Pittsfield Economic Development Authority Transforming Site 9 Redevelopment

Roux was commissioned by the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority (PEDA) to assist with obtaining grant financing, regulatory permitting, and regulatory approvals to transform 16.5 acres of building slabs, foundations, and pavements from a former industrial transformer manufacturing facility into ready-to-develop land suitable for commercial and industrial redevelopment (Site 9). The effort began in 2018 with a Visioning and Planning Study involving various stakeholders to identify how the parcel would be redeveloped. The study included input for landscape architects and civil engineers regarding earthwork, and guidance from Roux for regulatory compliance and approvals under the existing Environmental Restriction and Easement.

The visioning and planning study undertaken by PEDA identified a mix of future uses at Site 9. Future uses include general commercial use in the northern portion of the Site opposite the residences along Tyler St. Extension, a modest passive recreational greenspace centrally located along Woodlawn Avenue, and commercial and industrial development space in the eastern and southern portions of the Site. The study also evaluated transportation and utility infrastructure that would be required to service these uses, and recommended that roadways and subsurface utilities be installed to serve those needs.

The planning study developed cost estimates to process the existing building foundations and slabs into aggregate suitable to permit the placement of new building foundations, install new utilities in clean utility corridors, and install a new marker layer and clean soil cover over the entire Site. The new protective clean soil cover and geotextile marker layer were intentionally designed to provide greater confidence and certainty that historic materials are efficiently and effectively managed. By isolating regulated soil beneath a clear demarcation layer and providing for as much as 3 feet of overlying clean fill, the cover not only simplifies future development, but provides for improved long-term stewardship of the Site.

Following the development of a cost estimate, PEDA secured approximately $10 million in funding to construct the improvements visioned in the planning study. With funding in-hand, PEDA retained SLR International Corporation (SLR) as the design engineer and Roux to provide Licensed Site Professional (LSP) services necessary to develop detailed engineering plans for municipal permitting and contractor bidding. Municipal permitting was performed in the summer of 2023 and obtained the necessary approvals required to construct the project. With municipal approval obtained, PEDA put the project out to public bid. The contract for the work was awarded to Wm. Keller and Sons Construction Company (Keller) at the end of 2023.

The project was constructed between January and October 2024. Approximately 25,000 cubic yards of concrete slabs, foundations, and pavements from the former site use were processed under a Beneficial Use Determination issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Approximately 20,000 cubic yards of useable crushed building materials were transported to the project from another PEDA site and used as general site fill under an approval issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The entire project was covered with a demarcation layer—over 50,000 cubic yards of clean granular fill and topsoil were used to provide a deep and long-lasting cover over impacted soil and crushed concrete and building materials beneath—providing safe and effective material management during redevelopment.

With the transformation of Site 9, PEDA has entered into an agreement with a local developer to begin redevelopment on the parcel.

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