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Date: 9/27/2022
EASTHAMPTON – A request for proposals (RFP) for the Pepin, Center and Maple schools will be distributed by the city, with the goal of more affordable housing being built.
This follows a declaration from the council at its meeting on Sept. 21 where a motion “to declare former schools – Pepin, Center and Maple – as no longer necessary for municipal use and to authorize disposition of same” was passed. These three schools were taken offline when the Mountain View School was opened this year. Pepin and Center schools are located near Main Street and the Maple School sits near Cottage Street. The total size of all three lots is a little under three acres.
The goal of the RFP is to redevelop one or all of the buildings into affordable housing units and increase the town’s stock closer to 10 percent, as required by the affordable housing law. But a secondary goal is the community’s needs – particularly for physical and social connections and additional parking to support downtown – and puts forward an option to keep the Pepin school gym and auditorium available for future community use.
Councilor Daniel Rist said he wasn’t planning to support the RFP, but saw that the revised version offered the city and mayor greater flexibility when it came to choosing proposals.
“I don’t know if I agree with saving the gym and auditorium, but I’m glad that it makes affordable housing a priority,” he said.
Councilor Owen Zaret said that there is a need for affordable housing in Easthampton, but also for community spaces, such as what could be created at the Pepin School.
“When you’re creating new living space, you also need spaces for people to congregate,” he said.
Janna Tetreault, chair of the city’s Affordable & Fair Housing Partnership, said the city needs 38 affordable units a year to reach the 10 percent threshold. Under the affordable housing law, developers can make proposals in communities under this amount that circumvent certain bylaws if at least 25 percent qualifies as affordable.
Tetreault recommended that the entirety of each school be used, as limiting the space for development could result in a proposal being dropped.
“That would be a mistake,” said Tetreault. “Removing Pepin could make the project economically unfeasible.”
A suggestion was made that one of the schools be used for a new senior center. The city’s current senior center is run out of the old post office. Thomas Brown, a member of the Council on Aging, said that the preference would be to wait until a new facility could be built. This sentiment was echoed by Rist, saying that the school’s second floor may not be accessible to all seniors.
“I’m OK with holding out for a new senior center,” said Brown. “I’m fairly certain that the COA Board isn’t in favor of moving into an old school.”
One resident raised the issue of impact to city services such as public safety and the schools. Zaret said that any proponent would need to address potential impacts.
Many residents spoke in favor of the RFP and the need for affordable housing in Easthampton. Tristan Chambers, a resident of Clark Street, said he knows many people who work in Easthampton but cannot live there due to the lack of affordable housing.
Kaihla Laurent also voiced her support for the RFP, that it reflects the city’s priorities while putting affordable housing at the top of the list. Kiam Jamrog-McQuaid of the Affordable & Fair Housing Partnership said it was critical that all three schools remain in the RFP.
“Easthampton is in dire need of affordable housing to keep our town what it is, said Jamrog-McQuaid.