WESTFIELD – The City Council held a public hearing on whether to grant a zone change for the former Moseley Elementary School on Dartmouth Street. The school closed at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year.
Representatives from Domus Inc, a non-profit management and housing developer, requested a zone change for the shuttered school, located at 25 Dartmouth St., from Residence B and C to all Residence C. Domus currently manages six residential properties in Westfield, including Prospect Hill Apartments, The Reed House and The Meadows.
Attorney Ellen Freyman said the property is split-zoned. The school opened in 1915 and expanded five years later. Moseley closed briefly in the early 1990s. In 2010, the City of Westfield issued a request-for-proposal (RFP) for a developer.
With no developer forthcoming, the city issued a second RFP in 2014, and selected Domus Inc., according to Freyman. The non-profit submitted a proposal for 23 affordable income residential units at Moseley.
Freyman added Domus Inc., will manage the property after renovations and maintain the properties historical characteristics. The company has entered into a purchase option agreement with the city. Rezoning the property is a critical component before the project can commence.
Two-thirds of the existing property is zoned Residence C with the remainder classified as Residence B. A complete Residence C configuration allows for high-density housing, said Freyman.
She thanked the Planning Board for their unanimous approval of the project. She offered the council letters of support from State Rep. John C. Velis (D-Westfield) and Ward 2 City Councilor Ralph Figy, The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Cindy Gaylord, who chairs the Westfield Historic Commission.
Ann Letini, executive director of Domus Inc., said the non-profit brought over $24 million of investment to the City of Westfield in the past 15 years. The sum represents costs paid out for construction, architectural services, engineers, surveyors and a slew of consultants and services.
“It was all local and that means a lot,” she said.
She added the city contributed around $975,000 in City Home Funds toward past projects led by Domus Inc. The city also committed $365,000 of Community Project Act funding for four of the housing developments.
Three Elm Street properties managed by the company are on the Massachusetts Historic registry, according to Letini. The remaining five buildings on Domus Inc’s., portfolio are considered historic, including Moseley.
“What Domus has done is renovate and re-purpose the historic value that Westfield represents,” said Letini. “so that those buildings are not torn down, ignored and re-purposed into quality, affordable housing.”
The properties are well-maintained, with little tenant turnover, she said. Domus envisions 23 units at Moseley for working-class families.
Reed House represents the oldest Dutch Colonial home in Westfield. Domus plans to purchase and renovate 48 Broad Street into ten units for homeless teens. A property on State Street will house three developmentally disabled siblings from the community.
Council President Brent B. Bean II asked Letini how Moseley Elementary ended up a split-zoned property. She said the split zone originated right after the school opened in 1914 and to accommodate nearby Princeton Street.
Letini told the council Domus pays around $52,000 annually in property taxes for five properties. She expects Moseley will generate $10,000 – $11,000 to revenue for the City of Westfield. Bean reminded his colleagues the council was only considering the zone change and not the actual project.
The public hearing remains open until the full City Council can discuss the zone change.
