A redevelopment plan for the factory space remains in the works, but about 250,000 square feet of the complex have been determined to pose “significant structural and environmental concerns to the redevelopment efforts,” according to a press release from First American Realty Inc.
HOPEDALE — After years of planning, discussion and preliminary work, a section of the old Draper factory buildings is slated for demolition.
“To be able to actually see some visible, physical change about to happen, I’m just beyond excited,” Town Administrator Diana Schindler said. “I hope that (residents) are comforted by the fact that there will be some progress, and aren’t too saddened by the loss of the historic structure itself.”
The vacant factory buildings, three stories of brick and large windows, tower over about a quarter-mile of Hopedale’s downtown. Draper Corp. was a major employer in the area from at least the early to mid-1900s, but shut down for good in 1980.
Philip Shwachman, principal of Hopedale Properties, LLC, which owns the roughly 1 million square feet of Draper property, hired the Worcester Business Development Corp. earlier this summer to come up with a plan for the site.
Worcester Business Development Corp. is responsible for several big projects in Worcester, from the 105-acre Massachusetts Biotechnology Research Park to the nearly 15-acre Mercantile Center on Front Street, to the prominently-located Central Building on Main Street. The company has also developed at least a couple of historic buildings, in Worcester and Southbridge.
A representative from the company did not return a Daily News request for comment by deadline.
A redevelopment plan for the factory space remains in the works, but about 250,000 square feet of the complex have been determined to pose “significant structural and environmental concerns to the redevelopment efforts,” according to a press release from First American Realty Inc., which is also Shwachman’s company.
Some of the buildings will be demolished within six months.
“Demolition will start either in isolated areas where the abatement had been completed, or in areas where the demolition doesn’t interfere or cause a safety concern,” Shwachman told the Daily News.
Shwachman said the affected section, seen from Hopedale Street with Atria Draper Place to one’s back, is about 300 feet long and to the left.
Residents will first see workers focused on asbestos abatement on the roof and windows, Shwachman said, which could take about three months. The interior of the buildings has already undergone extensive abatement.
“I’m just going to keep trying to stay in communication … and be open and willing to be seated at the table,” Schindler said, noting that the same strategy applies to the Grafton and Upton Railroad, a line for which runs through the heart of Hopedale. “I think the key to staying open is to try not to be too attached to specific outcomes.”
The town and Shwachman have been working off and on for years to redevelop the property. Shwachman sued Hopedale, several of its officials, and a couple of local companies involved in a town-supported renewal plan for the property two years ago, resulting in settlements.
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“I guess the town was still kind of feeling the sting, if you will, of the failure of the plan,” Schindler said.
It’s unclear what the future of the property will be. Both Shwachman and the town have hired consultants to work on development plans, which are in early stages.
Shwachman said he thinks the site could host anything from light industry to housing to retail.
“I’ve always though Hopedale could use a supermarket,” he suggested.
The intention of the redevelopment, according to First American Realty’s press release, is to ensure the two plans dovetail, and to retain the history of the town.
“We will certainly collaborate with the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission,” Shwachman said. “(We’ll) work with them so that we come up with a comprehensive plan and all the information is available to everybody.”
Both Shwachman and Schindler said they want to work together and be a part of each other’s planning processes.
“I think that, just from my perspective, we just want to be at the table as the project moves along,” Schindler said.
Hopedale is in the process of forming a board of local residents to work with the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission to help develop a master plan, which will look at the future of the whole town, but include the Draper buildings.
The Planning Commission was contracted using a $50,000 state grant, Schindler said.
The Master Planning Committee could optimistically have its first meeting on the books by the end of the month, she said.
Alison Bosma can be reached at 508-634-7582 or [email protected]. Find her on Twitter at @AlisonBosma.
