Palmer, Energy Thorndike Mill Re-Use Project

Design Challenge: To create a vibrant, sustainable village center, with a main focus on the Energy Thorndike Site and the adjacent parcels.

Located in Hampden County in western Massachusetts, the Town of Palmer is relatively small community with a population of 13,300. Historically, Palmer was settled as a farming community but throughout the 19th century it grew into a manufacturing center, as the three largest rivers attracted what would inevitably become bustling textile mills. Together, with the establishment of the railroad, these mills flourished into town centers, and are the reason that today Palmer is comprised of four separate villages. Three of them, namely Bondsville, Three Rivers, and Thorndike were established as direct outgrowths of the textile mills. Depot Village, the largest and most commercially active of the three developed as a major transportation center supporting five main railroads and two trolley lines.

Over the years, the large industries have been replaced by many smaller industrial and commercial enterprises as the mills eventually closed or were destroyed. As a result, Palmer has transitioned from a river/rail economic and transportation-based system to one that is dependent on the Interstate. Besides the main arterial access of Exit 8 off the Massachusetts Turnpike, auto travelers regularly navigate four main routes, namely Routes 32, 181, 67 (north/south orientation) and Route 20 east to west.

Although Palmer is relatively small in population and rural in nature, the town took on a city form of government in 2003. The governing body, made up of a nine-member town council, assisted by a town manager, has replaced the open town meeting/select board form of government. The demographics of Palmer resemble the town’s manufacturing past, as it is still primarily a blue-collar community. The average family income is below that of the region, and is understandable when statistics reveal that less than 15% of the community has received a degree of higher education.

Thorndike Village

The Village of Thorndike is the smallest of the four villages, and today is the most residential in composition. Of the three former mill villages, Thorndike is the only village with the granite mill buildings still standing, which in turn gives them substantial historical importance to the town. Emphasizing the significance for redevelopment of the mills is their relationship to the Village of Thorndike as a whole. Historically, the two Thorndike mills (upper and lower mills) were central to the village’s orientation as it was a major employer for the entire region. “Pictorial Palmer” a documentation of Palmer published in 1896 stated that Thorndike Company mills, known as No. 1 and No. 2, employed about 600 hands. Even after the loss of the textile industry, manufacturing was still central to the economy. At its prime, Diamond International, a company specializing in the manufacturing of paper-based egg cartons employed nearly 200 people from the mid to late 1900’s. The surrounding village center was also vibrantly active during this time, as it contained three variety markets, a café/tavern, an ice cream shop, post office, churches, and a grade school. However, the affluence of the village declined as the mill’s prosperity slowed. This economic decline quickened when the upper mill burned to the ground around 1985 followed by the closing of the lower mill in 1989. Today the bakery, a liquor store, post office, and a small pub are all that remain. The abandoned mill buildings sat vacant until their relatively recent purchase by Energy Thorndike, Inc. in 2004.

The Ware River centrally loops through the village and is the alignment along which the rail follows at it enters and exits Thorndike. The main access roads through the village center are Church and Main Streets. High and Commercial (suitably named as it was the hub of business district) Streets traverse the opposing side of the river. There are two state highways passing through Thorndike. Route 181 traverses over the Ware River at western edge of the village and Route 32 passes through the eastern side of the village within ¼ mile of the subject site.

The Site

The Energy Thorndike mill property (formerly known as No. 2 mill, and more recently Cascade Diamond) is 5 acres in size and zoned for mixed industrial uses. It is located adjacent to the Village Center of Thorndike, serviced by town water and sewer and sits on the public transportation route. It is proximal to active rail lines, Routes 181 and 32, as well as the Massachusetts Turnpike. Issues for redevelopment of this site include a registered Brownfield designation, limitation of the water capacity of the Thorndike Water District, and Church Street’s difficulty in handling increased traffic numbers and/or circulation if the buildings were to become productive again.

The buildings, a mixture of stone and brick, vary in height from 2 to 6 levels and total 90,000 square feet. The original granite textile buildings were constructed circa mid 1800s, with little change occurring throughout years except the addition of a small brick storage building and metal loading dock enclosure along Church Street. Since the property was purchased in 2004, the owner has invested a significant amount of time and money in efforts to refurbish the old stone buildings. The first floor of one of the granite buildings has been renovated and is currently being used as an art studio (at no charge) by a handful of nationally acclaimed artists. The remaining buildings are vacant and under repair.

Green energy is abundant on the site as the complex is fully powered by four hydro units, with surplus energy being sold back to the grid. The landowner is interested in incorporating and expanding this type of energy, as well as utilizing other green power sources, into the redesign of his properties.

Adjacent to the No. 2 mill, there are a total of 11 parcels owned by Energy Thorndike, Inc. They range in size from 0.22 acres to 7 acres, and in all total approximately 20 acres, comprising a substantial portion of the downtown village center. Besides the mill property, only one other site has an underutilized structure on it (all that remains of the No. 1 mill). The nine remaining parcels are vacant land. All of the properties are centrally located along Church and Main Streets, and the Ware River, which further substantiates the need to evaluate the parcels as a whole to best envision how the redevelopment may adequately suit the land and community. The parcels are currently zoned for a variety of uses ranging from industrial to residential to mixed use. Furthermore, the town and the landowner have been in preliminary discussions regarding a pedestrian trail along the Ware River, as a number of the Energy Thorndike properties are significant to trail alignment and public access. The majority of the land along the river is municipally owned, with only two other small parcels, besides the Energy Thorndike land held in private ownership. The installation of this pedestrian trail would ultimately recreationally connect two of Palmer’s villages, Thorndike to Three Rivers, and is anticipated to be a popular pedestrian route.

Regional Context and Smart Growth

The 10 communities, such as Palmer, located in the in eastern portion of Hampden and Hampshire Counties in an area known as the Quaboag Hills and Quabbin, are mostly rural in character, and serve as bedroom communities to Springfield, Worcester, and Hartford, CT. This sub-region gains its name from two significant natural resources in the area, the Quabbin Reservoir, the largest body of water in Massachusetts, and the Quaboag River, which feeds into the Chicopee River watershed system.

Smart Growth Challenges

This region faces growth issues such as unplanned development that can harm the rural “small town” character many of these communities such as Palmer, embrace. Some of the key growth and development challenges this region experiences are:

• Significant growth due to the region’s proximity to major roads such as the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 84
• The threat of rapidly increasing home values
• Increased growth and lack of water and sewer lines have compromised water quality
• Loss of small town character that makes this region unique.

Smart Growth Strategies

The smart growth strategies for the Quaboag Hills and Quabbin communities should control growth while protecting rural community character and important natural resources. These strategies include:
• Adopt Open Space Residential Development or cluster development to replicate the traditional New England village land use pattern by clustering single family homes on smaller lots surrounded by public open space
• Protect and enhance mixed use town and village centers by providing small scale commercial opportunities that serve community needs in a town or village center
• Prevent pollution and protect the water supply through water supply protection overlay bylaws, stormwater bylaws, and low impact development standards
• Adopt ridgeline and hillside protection bylaws to protect the steep slopes and natural vistas prevalent in this area
• Adopt the Community Preservation Act to protect historic structures, create affordable housing, and preserve significant natural lands.

Site Specific Resources
Palmer Site Video
Town of Palmer Website: http://www.townofpalmer.com/Pages/index

About the Town of Palmer

WebDocs/aboutValley Vision 2 Plan

Valley Vision Toolbox for Palmer

Documents

Site #1 Palmer Competition Brief

Supporting Images and Documents