Hatfield Planning Board accepts Wagner resignation, hears two West Street proposals

HATFIELD -- September 7, 2022, Hatfield Planning Board bids farewell to Bob Wagner and fields two West Street development pitches. Chair Stephanie Slysz accepted Wagner's resignation, effective September 8, after more than a decade on the board; a former member publicly credited Wagner with spearheading the town's Community Preservation Act and preserving farmland through the Agricultural Commission. The board heard an informal presentation from engineer Jeff Choir of the Berkshire Design Group on a proposed three-story, 35-room boutique hotel at 16 West Street, with Slysz flagging the town's unused Transfer of Development Rights bylaw as a potential tool before formal submittal. A second presentation from Ellie Stiebel and a principal identified as Frank outlined a 73-acre mixed-use project at 99 West Street combining a 72,000-square-foot Stiebel Eltron light assembly facility with a public dog park, disc golf course, and a restored tobacco barn to be managed by a planned 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The board approved the August 3 minutes unanimously and adjourned at 7:12 p.m., with Wagner making the final motion.