NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday unanimously approved expanding the boundaries of the 1981 Urban Renewal Plan by at least a third and extending its life for an extra four years. 

 

The amendment, which also must be approved by the Planning Board, City Council and the state, grew out of a study of the original plan by BCS Group of Worcester. The review was funded through the city's Community Compact with the state.

 

"The Heritage Park system is the core of the Urban Renewal Area but there are some differences in the extremities," BSC's senior associate James "Jef" Fasser explained. "All this is doing is changing the boundaries as part of an urban renewal area. The community, the Redevelopment Authority or the city can propose certain infrastructure improvements that don't really require approval by the state, it's something that's typically done in an urban renewal area if necessary to support good use of the area or investment." 

 

The parcel from the Sons of Italy lot south to George Apkin & Sons Inc. would be added to the plan for "mixed use" along with the two vacant lots on West Main Street, below High Street, where two houses had been demolished over the past few years. Those locations are owned by either the city of North Adams or the authority.

 

The expansion would not affect the potential sales agreement with the Extreme Model Railroad & Contemporary Architecture Museum to purchase the park or the Historic District boundaries. The current plan contains both private and public properties. 

 

The original plan was developed in conjunction with the creation of Western Gateway Heritage State Park in 1981 and designed to preserve the historical buildings and prompt public/private development in the former railyard. 

 

Working in partnership with the private East Bay Development Corp., the hope had been to draw further investment, retail and tourists that would create between 125 and 175 full and part-time jobs. That vision never really took off and the Redevelopment Authority stepped in to take over operations at the park when the private development sputtered out.

 

Those goals — along with the challenges — are very similar to what the park is experiencing today. There's lack of parking, easy pedestrian and vehicle access, low visibility, isolation from the city center, limited space for retail and absence of a "cohesive character" to the area. 

 

However, there are some opportunities, including public improvements that have occurred over the years, the more recent acquisition of the Sons of Italy parcel, the future extensions of the Ashuwillticook and Mohawk Bike Trail, and better linkage with Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and the downtown. There's also the model railroad museum and related entities on the horizon for the park that could bring in the kinds of jobs and economic impact numbers initially envisioned. 

 

The purpose of the plan is still viable, Fasser said, and it makes sense to continue maintaining the historic area. 

 

Councilor Eric Buddington questioned the reasoning for having two planning entities, saying he was skeptical of the complexity. 

 

Fasser said a redevelopment authority, or similar entity, can invest in property in a way that a municipal planning board can't do. And an urban renewal plan gives it authority to acquire property for economic activity rather than just for public good, such as for a road or treatment plant. 

 

"The phrase that's been used since urban renewal was established 40 years ago was called the 'but for' .... 'but for' public involvement in an area that is currently stagnating economically it will not grow," he said, and where the means of private enterprise alone can't help an underperforming, vacant, blighted area. "An urban renewal plan gives a public entity the ability to take certain actions to stimulate economic activity in that area."

 

The Redevelopment Authority can also negotiate like a private landowner and does not have to go through a public process. 

 

Michael Nuvallie, director of the Office of Community Development, explained it as the planning board being reactive in looking how a proposal complies with zoning while the authority is proactive in being able to make things happen within the urban renewal plan.

 

City Councilor Robert M. Moulton Jr. asked if changing the boundaries affected who owned the Christopher Columbus Drive bridge. 

 

"I don't know if anybody can say who that bridge belongs to ... it's almost like folklore that the responsibility of the bridge is shared in three ways," Mayor Richard Alcombright said. 

 

The mayor said there was a "bit of a vague agreement" between Pan Am Railways, Apkins scrapyard and the city on maintenance for the bridge and that Apkins has largely taken care of it though the time may be approaching for its replacement.

 

"That could be a good MassWorks project," he said. "If it ever went for a MassWorks grant, we'd have to further define that as part of the grant application." 

 

The Urban Renewal Plan had a 40-year lifespan that will end in 2021. Fasser recommended extending that to 2025 to give the authority more time to determine if the plan should continue, change again or end.  

 

Alcombright thanked Fasser for his "invaluable" work and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Gov. Charlie Baker's administration for the Community Compact that made it happen.