Old yarn mill at Globe Corners gets OK to become apartments in $20 million rehab project
FALL RIVER — After the March 20 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, project developers, engineers and architects working on the rehab of Globe Yarn Mill at 460 Globe St. celebrated the approval of 89 new market-rate apartments.
Edd Hamzanlui, founder of MassCan Capital LLC, a housing development and consulting firm, will convert the 'underutilized' mill building 'in disrepair' said Katie Enright, an engineer of Chelmsford-based Howard Stein Hudson who represented the project before the zoning board during the meeting. The mill, which currently houses a billiards club and flea market, is slated to be transformed into four studio apartments, 57 one-bedroom units, and 28 two-bedroom units.
Additionally, the redevelopment was approved for a special permit to reduce the number of parking spaces required by zoning bylaws, a reduction in width of the parking aisle to 20 feet with side parking, and a parking setback from a property line requirement. All other travel aisles match with curb cuts and strike a width of 22 feet.
The 74,000-square-foot mill falls in a commercial mill and housing overlay zone.
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Despite an approval for a special permit to skirt parking requirements, the development is keeping with a one-to-one unit-to-parking-space ratio, said Enright. MassCan Capital is looking to fully repurpose the building, stripe the surrounding lot for parking, and ensure the property is ADA-compliant and accessible.
Enright said Hamzanlui's team plans to create 'pervious' surfaces and landscaping that will help to break up paved surfaces and could supplement with drainage. Improving 'pedestrian connectivity' from Globe to Griffin streets, Enright said, is a project objective. A loading area and enclosed dumpster will be included at the site.
'We're also planning to excavate an area,' Enright said, mentioning a buried wall that needs to be dug out at the base of the mill.
To Enright, 'we're down about 270,000 units' to accommodate the demand for housing in Massachusetts. Most abutters in the area are small businesses, like Vanson Leathers and Ecin Industries.
'We are surrounded by business in this area,' she added.
Hamzanlui told the board that construction is scheduled to take place in spring of 2026.
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The residential units will be lumped to other portions of the mill by 'attachments' that will require 'alterations,' Hamzanlui said in response to Chairman Joseph Pereira's questioning.
Towers in other portions of the mill are 'not in a good shape,' and may need to be taken down, Hamzanlui said, since developers aim to avoid liabilities during construction. He said the towers would not be torn down without consulting the city Historical Commission first.
Fall River's Director of Engineering and City Planning Daniel Aguiar reported that Hamzanlui and his consultants have been amenable to various stipulations set forth by the city regarding mill development.
Aguiar said with each mill redevelopment project, 'we learn more on each one about things we can improve on,' saying the petition before the board was 'thoughtfully done.'
Executive Vice President of Bristol County Economic Development Consultants Ken Fiola submitted a letter in support of the project, remarking on the Globe Yarn Mills' historic significance since 1891, including the mention of federal- and state-approved historic tax credits to adapt the property while maintaining its historic character as a landmark in Fall River's South End.
Fiola said he expects the well-timed and much-needed development 'in a deeply distressed Census tract area' will allow the building to 'endure for another hundred years of occupancy.'
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River mill gets green light for 89 market rate units coming 2027
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