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Date: 9/13/2022
HATFIELD – Representatives from Stiebel Eltron, makers of solar panels and other manufactured goods, came before the Planning Board on Sept. 7 to introduce plans for a multi-use development at 99 West St. The project may include a disc golf course, warehouse, dog park and cafe.
According to Stephanie Slysz, chair of the Planning Board, town officials knew some industrial development plan for the property was in the works. The mixed uses are an unanticipated benefit.
“We knew this was coming,” Slysz said, “so to see this other community aspect is a nice surprise.”
Erica Gees, in-house architect for Stiebel Eltron, informed the board the property covers 73 acres and extends eastward to Linseed Road. The main building will be a warehouse or light manufacturing facility of about 72,000 square feet. A driveway will run between the warehouse and the dog park, which will be surrounded by a 6-foot chain link fence.
An old tobacco barn located on the property, visible from West Street, that was moved to the site when Interstate 91 (I-91) was built, will be converted to a cafe. Ellie Stiebel, daughter of co-owner Frank Stiebel, recognized the need to preserve the barn and the historical artifacts it contained. She also sees coffee and pastry sales as a way to pay for the dog park, which will be operated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
“This idea came from being a nurse during the COVID [-19]pandemic,” Stiebel said. Many seniors do much of their socializing at dog parks, which she learned by visiting many parks in the valley. “Watching dogs play brings a lot of joy and there’s been a lot of isolation and mental health crises surrounding these disconnected social lives we’ve been living,” Stibel said.
Michael Paszek, the newest member of the board, recalled passing the spot and always seeing wildlife.
“I have mixed feelings about losing that field,” Paszek said. “My whole life, my friends and I, we’ve called that the field of dreams. Always, when you drive by there, there’s some kind of wildlife in there – deer, fox, coyote – always something.”
Gees emphasized that while the property sits near an abandoned gravel pit, part of an aquifer recharge area, the disc golf course and dog park will be planted with clover, which consumes nitrogen. Nitrogen is a major element of dog droppings. The architect also informed the board the warehouse and tobacco barn café will need to be elevated with fill. The area tends to be wet since the installation of I-91.
“One thing about dog parks,” Gees said, “in the grassy area they turn into muddy horrible fields in the spring. It’s because they’re not graded properly…so all the grading to create a nice little areas will direct all the water back to the recharge areas.”
The project and its mixed uses will generate activity among many town committees. The mixed uses suggest the involvement of the Recreation, Historical Preservation and Open Space committees,
Historical Commission, Historical Society, Planning Board and Agricultural Commission.
“We had a conversation with the Historical Commission,” Gees said. “Meg Baker, she would love to see some satellite sites, places where you could have exhibits… It’s a great use for the barn, it’s very visible, but at the same time, for community gathering spaces, this would be a public park.”
Gees suggested that walking trails will be a welcome addition to the property and the town. Walking trails are a recent improvement to the eastern end of Hatfield, but the West Street area has no such amenities. Paszek commented the stand of trees on the property was important to preserve. Gees and the Stiebels agreed.
“We began walking the site and taking a look at it, and we said, ‘No no no, we don’t want to do that,” Gees said. “And with the dog park, what Ellie wanted to do with that, and these barns, and the artifacts in that…so the whole plan changed. Let’s make this a public space.”
The tobacco barn needs a foundation and roof work, but the structure will see improvements before the end of the year. Gees commented that the old barnboard exterior will be moved indoors, bathrooms installed, and the historical decor preserved.
Planning Board members that included Robert Wagner, sitting for his last meeting before he moves to Northampton, appreciated the planning and concern for the community evident in the development plan.
Gees agreed, saying, “This has the potential to be a really nice community project.”