Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 1/31/2023
HATFIELD – A proposed pickleball facility on 121 West St. may require a zoning bylaw amendment, according to the Hatfield Select Board.
During their meeting on Jan. 26, the Select Board agreed to send a rezoning request for a for-profit pickleball facility to the town’s Planning Board for further consideration. The rezoning would accommodate a pickleball recreational facility as well as other amenities associated with it.
According to Select Board Chair Diana Syznal, the proposed facility would be in the Route 5 corridor and a little bit to the south of Rocks Road.
Northampton resident Ashley Schaffer, who is one of the main people spearheading this project, told the Select Board that the location’s light industrial zone prohibits for-profit recreational uses. Therefore, the project cannot happen without a zoning change or switching of the current zoning rules. “We would not use the entire parcel for pickleball,” said Schaffer.
Currently, about half of the parcel is light industrial, according to Schaffer, while the back is rural residential. The rural residential section would not be necessary for this project.
According to Schaffer, the facility would operate through four seasons, meaning there would be indoor and outdoor amenities.
While there is not quite an idea of how many courts there will be, Schaffer described the facility as “nothing tiny, but nothing gargantuan.”
The Select Board expressed general interest in the facility, with Syznal calling the idea “fabulous,” and members Brian Moriarty and Edmund Jaworski describing the project as “great.”
“There are a lot of pickleball fans in town,” said Syznal. “We could be the pickleball capital of Western Mass.”
When asked about public access, Schaffer said there might be some type of membership, but the facility will always be open to the public.
Amy McMahan, a member of the Greenfield Planning Board who is assisting Schafer on the project, told the Hatfield Select Board that the path of least resistance is changing the light industrial zone, which now says “recreational nonprofit.” The hope is to instead strike that language so a for-profit facility is allowed.
“This would allow Ms. Schaffer to operate, not because she’s trying to make a profit, but because nonprofit is just such an onerous corporate structure,” said McMahan. “It’s really just a simple striking of the ‘nonprofit’ part, and just allowing recreational in light industrial.”
About two acres of the 30-acre site would be used for the facility, which also will include parking, lighting for outdoor courts, as well as a possible indoor spot where people can order refreshments.
“I can think of a number of things that would be less attractive in that area,” said Syznal. “This would just be a great resource for townspeople and even people from out of town.”
The plan is to have an informal conversation about the facility during the next Planning Board meeting on Feb. 1 and a more formal discussion on March 1. The project would then be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting in May before returning in front of the Select Board for review of plans.