The College offered to purchase the “dirt lot,” a 1.27-acre Town-owned lot on 59 Water St., on April 15, with plans to build a replacement for the current Facilities Services building on Latham Street. The offer includes a $500,000 upfront payment to Town, as well as an agreement to donate $50,000 annually to Mount Greylock Regional School District over the next ten years, for a total offer of $1 million.
If its offer is accepted, the College hopes to build a three-to-four story development of approximately 30,000 square feet to house a new Facilities Services building, in addition to 170 open parking spaces. According to the College’s proposal, it would demolish the current Facilities building as part of its plans to create a new “Athletics and Wellbeing Complex.” The new fitness center would include squash courts, an ice rink, and a pool, according to the proposal.
In an all-campus email sent last Thursday, President Maud S. Mandel announced that the College’s Board of Trustees had approved the bid to construct a new Facilities Services building and parking garage. “Both uses would be necessary ‘enabling’ projects for our anticipated long-term renewal of athletics and recreation facilities,” Mandel wrote in the email.
The Town has long grappled with what to do with the lot. According to Williamstown Community Development Director Andrew Groff, the space was home to the Town’s Department of Public Works building until the 1990s. Since then, the Town has issued several Requests for Proposals (RFPs), which are documents that solicit proposals for developing the lot from Town and other community members. “The Town has issued a number of RFPs over the years for the parcel,” Groff wrote in an email to the Record. The Town issued the most recent RFP — to which the College was the only respondent — on March 11.
According to Stephanie Boyd, chair of the Williamstown Select Board, the lot previously housed a Town parking garage for public works but has been vacant for several years. In 2014, the Town proposed developing affordable housing on the property, but the Select Board rejected the idea. In a controversial move, some Select Board members even resigned in protest after the affordable housing proposal was denied. Recently, the Select Board has discussed creating a potential business development site on the property — a parcel of land set aside for future construction — that would support the businesses on Water Street.
The vacant lot, located behind Driscoll Dining Hall, was once used informally as parking for students, who could park their cars without receiving tickets.
In March 2024, the Town banned parking in the lot. The WPD announced they would tow parked cars, citing risks to public safety, such as ice, mud, and a lack of clear parking lines, which led individuals to park haphazardly.
In its proposal to buy the lot, the College argues that a new Facilities building would provide benefits to the Town as well as the College, noting that the construction of the additional parking spaces would provide more parking opportunities and improve walkability between Spring Street and Water Street. “We have been intentional in proposing an approach that is responsive to the Town’s needs and emphasizes our commitment to responsible, long-term stewardship of the Site,” the proposal states.
In response to the College’s bid, the town manager will select a review committee that will make a recommendation to the Select Board on whether to accept the College’s bid, Groff told the Record. This is the first time that the College has submitted an offer for the dirt lot. In deliberation on the College’s bid, the Select Board will then thoroughly review the College’s proposal, evaluating both its short-term and long-term implications, including community benefits, according to Boyd.
