normally require 32 spaces for the size building, 30 for customers and two for employees.
Smithers said the new configuration would be 11 for the front of the store and eight at the pumps, with the acknowledgement that many people will pump their gas and then run into the store. There are currently 13 parking spots, including the four spots at the pumps.
"People don't tarry at a Cumberland Farms ... they go in, get their quart of milk, their gas and leave," he said, adding the company has similar configurations at other facilities and finds it works.
There was no opposition to the plan, however, a letter was read from an abuttor on Adams Street who was concerned over traffic, lighting, litter and loitering. Concerns over littering had also been raised at City Council in October.
Smithers noted that Cumberland Farms had submitted a maintenance plan with the site review to address any litter and refuse issues. In response to lighting, he said it was preferable to keep them on to prevent "bad actions," however, there is the potential of dimming them.
"It is not an attractive facility and the new one promises to be modern, cleaner and more attractive," he said.
Board member Louis Costi agreed: "I think it's going to be a great improvement to the neighborhood."
The board also approved a parking waiver for Guido's Quality Fruit & Produce at 1020 South St. The market is adding 3,735 square feet and moving the loading dock; 1,592 square feet of the addition will be retail and the rest offices and warehousing.
Attorney Vicki S. Donahue, also of Cain Hibbard & Myers, representing Guido's, said the store currently has 57 parking spots in the front of the building and access to 41 more in the rear through two permanent easements.
Going by the city's parking requirements, the structure at 22,487 square feet would have to have 177 spots, a number that the grocers did not believe necessary.
The board agreed, approving the waiver unanimously.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Pittsfield 2024 Business Wrap-Up: New Life and Closures
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Mayor Peter Marchetti gets ice cream cones from the reopened King Cone on Fenn Street.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In 2024, the city's business landscape saw some shakeups, with restaurant openings and closures and some new ventures.
King Kone, a soft-serve staple, was purchased by the nonprofit Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds to be run as a workers' co-op. At the end of the 2023 season, the Barbarotta family closed the shop's order and pickup windows for the last time as they prepared to sell.
The ice cream shop had a soft opening in August, offering frozen treats on a "pay what you will" basis while employees perfected the craft.
In 2023, Roots and Dreams was allocated $179,000 to purchase the soft-serve ice cream shop at 133 Fenn St. and convert it into a worker cooperative. It owns a series of storefronts ranging from 117 to 129 Fenn St.
This model provides workers with a flat wage, revenue shares, and the opportunity to buy into the business.
There were moving trucks outside the location instead of preparations for the lunch rush. It was first reported by PCTV on its Facebook page and a call to the restaurant was answered by an employee who said the eatery had no plans to reopen.
The former Crossroads Cafe saw new life in 2024 as Bei Tempi, which is Italian for "good times." Owners Elizabeth and Richard Zucco wanted to bring back food while preserving the establishment's long-held popularity for live music.
In 2023, the Licensing Board approved a change of stock interest for Crossroads Cafe and an application from Zuke's Soups and Variety LLC, doing business as Bei Tempi, for the transfer of license, pledge of inventory, and pledge of license from C.T. Colvin Inc. doing business as Crossroads Cafe.
Bei Tempi was granted an entertainment license in June.
North Street saw a new breakfast and lunch spot when Marie's North Street Eatery and Gallery opened in the former Maria's European Delights.
Maria's European Delights closed at the end of 2022 after 15 years in business. Maria Sekowski's late husband Krzysztof "Kris" opened the store in Great Barrington in 2007, and, in 2013, it was moved to Pittsfield. The Eastern European deli was known for the smell of homemade soup, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa, and impromptu musical numbers.
New owner Neil Davis, a veteran entrepreneur, has kept an office in the historic Shipton building for about 10 years and Marie was a formal administrative assistant before they went into business together. He also owns a shredding business in California and has other startup ventures.
When Maria's closed, he saw an opportunity in the space and a way to connect with the community and purchased the business in February of 2023.
The space had been formerly occupied by Berkshire Palate, a farm-to-table eatery, which opened its second location in the Hotel on North in 2021. Around the same time, its owners opened 413 Bistro in the previously shuttered restaurant attached to the Holiday Inn on Main Street in North Adams.
Unfortunately, not all city eateries made it to 2025.
Attorney Bill Martin said there is a "really bad relationship" with the holder of The A's liquor license — with owners struggling to even get in contact. A few years ago, the former tenants went out of business and now, he said the GEAA is facing a worse situation with the latest tenants.
He said there are unpaid vendors, amounting to "tens of thousands of dollars worth of obligations that we're probably going to have to clear in connection with an application" for a liquor license transfer.
