Belchertown officials hope to call a special Town Meeting in August to seek authorization to borrow the money for roads and other improvements.
The administration building at the former Belchertown State School.BELCHERTOWN – Plans for building an assisted living facility at the former Belchertown State School property may depend on the town’s willingness to pay for infrastructure improvements by borrowing against future taxes on the property.
Town officials hope to call a special Town Meeting in August to seek authorization to borrow the money for roads and other improvements.
Town construction of the infrastructure would make this project viable, said William A. Terry, chairman of the Belchertown Economic Development Industrial Corp., which owns the property and has the responsibility for attracting commercial development.
Terry said the town EDIC, Board of Assessors and Board of Selectmen have agreed to town construction of the infrastructure with money borrowed under terms of a state program that allows 75 percent of the anticipated property taxes for the first 20 years after the development to be used to pay off the bonds.
Town Meeting approval is required for such a bond program.
Town Meeting gave approval for such a bond process for commercial construction of the entire Belchertown State School campus four years ago, when the town was negotiating with potential master developer Paul T. McDermott, but Terry said those terms are no longer valid.
The town is now working with Weston Solutions Inc., a development company that has in turn been working with the potential developer of the assisted living center.
Weston Solutions has agreed to clean asbestos and other contaminants from the site for the assisted living center and to bring development to the entire former state school campus on a piece by piece basis.
Terry said Weston Solutions is not disclosing the name of the company that would build the assisted living center but has guaranteed that it is a major national company with experience building and running such facilities.
This project would require a building of about 180,000 square feet, which would be near the former state school administration building and Foley Field.
Full details of the project and the proposed bond issue would be released and discussed at a public hearing prior to any vote at Town Meeting.
Terry said the construction of an assisted living center would prompt potential developers of other commercial properties to work with Weston Solutions, which has recommended a mix of businesses with small residential units.
Terry said Weston Solutions has experience cleaning contaminated properties and making them available for development and has committed to spend up to $2 million cleaning the site.
The town EDIC has sold most of the property it owned with frontage on town and state roads. Terry said that to bring commercial development to the interior sections of the property the town has to spend money for roads, water, sewer and other improvements.
To keep this project moving, Terry said, the EDIC will meet weekly. It used to meet twice a month.