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Date: 8/22/2023
NORTHAMPTON — During the Northampton City Council meeting on Aug. 17, Planning & Sustainability Director Carolyn Misch announced that the city is looking to sell the 33 King St. property through a request for proposals process to a bidder looking to redevelop the property for another use.
The building, which used to be the probate court, family court, and Hampshire County Registry of Deeds, was transferred from the state to the city at the end of this past fiscal year and now will be put up for bid.
“We are going to solicit sealed bids for the purchase of the property,” Misch said, during the meeting.
The City Council officially approved an order back in September 2021 that allowed the city to acquire, surplus and dispose of the current building at the location. Now, the council is looking at the specific language of the RFP and the parameters the city feels should be included in the proposals before sending the RFP out in the fall.
The city assessor assessed the property at $2.9 million but the city wants a minimum bid of $2.5 million for the 1.46-acre location. According to Misch, the reason for this discrepancy is that there is contamination in the current building, which means a deduction needed to occur to reflect issues that need to be addressed in the redevelopment phase. The current building is expected to be knocked down because of those issues.
During the meeting, Ward 5 Councilor Alex Jarrett explained that if the city decided to keep the land, they would have to pay the full $2.9 million appraisal back to the state. By selling it, though, the city will receive half of whatever the bid is and the state will receive the other half.
According to Misch, the RFP identifies several uses for the land that are considered “favorable” to the city, like mixed-income housing, 20 or more parking spaces for the public, a multi-story building or other economic development that generates street life and enhances the downtown area.
Jarrett and Ward 1 City Councilor Stanley Moulton said that they would like the RFP to encourage more attainable or workforce housing as a possibility on the property. Moulton in particular found the current criteria in the RFP limiting.
“We would like to see some workforce housing that would count in the scoring,” Moulton said. “I think that’s very important.”
Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra agreed with Moulton’s sentiments, stating that this is something that would be beneficial to downtown.
“I think that is something that would be very attractive for us,” Sciarra said.
The council eventually agreed to refer the RFP to the Finance Committee and Community Resources Committee for a joint meeting on Sept. 6 for more discussion on the language. The hope is to officially send the RFP out after the Sept. 7 City Council meeting.
“We don’t know what this property will hold, and we want to ensure there’s a lot of flexibility because it is such a great opportunity for downtown and the potential redevelopment of downtown,” Misch said.
The council also agreed to allow the city to appropriate $30,000 from the stabilization fund to provide part-time staff support for the members of the Commission to Investigate Racialized Harms.
They also authorized the lease of a portion of the Jackson Street Elementary School for nine students from the Clarke School for the Deaf to participate in some of Jackson’s programs during the 2023-24 school year. Reminder Publishing reported that the School Committee approved this during their Aug. 10 meeting.