The Recorder – Greenfield mayor’s pitch to expand industrial park met with support

GREENFIELD — Residents and business owners at Thursday’s Planning Board meeting appeared receptive to the mayor’s proposed expansion of the Interstate 91 Industrial Park, located northeast of downtown Greenfield and directly off Route 2.

This expansion would come in the form of rezoning 11 parcels east of King Road and north of the French King Highway that are currently zoned as General Commercial, which provides an area for mixed retail.

“This is the first time hearing Greenfield is trying to bring back middle-class workers,” said Valley Steel Stamp President Steve Capshaw, who supported the proposal. “Companies like us are dying to find industrial land.”

Mayor Roxann Wedegartner presented her proposal to the Planning Board and members of the community Thursday evening. The proposal included two potential avenues for the Planning Board to consider: the first would create a Planned Industry zone, or zoning meant for manufacturing and industrial development; and the second would create an Industrial Commercial zone for manufacturing and selective commercial options.

“The development, whichever one it is, will increase the tax base,” she said.

Wedegartner explained that the proposal grew out of a need for more land zoned for industrial use.

Patrick Tweed, who manages Greenfield Country Estates on Adams Road, said his only concern was the impact this change may have on traffic flow. He asked Planning Board members to take that into consideration before making any decisions.

“At times, it can be horrendous,” he said of the current traffic patterns.

Other abutters commented that the current tenants of the industrial park have been good neighbors, and in general, were supportive of a plan that aims to increase the number of middle-class jobs in Greenfield.

Resident Dawn Morin cautioned Planning Board members against dismissing “what voters were told” leading up to the Greenfield Public Library construction vote. She was referencing the agreed-upon relaxation of zoning restrictions for development on French King Highway and for large-scale projects, in exchange for support for the library in 2019. The deal was enough to sway undecided city councilors to vote in favor of building a new library, the construction for which is underway on Main Street.

Planning Board Chair Charles Roberts explained that the deal made in exchange for the library vote rolled back the French King Highway overlay district to allow for the development of gas stations, drive-thrus and restaurants, for example.

“(The current proposal) is a minimal stepping back from that compromise, because we’re still allowing those uses,” Roberts said.

There was a brief discussion on the impact the proposed changes would have on land located in the overlay district that is owned by the Nolumbeka Project, a nonprofit dedicated to Native American cultural and historical preservation.

After a lengthy back and forth between Wedegartner, Planning Board members and the community, Roberts proposed offering some time for members to consider the proposal individually before discussing it again as a group. He noted that if a change is initiated, the process will include a public hearing.

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.