Whately Housing Committee Hires Berkshire Design Group for 268 State Road Study

WHATELY — April 6, 2026 — Whately Housing Committee votes unanimously to hire Berkshire Design Group for a feasibility study of the town-owned parcel at 268 State Road. The 4-0 vote, taken at the April 6 meeting, authorizes up to $10,500 plus reimbursable expenses for work that will include wetland delineation, soil evaluation, a full topographic survey, and concept site layouts for the roughly four-acre former restaurant site on Route 5 and 10. Committee member Jerry, who had met directly with the Northampton firm's civil engineer, Chris Chamberlain, advocated for Berkshire over two competing proposals — from Guntlow and Associates at $11,750 and R. Levesque at roughly $8,500 fully optioned — saying Berkshire's proposal reflected a more substantive initial conversation and greater vertical integration of services. The town currently has just two units on the state subsidized housing inventory against a target of ten, and the study is intended to determine whether a friendly Chapter 40B project of up to 30 units is viable on the site.