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Date: 12/6/2022
CHICOPEE – Mayor John Vieau said the city is enhancing security for the ongoing cleanup of the Uniroyal site. The vacant space is viewed as a promising pillar for economic development opportunities once the project is completed.
Background
Constructed in the 1870s, the Uniroyal property remained a significant manufacturing space for over a century in Chicopee. The Grove Street location is most synonymous with Uniroyal’s use of the area from 1891 to 1980, with the company utilizing the site to produce bicycle, automobile and truck tires before shuttering operations, according to the city’s website.
The Facemate Corporation acquired the property in 1981, leasing portions of the buildings to various companies for manufacturing, printing, machine shops, office, storage and health care facilities.
Michelin North America Inc. then acquired Uniroyal assets in the 1990s before the city ultimately gained ownership of the property. Michelin has since been a partner of the cleanup as they address “supplemental subsurface investigations” discovered within the property.
Planning Director Lee Pouliot, who served in the Planning Department throughout the 12-year cleaning process, detailed the extensive effort behind the space’s cleanup. He revealed that a key component in reinventing the location came with the initial construction of a redevelopment vision plan.
“It really set the expectation for what assessment and cleaning needed to be addressed,” said Pouliot in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
Once the cleaning process is complete, Vieau envisions limitless potential for Uniroyal, citing its proximity to Chicopee Falls and the approximately 12 acres available for different developments.
“There’s a lot of potential [in the Uniroyal site], we want to unleash that potential,” said Vieau in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
Pouliot said he sees similar promise in what the refurbished space can bring. He recalled the property’s glory days when the area became a business center that united the local community.
“This was like a village center. Redeveloping Uniroyal and getting people back there will have a domino effect … we talk about convenience and ensuring basic needs are in walking distance of residential development. That’s all very possible [for the neighborhood],” said Pouliot.
Several key Uniroyal developments occurred in 2022. The City Council approved additional funding during a March 3 special meeting and a June 21 meeting as the city works to finalize the clean-up process.
The project’s expenses total over $40 million to date.
Uniroyal Update
Vieau shared that the City Council approved the appropriation of $100,000 for new security systems during an Oct. 12 special meeting. The funds will provide new perimeter sensors that run across the property, an enhanced police presence and upgrades to the site’s analog software. The previous security software used Windows 97, according to Vieau.
The upgrades became essential as the city discovered trespassers cutting through the fenced-in property. Since the Oct. 12 meeting, the security measures have been installed at Uniroyal.
“We had deficiencies in our security, and they now have been addressed,” said Vieau.
Vieau stressed that the property continues to have a no trespass order. He discussed how new security measures are essential additions as the city still addresses lingering issues with the space.
While there is no definitive timetable for the cleanup’s completion, Vieau said the project continues to see positive momentum with the recent security additions.
“We want to protect an asset that’s owned by the city and one that will be on the tax rolls sooner rather than latter,” said Vieau.