Ever hear of No-Field, Ma 01360? This is a beautiful town 8.6 miles northeast of Greenfield. This little town of 3,000, is steeped in cultural history, rich in architectural examples, a town built by local people, land farmed by local people, and where generations of families have grown up here.
This name No-Field was given to (our town of) Northfield by several outsiders, maybe rightfully so. No, we didn’t want a mega compressor plant with concerns about safety. It was a plant that initially was going to benefit the town through taxes, but lo and behold, it would have depreciated quickly, paying almost no taxes.
And more recently, No, we don’t want what appears to be a building straight out of a New Jersey sprawl to encompass a (very) rural residential block of town. This facility was designed by out-of-towners from the Moody Center and Clockwork of Kansas City, Mo.
Townspeople are concerned about what kind of growth is meaningful to the town. We are a sleepy little town, with extraordinary late Victorian-style homes and working farms. We have the historic D.L. Moody campus now owned by Thomas Aquinas College and the Moody Center, several glorious churches, and lots people who truly cherish this town.
Many of the homes on Main Street were designed and built by three generations of carpenters, from the Stearns family, during the 1800s. Most of the buildings on the campus were designed as exquisite examples of Queen Anne architecture style.
D.L. Moody hired only the finest architects and spared no finances on the materials to build them. The buildings typically have beautiful Industrial Age details and were so enjoyed by the thousands of people traveling here on the new and exciting adventure of the railroad.
The building the Moody Center is proposing is clearly in a very residential neighborhood. The ROI, return on investment, doesn’t add up. They have not explained their ultimate master plan, although they have alluded to a giant hotel, but what else?
It is unclear about potential tax revenue coming to the town, and the tax status can change overnight. It is unclear whether it would be a benefit or burden to the town services. Beyond that, does the Moody Center want to make a profit? It is unclear whether they are talking for profit or nonprofit?
Protecting the aesthetics and history of Northfield is what makes Northfield a No-Field. Northfield is a bit of a time capsule, a unique town and although we know growth happens, we need it to be appropriate growth.
Virginia “Jinx” Hastings is a resident of Northfield.