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Pittsfield City Council Mostly Undecided On Walmart Proposal
By Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
07:28AM / Monday, July 11, 2016
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The City Council will be asked to approve a special permit for the project.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — For the most part, the City Council is undecided about the proposed Walmart project.
 
The Pittsfield Economic Development Agency granted Waterstone Retail a letter of intent to pursue permitting for a new Walmart Supercenter at the William Stanley Business Park. The proponents say the project will develop the largest and most complex piece of former General Electric Land. The company plans to purchase the 16.5-acre parcel for just over $1 million to construct the $30 million supercenter.
 
Proponents say the biggest benefit is the $12 million being put into the foundation, which will isolate contamination in the soil and fix up a stormwater drainage system. Further, Waterstone says between $300,000 and $500,000 will be added to the tax roles. Walmart will find a new tenant for the space it is vacating at Berkshire Crossings, and the new store will create 80 to 100 additional jobs with the addition of grocery - a grocery component cited by the developers as a need for the Morningside neighborhood because of the lack of a nearby store. Additionally, the company says some 350 construction jobs will be created during the process.
 
However, opponents say the Walmart doesn't belong on industrially zoned land, nor was the land intended to be used for retail. The effects the company has on small businesses and the future economic impacts have come into question for opponents.
 
The ultimate say over the project may come before the City Council, which will be asked to approve a special permit because of the size of the store. So far, the majority of the city councilors say they are keeping an open mind about the project and waiting for additional information.
 
Eight of the 11 city councilors responded to an e-mail sent out by iBerkshires gauging support for the project. So far, only Councilor At Large Melissa Mazzeo has opposed the project while Councilors At Large Peter White and Kathleen Amuso voiced support. The rest are undecided.
 
"I am opposed to the retail proposal at the WSBP. The fact that the retail is Walmart is even worse. The Walmart superstore will undoubtedly hurt surrounding businesses. I would like a five-year analysis of other Super Walmarts that have been built in the U.S. and what business did it help draw into a community and what business closed due to the Walmart presence," Mazzeo wrote. 
 
"I am also concerned that Waterstone is promoting mixed-use prospects, like medical offices and life science facilities, yet they are only proposing the development of the one parcel for the store. They are not developing the other sites with this project. Yet they talk about it. I also want to know why the PEDA board helped Waterstone talk with GE about changing restrictions in the consent decree that kept other proposals from building on the sites, yet now GE is allowing this use. We could have had many other interested businesses If they were helped by the PEDA board to change the decree. This sounds unethical to me. This property should not be handed over to a business that will destroy everything that we have tried to reinvent, downtown, Tyler Street, etc. I am not in favor of this at all."
 
The call for an economic analysis seems to be a common theme among the city councilors. Ward 4 Councilor Christopher Connell suggest PEDA, Waterstone and the city each chip in for the cost of an independent study.
 
"It has got to be completely independent because sometimes politics influences studies," Connell said. "It is very worthwhile. It gives us a guideline. ... If this is going to kill a business on North Street then we shouldn't vote for it."
 
Connell is leaning toward a favorable vote on the project, mainly because of Waterstone's plan to fix a contamination issue there. Connell says he was opposed to the project when it was first presented but after touring the site and speaking with PEDA officials, he believes the costs to fix the foundation are accurate and that no other entity would be willing to shoulder that cost.
 
"If a manufacturing firm comes in, how do they fund remediation? They are going to expect some type of help," Connell said, while Walmart isn't asking for funds to do it. "If somebody was going to do it, they would have done it already. ... If we are waiting for GE to come back here, we are fooling ourselves. Manufacturing firms are shying away from the Northeast because of the energy costs."
 
Amuso is also another councilor who opposed the project when it first came up - in both 2011 and 2013 - but has changed her opinion with the newest proposal. 
 
"Several years ago when this project came up, I was not in favor of this. I wanted to give the PEDA board more time to work on getting manufacturing at this site. I always said we should review everything that comes before us. Now it is several years later and there has been nothing in the manufacturing field that has come to fruition. At this time, I am in favor of this project," Amuso wrote. 
 
Amuso said her major concern is the impacts on the Morningside neighborhood, including housing values, traffic issues, noise, and environmental impacts. She believes the area does need a new shop for groceries in walking distance and she is confident that throughout the process the concerns she has will be alleviated.
 
"I think this project is a work in progress and we all need information in a timely manner to make sure we all make it the best project we can for our community," Amuso said.
 
Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Simonelli expressed similar belief that questions and concerns over the project will be answered by the company. However, he would not commit to supporting or opposing it just yet.
 
