MONTAGUE — A developer’s renewed interest in redeveloping the Farren Care Center is among the topics slated for discussion during a Nov. 16 public hearing required by the town’s demolition delay bylaw.
The Historical Commission was informed of this interest by Leyden resident and Farren preservation advocate Jerry Lund early Monday morning. In an email containing what Historical Commission Chair David Brule described as a “significant” development, Lund cited recent discussions with Robert Stevens, president and founder of Brattleboro-based consulting firm Stevens & Associates.
Previously, Stevens said he was unlikely to pursue redevelopment when his interest became public during a Selectboard meeting in April. Lund explained that Stevens is now “quite excited about the possible housing (both market rate and affordable) and the historical restoration potential” of the building “if a partner could be found” to assist.
Lund wrote that he spoke with Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Gina Govoni in February about a possible partnership, “but felt that she apparently wasn’t that interested given the attitude and comments on that possibility from the Montague Selectboard following the Nov. 8 meeting — and the so-called ‘public forum’ that they held later.”
Stevens could not be reached for comment Monday.
The former long-term care hospital closed in April 2021. Farren parent company Trinity Health of New England has since maintained that the Montague City Road building is too old for its purposes and would be too expensive to update to modern standards. They previously deemed the facility unfit for preservation in a condition assessment that they declined to share with the town. The company issued a demolition recommendation in November 2021 and affirmed its decision in April, but no demolition permit had been filed with the Building Department until Oct. 12.
The Nov. 16 public hearing before the Historical Commission is legally required to take place within 45 days of the demolition permit’s filing. It will be a hybrid virtual and in-person meeting hosted by the commission at 6 p.m. at Town Hall to provide a platform for questions, opinions and redevelopment proposals.
“The purpose of the hearing coming up on the 16th would be to determine if the Historical Commission wants to consider this a historically preserved building or not,” Town Planner Walter Ramsey explained at Monday’s meeting.
Toward the end of the hearing, the Historical Commission may vote to enact the newly adopted demolition delay bylaw.
“Most of the commissions that I’ve been in front of have made a decision immediately after the public discussion is closed,” Historical Commission member Chris Sawyer-Lauçanno said.
The bylaw serves to “preserve and protect, through advance notice of their proposed demolition, significant buildings,” and to “encourage owners of preferably preserved significant buildings to seek out persons who might be willing to purchase and to preserve, rehabilitate or restore such buildings rather than demolish them.” If enacted, the bylaw could delay demolition for up to one year.
“During that time, the owner has the opportunity to find another buyer, to find money to save from tax credits,” Sawyer-Lauçanno said previously. “However, after that year, if no progress has been made in that regard, then in most cases, the demo delay expires and the building inspector is free to go ahead and issue a demolition permit.”
Lund noted that Stevens has undertaken comparable redevelopment projects across Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in recent years.
“He is best known locally for putting together the project that saved (and redeveloped) the Brooks House in Brattleboro after fire nearly destroyed that anchor of the downtown,” Lund said.
Stevens “indicated that his firm could do a comprehensive redevelopment plan that included costing, architectural renderings and complete work plan for a reasonable sum,” Lund said.
“This opportunity with the Farren would be a shame for us all to let slip by,” Lund wrote.
The firm’s work could feasibly be funded through the state’s One Stop For Growth grant program under the “Under-Utilized Building” category, Lund noted. He said, however, that the property owner must apply for this funding.
Ramsey said in December that the feasibility of converting the facility into up-to-code housing was uncertain. Photos of small former hospital rooms and other aspects of the building’s interior that were not conducive to reasonable housing standards raised questions at Selectboard meetings that followed the demolition recommendation.
“That would be a whole project to figure out a permitting path, depending on what the use would be,” Ramsey said, noting that the town has yet to receive an official proposal for housing at the site. “If it was proposed, we would be happy to facilitate that.”
Ramsey said he would have to consult the town’s building inspector, have a condition assessment conducted, potentially acquire zoning permits, and take other steps in a process that would likely take “a couple years.” He referenced past town projects — including Powers Block and Montague Center School’s transformations into apartment complexes — as examples of similar endeavors that ended up taking this much time.
Ramsey also observed that the Farren Care Center lacks easy access to essential services, such as transportation, that might make the conversion into housing an easier decision.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.