MANCHESTER — The history of Manchester’s town offices residing at 301 Depot St. will remain just that: history.
The Select Board, after hearing a consultant’s report on the positives and negatives of such a move, voted 4-0 to rule out further discussion of moving town offices back to Depot Street as a part of a proposed mixed use commercial and housing development on town-owned property.
The costs of such a move, continued support for keeping the town offices where they are, and the discovery that the base flood stage height of the parcel may be between 2½ to 4 feet higher than previously thought, all weighed in the decision.
The vote followed a presentation by consultant Joseph White on the potential for commercial and residential development on the parcel, and its potential pitfalls.
While there’s interest from at least two developers, there are also concerns about soil contamination from a previous underground fuel tank removal, and additional stormwater-related costs – floodproofing new and existing construction, and building stormwater storage and treatment as part of the plan.
White also said the consensus of town staff was that a move to Depot Street would cost more than renovating the current complex on Jeff Williams Way, would put town records at risk of flood damage – despite the constriction of a new records vault – and would undo the current advantages of having town government and public safety operations consolidated at the same site.
That said, White recommended that the board take action to clarify its position on whether town offices would be part of the mix on Depot Street, so that potential developers would know what to expect.
The motion was made by Laurie Kunz and seconded by Heidi Chamberlain. The vote was 4-0, with Greg Cutler absent.
“That takes that off the table and gives people a lot less to argue about,” Board Chairman Ivan Beattie said after the vote. “It was a valuable discussion and an opportunity that was going to present itself once.”
The potential move of town offices inspired debate since the possibility was first floated months ago.
Some said moving town offices to Depot Street would provide downtown businesses a boost and increase traffic in the town’s commercial district. Others noted a move would open up the current town office property for public service agencies – notably the Community Food Cupboard, whose operations there are bursting at the seams.
But others said the move would prove too expensive, and said it would be better and cheaper to retrofit the current town offices for heat efficiency and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
As that debate continued, town officials, working with members of the Select Board and area business and government leaders, studied the option as one way to assure a mixed-use development would have a consistent tenant.
Tuesday, former Select Board member Steve Nichols asked the board and White whether the town had considered the loss of revenue from residential rather than commercial use of the Depot Street property. While he said he’s in favor of affordable housing being built in town, Nichols asked if the Depot Street location was the only parcel considered.
“This is absolutely not the only location looked at from the town perspective,” Beattie said. “We would be very remiss if we missed the opportunity to see if it makes sense.”
Town Planning and Zoning Director Janet Hurley noted that because the town owns the parcel, it can control what gets built – an advantage it doesn’t have with private property. And Chamberlain added that the study came about because Manchester Designer Outlet’s lease with the town on the property ends next spring.
The MDO lease on the property ends on April 1. Two of the three buildings on the site are vacant.
White also recommended that the town continue its Phase II environmental site assessment to determine the how much soil contamination, apparently connected to the removal of underground fuel tanks decades ago, remains on site. He further recommended additional assessment of the base flood elevation, and the said the town should prepare a prospectus that can be presented to potential developers.
White, with the firm of White + Burke Real Estate Advisors, had previously conducted a town-commissioned market study of whether two parcels in town – the Depot Street property, and privately owned land in front of the Hampton Inn and Suites – would “pencil out” as a multi-use, multi-family housing development.
Two developers showed interested in the parcel, White said – Shires Housing, and an unnamed private developer who became interested through a local architect whom White did not name.
Shires Housing had a strong interest in doing a mixed use and mixed income development in Manchester, and liked the property. However, “With the executive director resigning, Shires has put all their new development projects on hold,” White said. “At the moment, Shires would not be a potential partner if we moved forward in the next few months.”
Shires Housing announced Wednesday that executive director Stephanie Lane had resigned, and that consultant Connie Snow would assist the board and staff while it searches for an interim director. The agency withdrew last month as developer of the former Bennington High School building on Main Street in Bennington.
Manchester used ARPA funds to retain White as a consultant on the Depot Street property, to see what it would take to relocate the town offices there.
White said the offices could fit in the westernmost of the three buildings, with an addition in the back where a new records vault would be built.
The working proposal calls for between 40 and 50 units of housing, with construction in the rear of the parcel. The first floor of the building would house parking, lifting the housing units above the base flood stage.
While many agree the town needs workforce housing for young families and people of moderate means, the potential height of the proposed development has raised concerns that it would be out of character with its surroundings.
Manchester Town Hall was previously located about where three retail buildings at 301 Depot St. now stand. It also housed the Manchester Police Department; the Manchester Fire Department and Manchester Rescue Squad (now the Northshire Rescue Squad) were in separate buildings on the property. (The old town hall building is still sitting on blocks, across the street.)
The town moved its offices to the former Mount Laurel School building in the late 1980s.
