Mountain Farms Mall proposes to knock down and replace two free-standing buildings

HADLEY — The Mountain Farms Mall proposes to knock down two free-standing buildings and construct new ones with more than double the space.



Andrew T. Manning, engineer on the project representing Mountain Farms Mall, told Hadley Planning Board members Tuesday that the mall’s owners, W.S. Development of Chestnut Hill, intended to knock down the former Burger King and Florence Savings Bank buildings near the intersection of Russell and South Maple streets and replace them with two larger structures.



He said he could not discuss prospective tenants for the new buildings because he did not know who they might be.



The new buildings will each be 11,000 square feet compared to the total 9,000 square feet of the two existing structures, Manning said.



After traffic and parking analyses for the site, there may be changes in the parking layout and traffic patterns, he said.



Since the last time the property was redeveloped in 1999, the parking bylaw has been updated to require 50 feet between the road and parking areas, according to Planning Board clerk William E. Dwyer Jr.



That could mean that W.S. Development would have to alter its plan for new parking, he said.



“On a case-by-case basis, we can give relief from that, but we do not generally do that,” Dwyer added.



Planning board chairman James Maksimoski suggested Manning return to the board’s next meeting June 16 with drawings of the current and proposed parking layouts. “Then we can compare how much additional parking you are putting in,” he said.



Manning said he did not know when construction would begin on the project.



The Burger King building has been vacant since December 28. W.S. Development did not renew the lease with Burger King, restaurant manager Krystin Bauer told the Gazette that month.



The Florence Savings Bank moved to 377 Russell St. last fall.



W.S. Development acquired the Mountain Farms Mall property, once referred to as the “dead mall,” in 1997. That company reshaped the shopping center, which now includes Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Panera Bread, Famous Footwear, Eastern Mountain Sports, Old Navy, Michael’s Crafts, Mashall’s Planet Fitness and Dave’s Soda and Pet City.



Since 1997, little has changed with the several detached buildings on the site, which had included Burger King and Florence Savings Bank along with Manny’s TV and Appliance, Vision Showcase and Kentucky Fried Chicken.



Dave Eisenstadter can be reached at deisen@gazettenet.com.





