MONTAGUE — Discussing the future of the Farren Care Center site with town officials this week, Senior Planner Luke Mitchell of planning firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) voiced a commitment to giving Montague City “a sense of gravity.”

VHB consultants, Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey, Town Planner Maureen Pollock and members of the Montague Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (MEDIC) convened over Zoom on Wednesday to address town needs and brainstorm redevelopment ideas for the site of the former long-term care facility on Montague City Road. The property, which is undergoing demolition, will be loamed, seeded and returned to the town once debris is cleared. Considerations for future development have largely centered around the prospect of housing.

“At this point, we’re casting a wide net,” Mitchell said. “We’re just trying to get a lot of feedback.”

The firm’s involvement comes as part of the Complete Neighborhoods Initiative, a regional project Montague entered into on Feb. 13 that provides grant funding to help envision the Farren site as “a mixed-use village center,” according to the town’s proposed project scope. The encompassed Montague City District Plan will “facilitate housing production,” as well as prime the Farren property and nearby parcels for a “mixed-used, walkable neighborhood” located by a Franklin Regional Transit Authority bus stop, according to the work plan.

Mitchell said the lot could fit about 50 to 60 units of apartment-style housing, under the assumption that the complex would not be higher than five stories. He also suggested the alternative of having a cluster of small buildings with 12 units each, which might be more palatable to potential renters.

“Housing can have many faces, of course,” he stressed.

The site could also pair multiple types of housing, such as senior and affordable housing. Additionally, VHB and the town are exploring mixed-use residential development ideas that could put retail space, restaurants, offices and more into a shared complex.

“We want to hear any and every idea we can get about how we can repurpose, not only to benefit the village of Montague [City], but the town as a whole,” Mitchell said.

One idea that particularly encouraged MEDIC members was the prospect of mixed-age housing. Kim Williams hoped a new facility might attract young people and help revitalize the workforce.

“I do think this would be important to the continuation of this economy to bring young families in,” she said.

“We’re having more people retiring than young people coming in,” MEDIC member James Mussoni stressed.

Pollock said previously that she had spoken with Montague City residents about redevelopment possibilities and planned to continue these discussions. Pollock said Wednesday that she would send a letter to the property’s abutters soon, in anticipation of the next public forum so that residents may provide further input. The forum has not yet been scheduled.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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