The homes are expected to be sold to a developer who will renovate them.
Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette speaks during a ceremony marking the City of Chicopee's acquisition of 5 homes abutting Westover Air Reserve Base on Fredette St. that used to be Navy housing. On the left is Congressman Richard E. Neal and in the center is Colonel Robert R. Swain Jr., the commander of the Air Force Reserve's 439th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, Westover Air Reserve Base.CHICOPEE – Standing in front of five homes newly acquired from the U.S. Navy, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette invited residents and possible developers to walk through and take a look.
“Welcome to our new neighborhood,” he said.
About two weeks ago the city acquired nearly 30 acres of land and 133 units of housing next to Westover Air Reserve Base, after 13 years of working out the deal.
Plans for the majority of the property – 128 units of housing that is mostly duplexes on 25 acres off Kelly Road – will not be decided until neighbors and Westover officials have a chance to talk about what is best for the city, the neighborhood and the base.
But the five colonials that sit on four acres on Fredette Street will be sold to the developer with the proposal that is best for the city, and likely will be renovated and sold as single-family homes, he said.
“It really is a great day for the City of Chicopee and our continuing great relations with Westover,” Bissonnette said, standing beside U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and Col. Robert R. Swain Jr., commander of the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base.
The five houses, built in the early 1940’s when Westover was converted to a Strategic Air Command Base, were occupied by the families of top-ranking officers. The home at the end of the street was reserved for the three-star general, the remainder were for the base commander, the wing commander and colonels, said Master Sgt. Andrew S. Biscoe, public relations specialist.
The homes have been empty since the early 1990s but have been kept heated and are in good shape but need some work. Each measures about 2,800 square feet, has four bedrooms and a finished basement.
Swain offered a few unique details of the property. The back wall of the basement in one house is covered with a full-sized map showing aviation routes. On it Russia and other countries are labeled Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Each had a tunnel that led to the operation center at Westover, designed for emergencies, but were used often by the commanders. The tunnels, which have been blocked, also connected the five houses.
“One of my goals when I got here three years ago was to be a good neighbor,” he said. “If Chicopee is doing well so is Westover.”
Discussions about giving up the property began at a time when the military started selling off a lot of housing across the country.
The property was given to the city, but the city had to fund $209,000 in environmental studies the Department of the Defense required.
Swain said he had asked if Westover could keep and reoccupy some of the units for families of airmen who were having a difficult time finding affordable housing, but was told the military was trying to operate as little housing as possible.
He said he is hoping some of the duplexes will serve as homes for families of those who work at the base.