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Date: 2/22/2021
EASTHAMPTON – After being vacant and a danger to the community for decades, the former textile mills at One Ferry Street are receiving much-needed renovations.
According to City Planner Jeffrey Bagg, there has only been one other attempt to develop the property. The previous owner, Daniel Messier, was considering a project consisting of approximately 150 units.
“Although the permit was granted, it is unclear whether the developer at the time had completed all the due diligence needed to ensure the project would actually get built,” Bagg said.
Bagg told Reminder Publishing that the Fire Department and public safety had already determined they would not put firefighters on the property. Only one building has been demolished thus far for safety reasons.
“The historic significance of the buildings would have made it difficult for a project to have simply proposed to demolish and start as a clean slate. Although that could be an option, it is really not as desirable as a redevelopment of the mill buildings which will both preserve their historic significance but will also preserve the truly unique character of the mill district,” Bagg shared.
Developer Michael Michon also owns Mill 180, an indoor park located at 180 Pleasant St, suite 217. Mill 180 serves food and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and is designed to imitate urban parks like Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London.
When Michon first came to Easthampton in 2009, he said he had a vision for the city that can be a great place to have a mixed-use property because the city has so much to offer.
“There is a housing shortage for all income levels so we feel that it is a great long-term investment so we can invest with the city of Easthampton for its housing shortage,” Michon shared.
Over the course of 12 years, Michon followed Ferry Street and four years ago he made a deal with Messier, who gave him two years of due diligence, and Michon shared that he finally moved forward with redeveloping the property.
According to the property’s website, www.oneferry.fmmgdev.com, building 3 construction was completed in July 2020.
Michon told Reminder Publishing that they are scheduled to begin work this spring, however he does not know if the coronavirus will delay the construction of building 5.
Building 5 will consist of 43 loft apartments, a covered parking garage, a tenant fitness facility, a massage and yoga space, a pet washing station, and a rooftop garden.
According to the 121A agreement that Bagg shared, if things go according to schedule, construction and Certificate of Occupancy for building 5 will be set by the end of 2023.
The construction on building 7 is set to start in 2023 and receive their Certificate of Occupancy by the end of 2025. Building 7 will include 83 loft apartments and condominiums, a hair salon, a full-service roof-top bar and restaurant, a library, a media room, a game room, 64 covered tenant and owner parking spaces with a car detailing area.
Construction on pad sites 1 and 2 are anticipated to start in 2027 and the completion of construction and Certificate of Occupancy by the end of 2030. In the 121A agreement, Michon intends to have 20 rental apartments and 10 condos at these locations.
The entire project is set to be completed no later than Dec 31, 2035.
Additional site improvements include the renovation of an existing bridge that spans the canal on the north side of the project site, the construction of two pedestrian catwalks across the canal, a bike path along the eastern project site to connect to the Manhan Rail Trail, installation of utilities and a stormwater drainage system, and upgrades to the Ferry Street roundabout.
The Ferry Street project was a public-private partnership. In 2018, Mayor Nicole LaChapelle initiated this project in partnership with Michon. Bagg said the full redevelopment of the property would have required an upgrade to the intersection.