According to The A's Facebook, the restaurant appears to have been closed since late summer.
Pittsfield also saw a new plant shop and liquor store/Latin market.
Owners Emilee Yawn and Bonnie Marks opened the original location on historic Eagle Street in North Adams in 2020. Within two years, the shop outgrew the Eagle Street storefront and moved to a larger location on Main Street.
They offer classes and workshops, residential and commercial plant care, and sell various plants and related merchandise. They also offer personal and cleaning products that are green, sustainable, and refillable.
It features authentic Latin food from several countries, including Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.?
The owner Frank Goncalves would drive by the building every day and see the rough condition it was in. He made it into an opportunity to make the area look better and more welcoming.
Prior to the opening of the market, the Hispanic, South American, and Central American communities had to drive an hour or longer to get authentic Latin food, Goncalves said.
Independent Connections officially unveiled its Massachusetts branch on Fenn Street in March with a ribbon cutting. The IT solutions company's specializations include consulting, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
"We're focused on serving local businesses with state-of-the-art technology while providing superior customer service," CEO Christa Proper said. "And Indy's presence in Pittsfield will help keep jobs here, and continue to attract talent to this area."
The building, formerly occupied by Alliance Appliance for more than 40 years, underwent a makeover after it was purchased by the company last year. Proper explained that it was an "employee collaboration," with staff members assisting in ripping out carpet, cutting bushes, cleaning windows, and painting.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren meets with local entrepreneurs Destiny Saunders, Jocelyn Guelce, Desean Scales and Ludwig Jean-Louis, who all received support through the Berkshire Black Economic Council.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in the city in July to talk small business opportunities and met with four local entrepreneurs who have received assistance, advice and promotion through the council's programs.
The Berkshire Black Economic Council's work to support and attract new small businesses to the gateway city got boost with $455,000 secured by Warren in 2023's appropriations package.
"I'm here to celebrate partnership because I really do believe that we have the pieces right, every part of it then starts to work better," Warren said. "And of course, I'm also here to celebrate being able to put nearly half a million dollars into funding this effort, and the work that is being done here to make sure that small businesses, that Black-owned small businesses, are not at a competitive disadvantage."
Jonathan Butler was recognized for a decade of leadership at 1Berkshire's annual meeting, held at Barrington Stage.
When Butler joined the organization in 2014, he was executive director of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. He then navigated the 2016 merging of the chamber, Berkshire Economic Development Corp., Berkshire Business Bureau, and Berkshire Creative into the 1Berkshire that is known today.
While serving the entire county, 1Berkshire has had its strongest impact in Pittsfield, where it is headquartered. The organization has sold its property at 66 Allen St. after 12 years and will move to the second floor of Crawford Square on North Street.
A few businesses with locations in Pittsfield announced closures in 2024.
Designer and entrepreneur Annie Selke started with a bedding and sleep items business in 1994 as Pine Cone Hill. The largely wholesale home decor operation added Potluck Studios dinnerware in 2002 and Dash & Albert Rugs in 2003.
She invested nearly $4 million into the former Interprint mill on Peck's Road that dates to the 1860s and moved in 2007. The company was purchased by Rugs USA in 2023.
In the fall, signs appeared on Staples' front window in Berkshire Crossing indicating that it would close on Dec. 13. Then Big Lots announced in December that it would liquidate its assets after a purchase agreement with a competitor fell through.
"We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale," Bruce Thorn, Big Lots' president and CEO, said in the announcement.
"While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB process."
The closeout retailer moved into the former Price Rite Marketplace on Dalton Avenue in 2021. The grocery had been in what was originally the Big N for 14 years before closing eight months after a million-dollar remodel. Big Lots had previously been in the Allendale Shopping Center.
Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September. It operated nearly 1,400 stores nationwide but began closing more than 300 by August with plans for another 250 by January. The Pittsfield location had not been among the early closures.
Advanced Auto Parts, with three locations in the Berkshires, is also closing 500 stores and 200 independently owned locations by about June. The North Adams store has had a "going out of business" for weeks and one of the Pittsfield stores is also slated for closure.
The Public Safety Advisory Committee has ranked four properties to consider during its feasibility study on locations for a new police station. Three have existing structures and one is a vacant lot. click for more
During the event, Pittsfield Bureau Chief Brittany Polito will ask the four Select Board candidates questions curated from voter submissions.
click for more
Officials approved a third-party investigation on alleged staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School that's expected to wrap up by March. click for more
The older Cumberland Farms at First and Adams streets will be replaced by a new 4,700 square-foot building. The regional chain began updgrading its 600 locations in 2009.
