Community Input on Future Use of Melrose Terrace

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions for the future life of Melrose Terrace. They came via email, mail, phone, in person, and here on ibrattleboro. Some are practical, some fanciful, some a bit tongue-in-cheek, but we asked for all ideas. There were a few that have not been included because they clearly were sarcastic comments on the process and those involved.

The ideas seemed to run on a continuum – leave it as for housing or another use to modified to active open space to natural open space to complete redevelopment. Many of the ideas blend between the categories. Many ideas are similar but all have been included because they have a slightly different approach.

Here then are the ideas put into the rough categories. This is a very long article because there were a lot of ideas. All are appreciated and postings will be made as the process goes forward and these ideas are further scrutinized. Thanks to all who participated. GREAT IDEAS AND GREAT INVOLVEMENT.

CURRENT STRUCTURES
I’d seriously love to see it remain what it is, a residential place. If possible, I’d buy and stay here. These buildings are solid and this little bend in the brook is really rather lovely.

I feel that the highest and best use for this property is what it is now, a community. It’s almost an island consisting of 8 acres and 16 buildings used as multiple dwellings. In addition there is a 4 bay maintenance garage plus an administrative building with offices and a community room.
The dwelling units are smallish, with a living room, one bedroom and a small kitchen – too small for comfortable family occupancy, but cozy for couples or individuals.

I love Melrose Terrace and enjoy visiting my friends who live there. It has a good vibe, despite and even because of the proximity of the brook. For that reason, I’d like to think it could be a place that could continue to be enjoyed. One thought that occurs to me is low rent space for artists and crafters with maybe some classroom/workshop space too. Keep it open studio so people could visit and potentially buy things. Be inclusive of all the arts and crafts as much as possible.

“Inhabit” could mean permanent living, so anything short of that might be a possibility. (The way someone renting a room for a night or two has different rules and relations with the landlord than if they had been there 30 days.)

I’d like to see some sort of co-op or land trust owning this community such that the owners are the occupants. A small grocery with a deli and a restaurant would be nice. The maintenance garage could be leased to provide income, preferably to then-existing owners as an auto repair shop or something equally useful.

Give it to the career center or shop class as a permanent hands-on learning center, to be kept up and improved by students for decades to come; the business classes can solve paying for it long-term.

Why not turn it over to be used as housing for the homeless population in the area. Even though it can’t be insured and you can’t get grants for improvements, its WAY better as is than no housing, or the basement of the Baptist Church or Morningside Shelter, or the parking garage, or a car. Families or individuals in financial straits can move into a unit and have a real home, at least until the next flood comes, which probably won’t happen too soon. But the understanding would be “no guarantees” as to how long they would be able to stay. Perhaps the HA can turn the whole thing over to Morningside Shelter to administer, thus ridding the town of any liability. Perhaps a nominal rent could be changed and the tenants would be responsible for most of the maintenance. Thus giving the tenants more “ownership” and responsibility for their home. There must be at least 50 units up there of decent, usable housing, at least for the time being. Why not let the needy people who really need a place to live use it?

A themed restaurant where you reserve a room, not just a table.

Affordable practice rooms for guitarist, drummers, and bands.

Housing for homeless.

Temporary housing for refugees

A place where young families can find affordable housing. Knowing that it is a flood plain and insurance would be an issue, it couldn’t be section 8 housing, but at least make it affordable. Maybe some kind of housing cooperative.

Short term housing for families with small children and pregnant single women.

Some sort of educational facility, lower, middle, higher, community, education, daytime and evening use (not residential).

Build over the apartments, open up the ground floor for parking (and then move the cars if flooding occurs) but the upper floors would be spared water damage.

Used for homeless housing, donate to Morningside Shelter (tearing down would be SO wasteful, not to mention, expensive.)

We are in desperate need for AFFORDABLE housing for low income people and also for seniors on a fixed income (the person then included a lot of person information which has not been included) There is not a house or apartment in Brattleboro, Hinsdale, Keene or Greenfield that is affordable for me that allows pets.

Used for transitional housing. Maybe move the shelter there and then use the various buildings as temporary housing for shelter residents. I also think setting up a Life Skills program similar to Independence Place or Cathedral Square would be an excellent use of the property. Use the main office for offices, meeting/community spaces and use the individual units for the young moms and their kids. It’d be awesome and there is such a need for a program. (SEVCA and Morningside Shelter are good with this idea)
Since there are 18 buildings and 80 units, I wonder if it could have a multiple, tiered approach. Perhaps some of the units could be for a new form of transitional housing – with different categories – with the aim of that being short term and moving on to a more self-sufficient model. Frequently I’ve noted that there are some people who do not have references especially around the emerging adult population, those 18-26, and especially those aging out of the foster care system. Perhaps a couple of buildings could be for that population. (or it could be buildings with multiple age groups represented, in order to have a community more reflective of the community at large.) I also wondered if any of the units could be developed into affordable condos, where there could be a creative rent-to buy program. Some units could be closer to market rate, with an aim of having a mixed use, mixed population, living together. And if it were possible to use a building for some fo the h9omeless population, that would be great, too.

Use it for young adults with autistic spectrum disorders and other learning disabilities who have aged out of the public school system but are still in need of life skills, social skill, job training, apprenticeships, internships, and mentors in an environment that is conducive to their sensory needs. It would be great if they could live there, too, but from the article in the Commons it sounds like housing may not be an option. I’m envisioning a self sufficient mini community where everyone could have an opportunity to develop job skills and all living skills so they can be self sufficient tax payers to the best of their ability as they hope to be. The community itself would provide jobs to sustain the community, shops offering basic needs run by and employing the community members, community members learning the skills to maintain the property, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, back office skills like bookkeeping and as community members become more proficient and capable of working in the mainstream and holding down a job for a period of time can graduate and make room for new members.

