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The city is teeing up a plan to turn part of a public golf course into the largest industrial development in New Bedford since the mid-20th century.
It’s the second shot in three years at engaging private business to buy and transform the southwest portion of the Whaling City Golf Course into a research and manufacturing center. The project has the potential to generate about 1,000 jobs and $2 million a year in city property taxes, city officials said. It could also include businesses open to the public, from child care to gyms to restaurants.
The new plan has been revised to cut city costs and suit a changing real estate market.
“The goal is to put in place a foundation for long-term economic growth that advances the interests of all stakeholders — taxpayers who need relief, a golf community who wants to continue to enjoy an important recreational facility, and future park businesses and their employees,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said in a letter to the City Council attached to the request for proposals from prospective developers.
The council was scheduled to formally receive the plan at its meeting Thursday night, and was expected to hand it to its Committee on City Property, which is made up of all 11 councilors. The committee has the authority to approve the plan for consideration by potential investors.
Ward 2 Councilor Maria Giesta, who heads that committee, said early Thursday that to give councilors time to review the material, it looks like the earliest the committee could consider the proposal would be in March. The administration had set a tentative date next month for posting the approved plan.
The request for proposals, or RFP, for an “advanced manufacturing campus” shows that the chief business is meant to be research and development, laboratories and biotechnology. “Advanced” or “clean” manufacturing means work that does not demand heavy physical labor or expose employees to hazardous materials, said Derek Santos, executive director of the New Bedford Economic Development Council.
These operations would be supported by other potential enterprises, including child care, gyms, brew pubs, distilleries, restaurants, retail stores and medical offices — encompassing 95 acres and 995,000 square feet when fully built.
Santos said it’s the largest industrial project in the city since the New Bedford Business Park — more than 10 times the land involved in this venture — was built in the North End in the 1950s and ’60s.
Councilor Shawn Oliver, who represents Ward 3, where the golf course is located, said he supports the proposal. He said on Tuesday that he likes the greater flexibility in this version, which invites more than one developer, offers pieces of the site for different-sized projects, and is meant to resolve complications that may have discouraged investors three years ago.
“I think this is going to be a little more dynamic,” Oliver said. “If you say you just want 10 acres, that’s going to be something we can accommodate … We have to grow our commercial tax base, and this is a way to do that.”
The 2022 proposal and the new plan
Some 70 prospective developers looked at the earlier proposal, which called for one “master developer” to take on the whole site. In the end there were no buyers.
Since then, several city departments, the New Bedford Economic Development Council and MassDevelopment, a state agency, have been working on a new RFP, tailored to a commercial real estate market that has cooled since the first proposal was drafted and posted.
The effort included putting out a “request for interest,” meant to raise awareness that the project was in the works, and get comments from potential developers on how to improve a draft proposal, Santos said.
The RFP offers 95 acres of the 275-acre golf course, a section off Hathaway Road, just north of I-195. Buildings would stand on 73 acres, and most of the rest would be roadway.
The remaining portion of the golf course would still have 18 holes, but three would have to be moved. The earlier proposal did not guarantee sustaining an 18-hole course, and put more of the onus on the developer to handle the course and the clubhouse.
According to a summary drafted by the city, MassDevelopment, and the Economic Development Council, the city’s costs are projected as $6 million to $7.5 million for repairing the clubhouse and moving the three golf holes. That compares to $10.9 million projected under the earlier proposal, including the price of keeping 18 golf holes.
Neil Mello, the mayor’s chief of staff, said the city would cover its costs with borrowing that would be paid off quicker than a typical municipal bond by using proceeds from selling the land.
The cost of parking expansion and improvements, building the entrance and access road, and installing underground utilities is expected to be paid with a grant under the state MassWorks Infrastructure Program. Mello said it’s hard to put a reliable figure on that cost, as the design has not begun, but he said it’s safe to assume it would be more than $10 million.
On this RFP so far, the city has spent $55,000 on a market study by a Boston consulting firm. A fee of $37,500 for a report by a Boston engineering firm was covered with a state grant.
The city is counting on the project to create more than 1,000 new jobs, but just how many won’t be clear until proposals come in and the city chooses developers. The summary shows a project of 995,000 square feet built in two phases.
