Schools

Massachusetts, MassBay Community College Puts Out Request for Property for New Framingham Campus

The Commonwealth, working with MassBay Communiuty College, released a request for proposal for property in downtown Framingham to be a part of the college's new campus.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through its Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, in consultation with MassBayCommunity College, put out a request for proposals for property, in a specific area of downtown Framingham today, July 23.

The request for proposals (RFP) is soliciting sale and gift offers from owners of properties on certain streets and roads in downtown Framingham, shown in the attached map.

The Commonwealth is soliciting voluntary sales and gifts only. These sales are not part of an over-all program in which all properties in a given area must be acquired, or in which all acquisitions must occur, by a certain date.

The deadline to submit a proposal is 3 p.m. on Oct. 31.

The properties will be used to create a downtown campus for Mass Bay Community College, which is currently leasing the former Farley School in Framingham.

A proposal may be submitted by a property owner, an owner’s authorized agent or representative, or a party with a binding option to acquire the property. Proposers owning several properties may submit separate sale proposals for each property, or single sale proposals for more than one property.

While it is envisioned that selected properties may in the aggregate total approximately 2 to 9 acres of land (not necessarily all contiguous), the Commonwealth and MassBay reserve the right to select proposals aggregating fewer or more acres, or to reject all proposals if deemed in the interest of the Commonwealth to do so. 

According to the RFP, published today, properties of any size may be proposed. The Commmonwealth and MassBay are "particularly interested in acquiring properties that, when combined with other desirable properties that may potentially be available for acquisition, could provide approximately 2 acres or more of land feasible for the creation of 50,000 to 100,000 or more gross square feet of needed academic program space, and parcels located within reasonable proximity to anticipated academic facilities that would be suitable for redevelopment into parking for some or all of a total of approximately 550 or more automobiles."

In June, legislators authorized $14 million for MassBay Community College to build a new campus in downtown Framingham.

That additional $14 million brings the state’s total capital contribution to $36 million for the $59 million campus project.

In October 2012, Governor Deval Patrick announced $22 million for the project.

MassBay’s new campus will be located near the downtown Framingham commuter rail station and MetroWest Regional Transit Authority bus service, benefiting students and faculty who commute to campus from other parts of the state and bringing new customers to downtown Framingham businesses, restaurants and shops. 

The new campus is expected to serve as an anchor institution for downtown Framingham and as a springboard for further economic growth in the area.

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When determining which properties to accept under the RFP, its stated price is important. But other facts that would be considered are location, size, redevelopment qualities and anticipated time required to render the property useable by MassBay for needed academic and/or parking purposes. 

The college is currently leasing space in the former Farley School on Flagg Drive across from McCarthy Elementary School and next to Fuller Middle School in Framingham, as a secondary campus. It has a main campus in Wellesley and another smaller campus in Ashland.

Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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