WESTFORD — Residents were recently invited to share their thoughts on potential ideas for the redevelopment of the Graniteville neighborhood.
Westford’s Land Use Management Department in collaboration with the Northern Middlesex Council of Government held a forum to explore options for the future of the neighborhood and educate residents on 12 North Main St, a now contaminated “Brownfield” site.
What is a Brownfield? How is it redeveloped?
A brownfield is a property where the presence of potentially hazardous substances may complicate expansion, redevelopment, or reuse according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
These sites are typically abandoned and used for commercial or industrial purposes.
Westford’s key sites are currently in Phase I of NMCOG’s Environmental Site Assessment. NMCOG reviewed the past property and environmental records and inspected both sites to determine their amount of contamination.
Interviews with owners, neighbors, and past workers are also conducted during the inspection process.
“We’re hoping to incorporate all of your expertise and knowledge [from] having lived here and knowing more about the neighborhood [to] make sure that’s part of the potential redevelopment plans for these sites,” NMCOG Sustainability Planner Daniela Garcia Moreno told residents.
The key sites will enter Phase II of the Environmental Site Assessment if evidence is found for known or potential contamination. Phase II identifies chemicals of concern by testing soil and groundwater samples on the properties.
From there, a clean-up plan will be developed for the sites.
The property at 12 North Main St., the former home to Westford Anodizing, has been identified with known contaminants. This includes lead, chromium, and nickel in the soil and groundwater.
The site will be ready for reuse or redevelopment following its clean-up process.
Unlike the mill, Graniteville Materials is not considered a Brownfield. According to NMCOG it is a “key site for redevelopment.”
Previous work on 12 North Main St.
In 2020, Westford was awarded a $64,500 grant through MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, for the cleanup of the mill.
Several town employees testified to the Select Board in 2012 on the condition of the building. Employees believed that if the property continued to deteriorate, it would eventually collapse.
A Task Force was later formed in 2015 to “evaluate potential reuse scenarios for the property” and “evaluate the potential options and make a recommendation to the town for plans that would benefit the community.”
An online survey was conducted by the task force in June 2015 regarding “re-use concepts” for the mill. Options included renovating the building for residential or commercial use, renovating it into a light industrial building, or converting the land into a town park.
However, the Select Board disbanded the task force in September 2021.
Currently, the Town of Westford owns the property and has since received two additional grants for partial cleanup and remediation of the property.
A $240,000 grant was awarded by MassDevelopment in 2021 and a $500,000 federal grant was awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year.
Residents support green space, affordable housing
Two Q&As and a mapping activity were held during the event to gain an understanding of the Graniteville community’s needs.
Some expressed frustration at the lack of walking space and the dust gathered from the mill, with Westford resident Bob Waskiewicz stating that “they [Graniteville] shouldn’t have to put up with that.”
Waskiewicz added, “Everybody who lives in that area knows what I’m talking about…Everybody’s breathing in that dust. Kids, asthmatics, people with health conditions, you name it…That’s a problem that needs to be cleaned up.”
Some expressed a desire for the mill to become a space for small businesses or affordable housing. Others suggested that greenspace near its brook be preserved and turned into a park.
“It looks like it could be a really delightful spot for people to linger if we’re cleaning up for a coffee shop or a restaurant or some sort of walking space there,” Westford Sustainability Coordinator Sue Thomas said.
“We saw an opportunity to take the property from being an eyesore and make it a kind of icon for the town,” Michael Asciola, Senior Planner for Housing and Lang Use at NMCOG added.
For Graniteville Materials, residents supported the possibility of a solar panel or wind turbine system and a Recreation Center. The northern space would remain open for a potential trail system.
NMCOG plans to incorporate Graniteville residents’ ideas in their redevelopment plans.
This article was last updated on June 29, 2023.