"I met with representatives from Walmart earlier this week. It was encouraging to hear what they had in mind regarding the intersection of Woodlawn and Tyler, the storm drain remediation, the clean up of the concrete pads, the job growth, and the overall scope of their project.  It is early on in the process to make any real determination whether I'm in favor or against, but I felt they were interested in what the city has to say and seemed willing to work with us," Simonelli wrote.
 
White lived in the neighborhood for years and has became one of the more vocal advocates for the project. When weighing the pros and cons, White said overall the project will do more good than harm to the neighborhood.
 
"Benefits that stand out to me are: alleviating the food desert, giving Morningside residents easier access to fresh food, having entry-level jobs closer to the city's population base (due to our city's lack of night time bus service), increasing our tax base and Waterstone paying for the foundation work, clean up, intersection redesign and stormwater remediation. This project could also create more foot and vehicle traffic to other Tyler Street and downtown businesses," White wrote.
 
"Negatives that stand out are: retail is not what we all hoped for on this site and the possible negative impact of a Super Walmart competing with existing area grocery stores. Attracting another company to redevelop this site has proven difficult and if we pass this up we may be looking at an empty lot for a long time to come and no matter what some people are not going to be happy with a Super Walmart. The area will see increased traffic."
 
He added, "I think this project could be the catalyst to other sites in the park getting tenants that meet the original expectations. I would hope that having an outside of Pittsfield developer working on the site could create the buzz we need to bring in more development. If Walmart is determined to expand and move from their current location, I think we should keep their taxes and jobs in Pittsfield. Walmart provides a price point that many people in our area need. Area residents also deserve to look at something nicer than an empty industrial lot. People have the choice to shop at Walmart or not shop at Walmart."
 
The location of the "teens parcel" is directly on the border between Wards 1 and 2. Ward 1 Councilor Lisa Tully responded to iBerkshires to set up an interview but, unfortunately, before press time we were unable to connect. We hope to have Tully's opinion on the matter in subsequent stories. However, Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi responded saying he is still keeping an open mind about it.
 
"I haven't made a decision yet on that site for retail. I will be holding several public meetings on this proposal in the Ward 2 neighborhoods. I want to hear the pros and cons from my constituents throughout this process. I also will reach out to the businesses on Tyler Street, Dalton Avenue and North Street. Traffic congestion is a concern along with the effect it could have on the small mom and pop stores nearby," Morandi wrote.  
 
"Benefits of the project would be the removal of the foundations and remediation of those parcels involved at no cost to the city or PEDA, the reconfiguration along with a traffic signal at the Tyler Street and Woodlawn Avenue intersection and the payment of 300,000 to 500,000 dollars of property taxes to the city yearly.  Among the negatives are the loss of 16.5 acres that could be used for manufacturing or industrial jobs that would be better paying jobs, traffic congestion and again the effect it could have on other businesses. It will take away the biggest chunk of land for development and leave only sites that have four acres or less of buildable land available. I am keeping an open mind on this proposal and will do my research and homework and will rely heavily on the feedback and input I receive during this process from the businesses and the ward residents."
 
The wages of Walmart employees is a concern for Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo. While the company says the average is more than $14 an hour, the company's history is one of low wages for the majority of its employees. 
 
"Walmart has a documented track record of employing people at low wages, with inconsistent weekly schedules, which ultimately forces workers to turn to public assistance in order to provide for themselves and or a family. Those program costs are subsidized by other tax payers, which in turn creates more in profits for the corporation because labor costs are at a minimum. In 2015, Walmart recorded nearly $130 million in profits for the year," Caccamo wrote.
 
But, the pros of having the site fixed up at no cost the city is a major benefit that can't go without being considered, he said. 
 
"It's appealing that a company has stepped forward and included the stormwater and foundation remediation costs into their proposal. That alone should give the developer the chance to make their presentation for consideration. Additionally, this site has been vacant for so long, that any development would like nicer the current vacant lot, that occupies such a large section of the PEDA site. It would also be nice to have a place within walking distance of the Morningside neighborhood that offers fresh produce, a pharmacy and an optometrist," Caccamo wrote.
 
As for council leadership, President Peter Marchetti said he is keeping an open mind as well while Vice President John Krol asked for more time to respond.
 
"I have mixed opinions on retail at that site. I would prefer it be manufacturing or industrial jobs but it has been more than a decade with no success," Marchetti wrote. 
 
"I need to weigh the benefits and negatives. The benefits is it satisfies a food desert and may assist people with an easier alternative to shopping. The benefit of cleaning up the property and revamping the intersection at Tyler and Dalton Avenue, the benefit of retaining tax revenue that may go to another community if denied. The negatives are potential harm to existing small businesses."
 
Ward 5 Councilor Donna Todd Rivers did not respond to iBerkshires' request.
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