Two Firms Submit Redevelopment Proposals for MSH

Medfield MA

02 August, 2021

9:31 PM

Description

The following found on Town of Medfield website https://www.town.medfield.net/... Two Firms Submit Redevelopment Proposals for Medfield State Hospital MEDFIELD, MA – The Town of Medfield today received two proposals for the potential redevelopment of a portion of the iconic and architecturally significant former Medfield State Hospital, in response to the April 2021 request for development proposals released by the town's Board of Selectmen following years of planning and public discussion of the property's future. Those responding to the Request for Proposals (RFP) are, in alphabetical order, Pulte Homes of New England LLC of Westborough, an entity of PulteGroup, Inc., and Trinity Acquisitions LLC, a unit of Trinity Financial of Boston. "We are proud of the public and collaborative approach we've taken on the former Medfield State Hospital to identify and advance community goals for the redevelopment of the property," said Kristine Trierweiler, Medfield Town Administrator. "The Medfield State Hospital Development Committee will work diligently with Town Department heads and other stakeholders over the coming weeks and months to evaluate the proposals and make recommendations for consideration by the Board of Selectmen." The 87-acre property made available in the RFPs is part of the former mental health hospital closed by the Commonwealth in 2003. It is located atop a scenic hill overlooking the Charles River and was purchased by Medfield from the Commonwealth in 2014, along with 40 acres of open space south of Hospital Road that will continue to be owned by the Town. Today's receipt of proposals is the latest step in a lengthy public process since the Town acquired the property. This process has included the development of an award-winning Strategic Reuse Master Plan by the Medfield State Hospital Master Plan Committee and a Town Meeting vote to approve new zoning for mixed-use development in 2019. The Town's seven-member Development Committee is leading the Request for Proposals evaluation process on behalf of the Town, with technical support made available by MassDevelopment, the Commonwealth's economic development and finance authority. The evaluation process will include review of proposals, developer interviews, and input from the public and stakeholder organizations such as the Medfield Historic District Commission as well as Town Department heads. The evaluation process is expected to take place through the fall. If appropriate, best and final offers will be solicited before a developer is provisionally designated by the Town. As municipally owned property, any proposed disposition is subject to approval by Town Meeting vote. Remaining on the 87-acre parcel of pastoral land are 37 buildings from the late 19th and 20th centuries. Two of the buildings, not subject to the RFP, have been leased by the Town on a long-term basis to the Cultural Alliance of Medfield, a nonprofit group seeking to develop a regional Performing Arts and Education Center on the site through a private fundraising effort. The property is listed on the National and Massachusetts Registers of Historic Places and is part of the local Hospital Farm Historic District. It has been used for passive recreation by Medfield residents and many visitors since it was closed. The Town currently makes the property available for private events, including collaborating with the Coolidge Corner Theater for drive-in movies, a car show, Halloween events, and Holiday Lights events. Several movies and TV shows have used the campus for filming, including "Shutter Island." The site is surrounded by open space including parcels of agricultural land owned by the Commonwealth and recreational land owned by the Town. The Development Committee developed the RFP through a collaborative process that included opportunities for public comment. The RFP was released in April 2021. The two submitted proposals are found at: https://www.town.medfield.net/2004/Redevelopment-Proposals. The Request for Proposals is found at https://www.town.medfield.net/... The RFP references the Strategic Reuse Master Plan released in 2018 but allows for alternative proposals. The 2018 Master Plan included broad goals for the site such as addressing Medfield's housing needs, including senior and mixed-income residences; achieving reasonable and desirable economic, financial and other impacts on Medfield residents and Town government; maintaining the character and values of Medfield; and supporting the community's overall needs and interests. The Master Plan received a planning award in 2018 from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association. The Master Plan also won a national award for Outstanding Planning Initiative by the Small Town & Rural Planning Division of the American Planning Association. ABOUT MEDFIELD STATE HOSPITAL The Medfield State Hospital is a historic former psychiatric hospital campus in Medfield, MA, established in 1892 as the state's first facility built specifically for chronically ill mental patients. The campus was designed by William Pitt Wentworth and developed between 1896 and 1914. At its peak the complex included 58 buildings and had a capacity of 2,200 patients. The property and buildings were closed in April 2003, after decades of declining population. The grounds have since been reopened to the public for passive recreation from dawn to dusk while the buildings remain closed. Some of the buildings have been demolished. For more information, please go to http://www.town.medfield.net/5... . ABOUT MASSDEVELOPMENT MassDevelopment, the state's finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth. Through these collaborations MassDevelopment helps create jobs, increase the number of housing units, revitalize urban environments, and address factors limiting economic growth including transportation, energy, and infrastructure deficiencies. Under its Real Estate Technical Assistance program, MassDevelopment works with municipal officials, planners, local stakeholders, and others to address site-specific and districtwide.