GREENFIELD — The deal to help swing enough City Council votes to approve a new library is moving ahead – despite a last-minute wrinkle involving potential industrial use along the French King Highway.
Zoning proposals to relax regulations on commercial development in the city now head to the Planning Board as the council attempts some horse-trading between those who want more development and those who want a library.
The zoning proposals developed by City Council President Karen “Rudy” Renaud and At-Large Councilor Isaac Mass would allow fast food restaurants and gas stations along the French King Highway commercial district, which extends from Clark Street, just below Silver Street, to Route 2. It also could significantly expand the size of businesses that are allowed citywide by easing major development review rules.
Mass has indicated he would put his swing vote behind the endangered $19.5 million library project in exchange for the commercial zoning changes.
But during Thursday’s council meeting, At-Large Councilor Ashli Stempel pushed through a proposal to change the French King Highway overlay district back to industrial, which it was before 2004.
Stempel backs a new public library, but is also a vocal opponent of fast food and gas stations on the French King. She would prefer to use the land for industry and higher paying jobs.
Stempel, the chairwoman of the Economic and Development Committee, said “Greenfield deserves a better payoff for what property we have left.”
She added, “Dreaming big for Greenfield as entry level jobs for fast food … that’s not dreaming big enough.”
Stempel emphasized she wants development in-line with Greenfield’s history of industry at the core of its growth.
Ultimately the council voted to send the Planning Board three proposed zoning changes: the original ideas for looser large-scale review regulations and for more commercial development on French King, and now, Stempel’s industrial zoning idea.
The planners will hold hearings on the three ideas and then recommend zoning changes to the council, which makes final decisions on zoning.
That Planning Board public hearing could be as early as March 1, which will be the public’s first substantive opportunity to comment.
Emerging out of Stempel’s proposal was discussion of a mixed commercial-industrial zone along French King, although that idea wasn’t forwarded to the planners.
Precinct 7 Councilor Otis Wheeler acknowledged that was something he has thought of before and looked at the Eastworks building in Easthampton as a potential model.
Mass said he was for mix-used in theory, but noted it probably couldn’t be developed in time to help library proponents, who must gain council approval by the end of April or lose a nearly $10 million state grant for the project. Mass wants both the library vote and the zoning changes to happen at the same time.
Precinct 6 Councilor Sheila Gilmour said she liked Stempel’s idea of industrial zoning, but was concerned what this meant for the process and having enough time to make an educated vote.
Both Stempel and Mass said after the meeting they did not plan on proposing a mix-used zoning change in time for next week’s full council meeting.
A mix-used zoning change would likely take more time to move forward because there is no current zone of this nature in Greenfield and may require more significant assistance from the Planning Department.
At the meeting, big box opponent and self-described sprawlbuster Al Norman and a handful of supporters of his cause showed up to protest the plan that he has called a “hostage deal” and “Greenfield’s version of a border wall deal.” Norman and seven others stood during the hour-long meeting with signs protesting the plan. About 60 people showed up for the meeting, including many of the library’s staunchest supporters.
Public comment was not a part of this special meeting, but Precinct 8 Councilor Doug Mayo made his opinion on this plan clear.
“The last couple of days I’ve been storming around the house very angry,” Mayo said. “I feel like the library has been made a hostage.”
He said he will support the plan as is, although “I don’t believe this is the way government should be done.”
Present for the meeting were: Renaud, Mass, Vice President Penny Ricketts, Stempel, Gilmour, Wheeler and Mayo.
Absent for the special meeting were: Verne Sund, Brickett Allis, Wanda Pyfrom, Tim Dolan and Daniel Leonovich.
At the end of the meeting, Renaud looked to unite the people in the room.
“It is an emotional issue for a lot of people,” Renaud said. “Everybody here has a story. Everybody has their feelings. Everybody’s been hurt. Nobody is perfect. We’re all human. At the end of the day we’re still neighbors and we’ll still need to get along.”
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264