A place for billionaires to come (at high cost) to experience what it is like to be a not-rich American for a week. They get stripped of all luxury, assistants, drivers, chefs and so on as they check in. They can live off a stipend of $30 a day. The high fees fro participation pay for locals to drop yb, invite them to potlucks, and so on at great compensation. If they can last a week, they can “graduate”.

Leave as is, operated by BHA

Leave as is, dispose by sale on open market

Construct floodwall along inside of Melrose Street around north end of development. Nine buildings would be protected, seven buildings unprotected.

MODIFIED/EXISTING STRUCTURES
Remove the buildings in the worst places, leave the others for occupancy
How about taking down all walls, leaving the roof and supports, and planting a bunch of vines to create a botanical art piece? We could watch as the buildings get overgrown.

Let local artists create a spectacular mini-golf installation.

A convention and meeting hall space available to rent
the new jail, with kitchenettes for all!

A paintball playground – run around the compound and colorize it.

A location to study how floods impact buildings

Location for seamstresses, tailors, sewers, knitters, and such to work together and develop a modern line of made-here items

Tear down the buildings on the far east side that get flooded every year, they probably have mold left in them. Leave the rest for some use.
Business starter facilities, open the apartments to be larger sections.

Multiple offices or businesses of some sort

Seasonal craft shows

Art shows

Keep the buildings in the safe zone for use by elderly and handicapped.

Use buildings that are in the flood zones for storage, machinery, meeting room, etc. or remove and use as extra parking, easy to move vehicles in case of flooding. Build up stream edges and enhance border with shrubbery.

Demolish four building. Construct a floodwall along the outside of Melrose Street, around north end. Ten building would be protected, two buildings unprotected.

Demolish six buildings and construct floodwall along outside of Melrose Street at north end. Replace George F Miller Drive bridge with a longer span and higher deck bridge. Excavate area of floodway starting downstream of new bridge and continuing upstream to northern end of property. All ten remaining buildings protected.

ACTIVE OPEN SPACE
Community gardens. Even if the buildings are torn down (which seems kind of wasteful to me) you could still grow food there.

Perhaps a county botanical garden?

A park, designed to flood, with water features, bridges and stonework.

A community garden space for West B.

A bandstand with picnic grounds.

A dog park.

A campground space, with income for the town

A West Brattleboro “common” with benches, fountains,

A mini Cape Canaveral for model rocket launches

A community corn maze in fall

Outdoor ice skating pond in winter

West B Chicken Farm – free eggs for neighbors

A butterfly sanctuary

A place for town bonfires

New home of Vermont Wheel Club (bikes)

A non-farmers market – for selling everything else

A place for church picnics

Some type of agriculture

Some type of recreation

Use as example of water containment and management using natural principals – example is person who has rice paddies and his land does not become destroyed during such extreme events as Irene.

Indoor and outdoor recreation facility.

If it can’t be housing then carefully tear down the buildings and create a park (maybe a recreation center) Please do not bulldoze it all – leave the trees.

Labyrinth park: since the area is not large enough for a long walk, a park could be designed with a paved path that follows a circuitous winding route (like some monasteries have for contemplation). Pedestrians could follow the entire path for a long walk, or they could just do an outer loop. Of course trees and benches would also be part of the design.

Dog park: many town have dog parks with enclosed areas for dogs to run off leash. There could be two enclosed areas, one for smaller dogs off leash, the other for larger. A perimeter walking path could line the perimeter.

As a resident of West Bratt it can be difficult to find places to walk, other than the sidewalks of Western Ave with cars whizzing. It would be nice to have a place to walk, with or without a dog. Also it could be a nice place to walk with strollers, and for young children to ride on bikes with training wheels.

NATURAL/OPEN SPACE
A darkened space for night time star gazing

Pond

Open space, leave as a meadow.

Use for flood mitigation

Use as laboratory to study flood habits

REDEVELOPED/NEW STRUCTURES
A drive in theater for home movies. Build a big screen and get a projector; allow home movies to be shown. Rent the place out for parties and special occasions.

A quiet, large, electric vehicle go kart track park

Solar farm on stilts

Lift the buildings, build waterways beneath, create a pond-loving, water-filled community.

A new location for a Farmers Market

If I had my druthers, it’d become a zoo. A real one with elephants, giraffes, zebras and gorillas. But that’s unrealistic. It just ain’t gonna happen.

What I’d hate to see? Everything torn down and McMansions built on the land once it’s raised above flood level.

A TV or movie set. Rent it out to Hollywood for them to use as a setting for a movie or TV show. (Heck, Melrose Place already sounds a bit like the title of a good night time soap opera.)

An outer parking lot for cars when we ban driving in town

The location of the West Brattleboro monorail station

Allow it to flood and have a local cranberry bog or fishery

Brattleboro’s sculpture garden

A site for a regular local flea market

A site for a small energy plant using a series of in-stream micro generators – water moves over them and power is created.

A heliport

West B “town offices”

A mini village built on stilts

A planetarium location

A location for a Brattleboro weather station for VPR

A skatepark

A community media center, with internet connections for iBrattleboro, radio studios in West B for WVEW, and extra studio/editing space for BCTV.

West Brattleboro fairgrounds

Suboxone/Methadone/General Drug Rehab Clinic

Small Business Development Center