biz holyoke.jpg

Coldwell Banker Commercial agents David Crowley and Christina Tiemann with former mill at 195 Appleton St. their company is going to market.

(The Republican / John Suchocki)

HOLYOKE — Realtors are using the hydropower that built Holyoke's industry to market the former American thread mill on Appleton Street as a clean-power "green" industrial location.

"It would be great for biomedical manufacturing," said David Crowley, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT i n Boston who is marketing 195 Appleton St. along with Christina Tiemann. "There is a lot being done with green energy. This could be used as an indoor hydroponic farm to provide fresh tomatoes in winter, for example. There is someone doing that in Maine right now."

The 230,000-square-foot former American Thread mill has deeded water rights to the Holyoke industrial canals and a currently unused generator capable of generating 1 megawatt of power, Tiemann said. The hydroelectric plant has not run since 1993, but the guts of the infrastructure are in place deep in the bowels of the building, she said.

The American Thread mill had been put forth as a possible casino site.

The building is is across Appleton Street from the $165 million Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, and is within the city's Innovation District, an economic development plan meant to exploit opportunities created by the center.

One megawatt is enough power for 700 to 1,000 average American homes, according U.S. Department of Energy statistics.

Crowley said there is also potential for solar power installations on the roof.

Tiemann and Crowley of Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT, Boston, have been selected to exclusively market 195 Appleton St., a 230,000-square-foot brick and beam industrial "green" complex in downtown Holyoke along the city's rejuvenated canal system. The building is available for lease or sale.

"This has the potential, the potential, to be a net-zero building," Crowley said, meaning that the hydro plant could produce the same amount of energy the building would consume. "That's the real selling point, low cost power in a time when companies are looking for stability in their energy costs."

Marcos Marrero, director of planning and economic development for the city of Holyoke, said the folks behind 195 Appleton St. are not alone. Open Square developer John Aubin has long marketed Open Square, located a few blocks away, as the country’s largest zero net energy mixed-use development. Open Square generates 500 kilowatts of electricity, also using water drawn from the canals. Open Square produces more energy than it uses and feeds electricity back to the city's power grid.

The city's grid itself is also green, considering Holyoke Gas & Electric's hydro and solar operations.

"Clean energy is certainly a selling point," Marrero said. "But this property (195 Appleton St.) has a lot of selling points."

He said it's been maintained over the years, and once the second phase of the Canal Walk is finished, it will be the only property with access to both sections of that walk.

Tiemann also talked about the building's large, open interior spaces.

The building is not officially listed yet and the Realtors said they have not yet come up with a price. But it will be available for either sale or lease.

The city lists it and its 3 acres of land as assessed at $277,000. The owner is Spartan Nominee Realty Trust, which bought it in 1994, according to city records.