Downtown Pittsfield Inc.'s Rebecca Brien, Nicholas Russo of the Pittsfield Community Design Center and TDI Fellow Julie Copoulos talk to the gathering about possibilities for enhancing public spaces downtown.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — This spring, Dunham Mall will be subject to a $70,000 effort to restore the corridor to its glory days.
Community members got a look at the project and weighed in on downtown needs during a community feedback night at Hot Plate Brewing Co. on Wednesday. Burbank Place, located across the street, is also an area of focus.
"If we can highlight some of the infrastructural features that we have here by lighting the way and guiding people around downtown, we feel like that might be a real asset," TDI Fellow Julie Copoulos explained.
"Some of the things that we were thinking about: lighting, planting, seating, and programming that supports our businesses, recreation, and our pedestrians. We want to enhance better networks for people to walk around downtown and parking accessibility."
Through MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative, the project has secured $52,000 of that goal through a $35,000 Commonwealth Places grant, $15,000 from Pittsfield Beautiful, and $2,000 from NBT Bank's partnership with the Let It Shine! public art program.
A fundraiser will be launched in March to fill — or exceed— the $18,000 gap, as the $35,000 state grant needs to be matched by the community.
Downtown Pittsfield became a TDI district a couple of years ago after the initiative was successfully applied to Tyler Street. Working with the Pittsfield Community Design Center and Downtown Pittsfield, the planners are soliciting feedback, as they are on a tight schedule before a design is subject to public vote.
TDI concentrates economic development activities, resources, and investments within designated neighborhood areas for a term of two to four years. The districts are mixed-use with a commercial component, compact, and defined by a walkable, dense physical environment.
The brewery was packed with attendees, most of whom were downtown and city residents based on a poll taken during the event.
"We're hoping installation will begin as soon as May of 2024. This $70,000, we're hoping to do a pretty quick installation. Some elements of that we're hoping could be permanent, hopefully will be permanent, and will also work future iterations of this space and then in June of 2024, we want it to be active," Copoulos said.
"The goal of this grant is to really activate spaces quickly and make them accessible. encourage our communities to think about how we can use space differently and how we can activate our public spaces."
Dunham Mall, located next to the Agricultural Building, connects North Street to City Hall through a lighted, paved pathway. In its heyday, it included art installations and a fountain that children could play in. Burbank Place connects North Street to the McKay Street garage, which is significant when talking about parking issues downtown.
Nicholas Russo, founder of the independent Pittsfield Community Design Center, showed examples of what these spaces could be, using images from New York cities such as Albany and Schenectady, and Hartford, Conn.
Some questions he asked community members to consider were: What do we have to work with right now? What are the strengths and what needs to be better? How does the space work in different seasons? How can we play off the existing architecture?
"The architecture along the way is very unique for Pittsfield," Russo said. "We have the beautiful First Aggy Bank building, we've got the Dunham Block, we've got City Hall kind of framing the back of it. How can we play off that architecture maybe to tell the story of Pittsfield?"
He pointed to Downtown Pittsfield's First Fridays pop-up markets that were held in Dunham Mall last year and asked attendees also to consider how the space can be used for events.
Through a poll, community members identified items that they would like to see in the corridors. Food trucks and vendors were the most popular choice with art not far behind. Other popular answers were string lights, a water feature, and seating.
Co-founder of Hot Plate Mike Dell'Aquila explained that many people aren't aware of the McKay Street and First Street parking areas.
"One of the things that probably needs to coincide with any investment we're making in Burbank and Dunham Mall is just greater wayfinding and to make sure that people know that you can park and walk," he said.
"I think that's a behavior change that we need to make sure is happening at the same time that we're visiting these spaces because then I think we'll get more value out of pedestrian foot traffic."
Councilor at Large Alisa Costa asked that whatever proposals come forward, the long-term costs are considered "so that if they fall into disrepair, they don't end up staying in disrepair." Copoulos confirmed that they will be created with city partners on board.
A Boston-based firm identified opportunities for both of the corridors. It was determined that Dunham Mall could be an activated plaza and a music or event venue, as it is a pedestrian connection. Burbank Place, which has abutting dining and a movie theater, could also use plaza activation and is a pedestrian connection to McKay Street.
The feedback will be completed and a local designer will create three templates out of the ideas. The public vote will also help inform future improvements, Copoulos said.
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