The summary shows that under the current commercial property tax rate, the fully developed project would generate more than $2 million in annual taxes and $700,000 in one-time permit fees.
Some diagrams of the project now show buildable portions of the site divided into five chunks of land ranging from 7 to 21 acres, but those figures are tentative, Santos said. He said the city wants to see developers’ proposals, and is not setting strict upper and lower size limits now.
While housing is not included in the list of potential uses in the project, or in the zoning ordinance adopted in connection with it, Santos said that is not ruled out.
Traffic questions and land preservation
The nearest residential neighborhoods are on the other sides of the two major roadways next to the golf course: I-195 to the south and Route 140 to the east.
Still, Oliver, the ward councilor, figures area residents will be concerned about the potential for more traffic on Hathaway Road, which is notorious for backups in the late-afternoon rush hour. He said the project could help draw state attention to the need to do something to relieve congestion on that road.
The concern was raised when Oliver ran for the council seat in a special election in February 2023, and he expects to hear more about it at a regular ward meeting at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Feb. 12.
Whatever the potential objections, Santos and Mello said the site has been considered a desirable spot for possible development for decades. That’s due partly to the location: close to two highways, next to a rail line and about a mile from the New Bedford Regional Airport.
A number of proposals have been discussed over the years, almost since the course opened in 1947, but this is the furthest any effort has advanced so far, Santos said.
Mello said one significant hurdle was meeting the open space land preservation requirement of the state constitution. Under that article, this project could not be built on the golf course unless an equivalent amount of open land not already under conservation restrictions could be found and placed under protection with state approval.
An area of open land fitting the bill was found in Dartmouth, next to the Woodcock Rifle Range off Woodcock Road. Mello said the preserve would be managed by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust.
The city hopes to post the RFP on a web site devoted to government projects and procurement by Feb. 20, and award the first proposals by April 30.
Email reporter Arthur Hirsch at ahirsch@newbedfordlight.org.
There is no shortage of land that could be used for an industrial park . But there is a shortage of green space in New Bedford. Lets not take green space and pave it. Bad idea , have we not learned anything . Turn brownfields into into industrial. The industrial park in north end still has room and empty buildings .
It’s good to try to find a better use for some of the space at the golf course but this sounds like the first idea that came up five minutes into the first meeting and then they never went beyond that.
Everybody sees money from taxes. What about quality of life? We are in a drought! We are polluting our fresh and saltwater! Unless we have a courageous and accurate assessment on our waters limits, we are endangering the future quality of life for our citizens by overdeveloping!
I’d be willing to bet that multiple developers, whether that number is 3 or more will expect the *Ten Year Tax Increment Financing” deal that other existing industrial, and large commercial businesses requested when expanding their existing building with an addition, or others who would expect property tax relief to relocate there, and just like that, the $1.0 to 1.5 Million Dollars in annual property tax revenue be closer to $500,000 – $750,000 dollars and would turn a great concept into tough reality. There are so many suburbs of New Bedford with lower tax rates, additional space for future expansion, and flexibility on building design, like Fall River that can offer far more for lower tax rates and building restrictions.
I’m hoping New Bedford wins though, anything is better than more affordable housing.
good to know we don’t need more housing.
There is an accompanying story on “Light” about water quality and Oyster farming that is directly related to overdevelopment issues like this!
How is land in Dartmouth going to replace deeded recreational land for the people of New Bedford? Sad and SHAMEFUL move by people who are in positions with political powers they shouldn’t have. Good luck finding the financial backing after a cost analysis is done.
Another proposed project that will contribute to the pollution of our water shed system. A large area of wetlands lies just below to the west as well as the river that runs from the Acushnet Cedar swamp reservation, thru the airport, under 195 and rt.6 and down near the town wells in Dartmouth. An area that should be protected not developed and polluted. Just look at all the other brownfield and contaminated sights in New Bedford. That’s why this area should continue to be protected by the conservation restriction.
Money, money, money! There has to be available space affordable? Towns and cities are moving away from malls and one-stop-shopping environments. Evaluate what we have and not have! Once you lose and use green space there is no going back. Coffee, distilleries, daycare going out and tradition and downtowns are “back in style”!