GREENFIELD — Members of the Zoning Board of Appeals echoed their support of the high-end machine shop looking to move its headquarters to Hope Street, granting the company a special permit on Thursday.
Rui Fernandes, president of Shaft Current Solutions, and Isaac Fleisher, an attorney representing the company, described a three-phase plan to set up a machine shop with milling machines and welding, as well as hand labor, in the basement of 14 Hope St., the building that houses the Greenfield Recorder. The Florence-based business produces shaft grounding brushes, which protect large-scale machinery — any machine with a rotating component — from creating electrical charges that can lead to limiting the effective operational life of the machine.
“A lot of work that we also do is consulting and professional services,” Fernandes added.
Regarding the scope of manufacturing, Fernandes said Shaft Current Solutions sells about 1,000 parts per year, operating with 10 employees. Though he said he hopes the company will grow, he doesn’t anticipate having more than 15 employees.
The Greenfield Recorder would remain in the building, Fleisher said, and the long-term plan is to bring in other professional office tenants. Approximately 5,000 square feet of the building will be used for newspaper offices.
The three-phase development plan — to take place over three or four years during which time the building will still be occupied — involves renovating the space to bring it up to code, increasing lighting, resolving issues with siding and roofing, and adding accessibility features such as a ramp early on, as well as potentially a chairlift at the front entrance in Phase 3.
The largest change, Fleisher said, involves tearing down what he refers to as Building C, a three-story wood frame building. The other two buildings are two-story, brick-and-mortar.
“The wood structure building is not economical to repair,” Fernandes said. “You don’t usually buy properties to tear it down.”
Building C will be demolished in Phase 1. In Phase 2, the area where the building once stood will be converted into a grass lawn that’s enclosed and accessible to employees. Depending on economic feasibility, Fernandes said a new building might be constructed there in Phase 3.
Zoning Board of Appeals Clerk Jim Winn spoke favorably of demolishing the wood frame building and adding new green spaces.
“I’m glad you’re taking down Building C,” he said. “I took a walk down there the other day — it’s bad. This is going to be a win-win situation for the city of Greenfield.”
When Fernandes and Fleisher went before the Planning Board last week, the board had suggested adding bicycle racks, which Fleisher said is “a great idea.”
“We absolutely plan on incorporating that,” he said.
Given that the building is in the Center Commercial zoning district, there are no abutting homes. Fleisher said he believes Shaft Current Solutions’ plans will have a minimal adverse impact on the surrounding area.
Karen Fritz-O’Hare, who operates Karen’s Dance Studio at 49 Bank Row, emailed the Zoning Board of Appeals to express her support. The only abutter to speak during Thursday’s meeting was Russell Pirkot, a 20-year member of All Souls Church, chair of the church’s Property Committee and its historian.
Pirkot’s concerns involved how noise from the machines might impact church services. He also said All Souls Church owns the alleyway that runs east-west between Building C and the church, and uses it to receive deliveries of food on Thursdays and Fridays, as well as to distribute Stone Soup Café’s to-go meals during the pandemic.
“We are concerned about how much traffic might be generated by this new company,” he said.
“We don’t have a whole lot of traffic in and out of our property,” Fernandes said. Mail companies like FedEx and UPS arrive, and a truck will deliver raw materials about once per month.
Fernandes also said his company has no need for the alleyway.
“From a delivery point of view, it’s not the best route. From my personal perspective, that alleyway could be closed to traffic,” he said. “I think turning it into a greenway would be an improvement.”
Regarding noise from the machine shop, Fleisher said, “Rui has described it as less than we hear from an HVAC system.”
“I suspect the noise made by this machine shop will be considerably less than the printing press used to make,” said Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Mark Maloney.
Pirkot also noted he would like access to Building C before it is demolished, as the wood frame structure formerly housed All Souls Church. Fernandes said that needs to be worked out with the building’s current owners.
The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved Shaft Current Solutions’ special permit, with the condition that any new light poles not exceed 15 feet in height and that the lights be downcast.
“I think that proposal makes sense for the community that it’s in,” said Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate Walter Boyd, saying the building is a “cornerstone” in Greenfield.
“It’s nice to see something move in to downtown,” Maloney said.
Reading correspondence from Department of Public Works Engineering Superintendent Alan Twarog, Maloney relayed that erosion sedimentation control will be necessary during the demolition of Building C, so an excavation/trench permit will be required from the DPW. Twarog’s letter also stated that the addition of green spaces will improve the area’s drainage conditions.
Greenfield Recorder Publisher Michael Moses said he is pleased with the board’s decision and is “looking forward to our partnership with the new owners.”
Reach Shelby Ashline at 413-772-0261, ext. 270 or sashline@recorder.com.
0 Response to "Machine shop gets Greenfield ZBA approval to operate on Hope Street - The Recorder"
Post a Comment