Designated Developer Selected For Medfield State Hospital​

Designated Developer Selected For Medfield State Hospital

Town of Medfield and Trinity Financial Enter Due Diligence; Listening Session Scheduled for April 6

The proposed redevelopment of the Medfield State Hospital took another critical step forward on March 22, 2022 with the Board of Selectmen unanimously voting to name an affiliate of Trinity Financial as the designated developer of the property. The designation, which is provisional, kicks off a period of additional due diligence for both parties ahead of a Special Town Meeting in June 2022, when voters will consider whether to approve a proposed sale.

Trinity Financial, a Boston-based developer founded in 1987, submitted a formal proposal to redevelop the property in response to the Town’s Request for Proposals (RFP) issued in April, 2021 in accordance with state laws governing the disposition of public property, M.G.L. c. 30B §16. In November of 2021, following several months of proposal evaluation, including developer interviews and opportunities for public comment by the Medfield State Hospital Development Committee, the Board of Selectmen selected Trinity’s proposal as the “most advantageous” to the Town.

Trinity proposes to purchase the campus for $2 million and develop up to 334 rental units on the site through the renovation of existing buildings using federal and state historic tax credits. The proposal would maintain the campus’ extensive open space areas and provide for continued public access to the property, while also complementing and contributing to the Cultural Arts Center proposed by the Cultural Alliance of Medfield. The proposal as submitted is generally consistent with major elements of the Town’s Strategic Reuse Master Plan for the Medfield State Hospital campus that was developed with extensive community input between 2014-2018.

With the execution of a formal Provisional Designation Agreement (PDA), Trinity has been granted greater access to the Medfield State Hospital buildings and grounds for continued evaluation of existing conditions, to conduct environmental assessments and other studies, and to further develop its proposal for the campus.

Simultaneously, the Development Committee will initiate its next phase of evaluation of the proposal, including an updated analysis of impacts and benefits to the Medfield community. Trinity’s proposal is intended to fund all of the project’s infrastructure costs as part of the construction and according to Trinity’s projections is expected to generate over $700,000 per year in net tax revenues to the Town once complete.

The PDA anticipates a Special Town Meeting to occur in June of 2022. While Trinity proposed to purchase the entire 87-acre parcel described in the RFP, the Town reserved the right to retain portions of the campus. The areas of the campus that may be sold, along with the terms of a binding Land Disposition Agreement (LDA), will be determined by the Town with Trinity prior to Special Town Meeting and a presentation to voters.

The Development Committee has scheduled an information and listening session for Wednesday, April 6 at 7 pm at the Medfield High School Library Media Center to update the public and solicit questions and comments on Trinity’s proposal. The meeting will also be accessible virtually on Zoom.

Additional meetings and information sessions, some to include representatives of Trinity Financial, will follow in the months leading up to Special Town Meeting.

“We look forward to the opportunity to meet with residents, stakeholders, and representatives of other Medfield boards and committees to discuss Trinity’s proposal, answer questions, and listen to any concerns regarding the proposal or the redevelopment process”, said Todd Trehubenko, chair of the Medfield State Hospital Development Committee.

“We are truly looking forward to working together with the Town and the Cultural Alliance of Medfield on the dynamic redevelopment of the Medfield State Hospital”, said Abby Goldenfarb, Vice President at Trinity Financial. “We are humbled by the opportunity to restore these majestic buildings and we look forward to reinvigorating the site in a way that is not only historically sensitive, but also respects the Town’s current desire for housing, arts and recreation.”

ABOUT MEDFIELD STATE HOSPITAL

The Medfield State Hospital is a historic former psychiatric hospital campus in Medfield, MA, established in 1892 as the state's first facility built specifically for chronically ill mental patients. The campus was designed by William Pitt Wentworth and developed between 1896 and 1914. At its peak the complex included 58 buildings and had a capacity of 2,200 patients. The property and buildings were closed in April 2003, after decades of declining population, and the Town purchased the property from the Commonwealth in 2014 to control future development of the site. The grounds have since been reopened to the public for passive recreation from dawn to dusk, while the buildings remain closed. Some of the buildings have since been demolished. For more information, please go tohttp://www.town.medfield.net/556/Medfield-State-Hospital-information .