Technical Assistance Success Stories | EPA #560F23292 March 2023 Planning for Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment ECONOMIC RECOVERY - SUPPORT FOR REDEVELOPMENT & ENGAGEMENT GREAT BARRINGTON, MA (EPA REGION 1) SITE STATISTICS • Community: Great Barrington, Massachusetts • Local project lead: Town of Great Barrington • Former use: Industrial & Auto Repair • Future use: Mixed-lJse Residential and Co-Working Space • Brownfields technical assistance: Funding/financing analysis for Adaptive Reuse PROJECT BACKGROUND The former Cook's Garage, located at 426 Park Street North, was orginally part of the historic Monument Mills textile complex that straddled the Housatonic River. The 1.5-acre site is located in the unincorporate village of Housatonic in Western Massachusetts. After use as a mill, the two-story, 38,500 square foot building became an auto repair shop beginning in the 1950s. The Town of Great Barrington acquired the property through a foreclosure action in 2018. PROJECT CHALLENGE The Town of Great Barrington needed technical assistance to conduct a market Figure 1: Former cook's Garage Building analysis and assess a viable reuse and redevelopment strategy for the Cook's Garage property. The building is in a dilapidated condition and contains asbestos material and lead-based paint. It shares a common wall with an adjacent structure and is landlocked, with the Housatonic River immediately to the west and no direct access to a public street. HOW EPA HELPED In 2022, the U.S. EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) provided TA to help the Town determine a viable future use of the site. The TA included the following support: • Reuse Assessment: A reuse assessment was conducted to identify site characteristics. The assessment found that the building poses a number of challenges for reuse, including existing building conditions, lack of access, and potential for hazardous building materials. It also offers potential opportunities given its waterside location in a historic district. • Market Assessment: A market assessment was conducted to analyze existing socio-economic and real estate market trends, and key community stakeholders were interviewed. The assessment identified multi-family housing, studio space for artists, and co-working space for entrepreneurs as viable reuse opportunities for the property. • Funding and Cost Feasibility Analysis: A Financial Model was prepared that includes key financial inputs and parameters to enable the Town to assess reuse proposals for the site, identify potential funding gaps, and calculate the potential value of historic tax credits as part of the reuse. COMMUNITY'S NEXT STEPS • Conduct a thorough building condition analysis and stabilize the structure to preserve the opportunity for the use of historic tax credits. • Focus on a reuse that includes a mixed-use, multi-family, and studio/co-working spaces to leverage the areas' entrepreneurial and arts communities. • Identify and work with local and regional non-profit housing developers to advance the reuse of the property. • Consider acquiring or partnering with adjacent properties to enhance the redevelopment opportunity. Questions? Please contact EPA Region 1: Dorrie Parr or Jessica Dominquez ------- |