EASTHAMPTON — The first new building in the city’s downtown in nearly two decades is starting to take shape.

A 25,000-square-foot mixed-use residential and retail development is currently under construction at 47-49 Cottage St. by Five Star Building Corp. of Easthampton.

The three-story building, being developed by Harnish Patel, will include 23 one- and two-bedroom apartments — five of which are designated affordable housing units — and a commercial space that could house up to three tenants, said Kevin Perrier, CEO/president of Five Star Building Corp.

“The space is designed with the forethought that it could be assumed by one tenant or divided to accommodate three different tenants,” he said, adding the spaces for the commercial tenants have not been filled.

City Planner Jeff Bagg noted the significance of the project for Easthampton.

“From a planning perspective, looking at the downtown, (the development) will fill a gap in that section of Cottage Street and provide new commercial space and downtown housing units — both are essential to keeping the area vibrant,” he said.

In addition to the new building, the Easthampton construction firm will also create 34 parking spaces at the site, which is being referred to as Cottage Street Commons.

The project is located at the former site of Cottage Street Motors and Jim’s Package Store, buildings that were demolished last June. Patel reopened Jim’s Package at 2 Adams St. last year, while the used car dealership permanently closed.

Cottage Street Commons is also the first new development in the city’s Smart Growth Overlay District since it was established in 2009, according to Bagg. Besides Cottage Street, the district includes Main Street, Pleasant Street Mills and Union Street.

The overlay district, permitted by the state law known as Chapter 40R, requires that 20% of the district be affordable homes and allows the combination of residential, office and retail within close proximity. The program seeks to increase the housing supply and decrease its cost by increasing the amount of land zoned for dense housing.

Plans for the site have changed multiple times since the project was first proposed in 2017, Bagg said.

Initially, the Planning Board approved a proposal that included 18 apartments, four affordable housing units, and 36 parking spaces. The site plan at the time retained the former Jim’s Package Store building, which was originally built in 1965, according to assessor’s records.

The plans also called for the demolition of the Cottage Street Motors building, originally constructed in 1900.

In 2019, the board approved a plan to modify the project to include 19 units, four affordable housing units, one commercial space and 33 parking spaces. At the time, Bagg said the board conditioned a requirement that a doorway for a second storefront be incorporated for later conversion.

The 2019 plans, proposed by then-project designer Ed Sanderson of Siegfried Porth Architects, called for a portion of the former Jim’s Package Store building to remain.

Perrier said Five Star Building Corp. was brought on board in mid-2020 to redesign the proposal as it was not the most efficient use of the space. He did not disclose the cost of the development.

In addition to the building, the current project also creates a sidewalk out front, which didn’t previously exist, Bagg said.

Five Star Building Corp. has a heavy presence in the aviation industry, completing work in the past year at the Cincinnati International Airport for Delta Airlines. Locally, the company has built the Fairfield Inn in Northampton and redeveloped Easthampton properties like the Button Building on Union Street and Parsons Place apartments.

In the meantime, the project remains on schedule, said Perrier.

“We anticipate construction to be complete mid- to late-August,” he said.

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>