Lanesborough Asks for Input on Master Plan

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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Residents are being asked to weigh in on the development of the town's first master plan. 
 
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, through Senior Community Planner Seth Jenkins, is working to meet with town officials, boards/committees, and citizens to inform the plan. 
 
The document will provide the town with a clear direction for development, growth, and investment in the coming 10-20-year timeframe. The Planning Board will oversee the document's creation and help to implement the plan's objectives.
 
Master plans are typically divided into the following sections: goals and policies, land use, housing, economic development, natural and cultural resources, open space and recreation, services and facilities, circulation, implementation.
 
Massachusetts General Law, Title VII, Chapter 41, Section 81D assigns the responsibility of creating a master plan to the Planning Board to provide "a basis for decision-making regarding the long-term physical development of the municipality."  
 
To inform their decisions, the Planning Board needs input from the residents and stakeholders — the deadline is Nov. 1. 
 
"We are asking residents and businesses to tell us about their needs and desires for the town's future," said Jenkins. "The master plan is being paid for with a $50,000 grant from the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and $10,000 matches from both the town and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission."
 
The plan is expected to be finished by May 31, 2025. The link for the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/r/LanesboroughMP.
 
 
 
 
 

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North Adams Takes Possession of Historic Church Street Houses

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The porch collapsed on 116 Church several years ago. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The state Land Court in February finalized the city's tax taking of four properties including the brick Church Street mansions.
 
The prestigious pair of Queen Anne mansions had been owned by Franklin E. Perras Jr., who died in 2017 at age 79. 
 
The properties had been in court for four years as attempts were made repeatedly to find Perras' heirs, including a son, Christopher. According to court filings, Christopher reportedly died in 2013 but his place of death is unknown, as is the location (or existence) of two grandchildren listed in Perras' obituary. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said the next steps will be to develop requests for proposals for the properties to sell them off. 
 
She credited Governor's Councillor Tara Jacobs for bringing the lingering tax takings to the Land Court's attention. Jacobs said she'd asked about the status of the properties and a few days later they were signed off. 
 
It wasn't just the four North Adams properties — the cases for three Perras holdings in Lanesborough that also had been in the court for years were closed, including Keeler Island. Another property on Holmes Road in Hinsdale is still in the court.  
 
The buildings at 116, 124 and 130 Church St., and a vacant lot on Arnold Place had been in tax title since 2017 when the city placed $12,000 in liens. 
 
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