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Date: 5/18/2022
HOLYOKE – After months of discussion, the Holyoke Historical Commission reached a decision and approved on the proposed demolition of old factory mill buildings located at 195 Appleton St.
The commission has been discussing this proposal since March when applicant Devon Self Storage came to the commission with a proposal to demolish some of the historic mill buildings to create a new storage facility. At the previous meeting in April, the Historical Commission requested that Devon Self Storage return with updated documentation and a re-mapping of the buildings to be demolished. The commission expressed wanting to keep certain buildings to meet their preferred skyline.
Shannon Dodge, vice president of construction at Devon Self Storage, came to this meeting with new renderings.
The original demolition proposed keeping buildings A, B, E and D. The new rendering proposed keeping buildings A, D, I and the smokestack.
Dodge also emphasized that Devon Self Storage will obtain proper demolition paperwork once an agreement is reached.
“The demolition portion, as long as we can come into an agreement that maybe our new option is suitable, then we would ensure that the demolition paperwork was proper,” he said. “If we’re not able to find a compromise through these two proposed options, there’s no need for us to worry about a demolition permit. Quite honestly, we would just walk away from the project.”
Elana Aubrey, member of the Historical Commission, voiced her approval of these new plans.
“I feel like the owners here really heard us. I think part of what we’re trying to do is help people understand why our role is what it is to preserve historic components of our city and I think going back to the drawing board and accommodating this was really great,” she said.
All members appeared happy with the new design and compromises being made. They then took a vote to close the public hearing and approve the demolition at 195 Appleton St. It was approved unanimously.
At a previous meeting, members of the commission proposed placing a plaque in front of the new storage facility explaining the history of the location. Dodge emphasized that he would love to do this and that Devon Self Storage is excited to be able to move forward with this project.
“We very much embrace that idea, so with that being said, we will most definitely be in contact with the Historical Commission to ensure the proper accuracy. We very much like that concept,” he said.
Those interested in viewing the Historical Commission meeting in its entirety or staying up to date on the 195 Appleton St. project are encouraged to visit the city of Holyoke’s website at https://www.holyoke.org/departments/historical-commission.