Village Hill Neighborhood, Northampton, MA

 Village Hill Neighborhood is a master planned community of commercial space, affordable housing and market rate housing at the former site of the historic Northampton State Hospital.

Phase I – Hilltop Apartments
After working on the overall Master Plan with California-based Master Planner, Peter Calthorpe & Associates, Hilltop Apartments was the first part an affordable housing component of this planned, mixed-use community, which was the beginning of the major redevelopment of the historic 1856 Northampton State Hospital complex. 

In Phase I, Marc designed and oversaw the construction of the complete renovation of two abandoned, four story, brick buildings. These buildings now house a total of 33 energy efficient affordable housing units. This substantially green and energy efficient project secured the 2007 Pioneer Valley Smart Growth Award for Mixed Use.

Phase II – Hillside Place at Village Hill
Hillside Place is comprised of 40 new units of affordable rental housing that are EnergyStar certified. The 40 units are distributed among six newly constructed buildings with a total of 40,800 square feet in a combination of town house units and flats. The design features one, two and three bedroom units; all with open floor plans. Efficient layouts, large windows to maximize natural daylighting and ventilation, as well as energy efficient construction and details make for extremely comfortable units. Green materials were used wherever possible and roof-mounted photovoltaic panels provide a portion of the electricity.

 Marc worked with a local non-profit developer to design this 38-unit, 40,000 square foot affordable housing project which is designed to be near-zero net energy. The 38 residential units and a small, single-story Community Building are distributed among seven buildings across the 4.3 acre site.

The design intent was to create a village feel for this development using a modern version of Arts and Crafts Style design. Photovoltaic panels have been added to the roofs so that the buildings can provide almost the same amount of electricity that is used to heat, cool and power all buildings over the course of a year.

Marc designed this project of 40 units of affordable senior housing within this new three-story structure which provides all the residential amenities that its tenants need. The project includes a community room, offices, laundry facilities, sun rooms and other tenant-related services. The building is oriented south for optimum solar and to create a courtyard and gardens for the tenants. The project is designed to be zero net energy capable 

As Project Architect, Marc was faced with a large, commercial parking lot with a Big Y that was demolished as a site for this 72 unit mixed income residential building. With a mix of one, two and three-bedroom units, Marc determined that the best way to make a nice living environment for the tenants was to create a peaceful, green focus and orient the building around a new park that would be bounded by the back corner of the lot and the new building. This would allow  many of the units and the community space to be wrapped around and oriented to the new park.  The building was designed to be extremely energy efficient. Marc brought this project through Conceptual Design and Schematic Design phases.

The aim of this master plan was to re-integrate the formerly isolated Jackson Parkway housing project into the neighborhood. A new mixed income neighborhood was designed that included 110 housing units, a new community building, central park and all new roads and utilities. Success depended on the synthesis of new housing with the best of the community’s existing buildings as well as the creation of a new neighborhood that provides occupants with a sense of ownership and pride. The result was a Hope VI Federal Grant award that leveraged a total of $42 million.

Churchill Neighborhood – Phase 1
The first phase of the Churchill Neighborhood was the creation of 50 units of rental housing, putting into reality the vision of the neighborhood plan with buildings that were individual in their detailing but cohesive as a part of the community. Detailing reflects the influence of surrounding traditions, with prominent front porches and gables helping to create a living streetscape. This sustainable and energy efficient project secured the 2007 Pioneer Valley Smart Growth Award for Affordable Housing.

Churchill Neighborhood – Phase 2
This project included the renovation of 39 units in a five-story existing masonry building.

Churchill Neighborhood – Community Building
The new Community Center includes daycare services for neighborhood children, as well as a Computer Learning Center, adult education classes, administrative offices for community-based and related organizations and a large public meeting room.
The Community Center is directly across the street from the new Community Park; together they act as the focal point and heart of the new community.

The former Church Street School in Ware was renovated to provide 29 apartments for seniors and the disabled. Prior to this extensive renovation, the historic Church Street School consisted of two brick buildings and a 1950’s gymnasium that connected the two structures. With the Owner's agreement, Marc decided to demolish the large gymnasium and a new, modern connector building was designed to combine the two disparate buildings into a cohesive housing complex. The new, combined building totals 40,568 square feet.

This project was awarded the 2009 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award.

The Sergeant House, originally built circa 1820, had, throughout it's history, been a single-family residence, a lodging house, a homeless shelter and an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) with 15 units, four bathrooms and one kitchen. When the local Community Development Company asked how many units with their own small kitchens and baths could fit on this small property while maintaining the historic character of the original house  at the street, Marc determined that 31 units would fit well on the site and the integrity of the historic Sergeant House could be preserved. In addition to keeping the historic integrity of the front house, the building was designed to be near-zero net energy, due to the photovoltaic system on the roof. Marc brought this project from Planning and Schematic Design through the beginning of the Construction Phase.

In 2014, Marc led a team of Architects and Interns from Dietz & Company Architects to enter a competition for an upscale condominium project on a tight site, behind an existing building in downtown Northampton. The project was to be a welcoming oasis that would provide great amenities and a modern, elegant, artisan-inspired design for downtown living. The building was to be designed for energy efficiency, comfort, and views and had to be affordable for the developer. That challenge was met by our team (with a collaborative design effort) and our building that won the competition. The developer decided to not move ahead with the project.

Phase I

The first phase of this project encompasses two city blocks and includes the complete renovation and rehabilitation of three vacant historic buildings and adding a new 4-story building that will create a total of 38 units of mixed-income housing. Tenants from The Care Center will occupy one of the buildings, which will include learning spaces and offices. Along with the residential space, Library Commons will include commercial space, support services, and cultural space for its residents. All renovations and the new building will total approximately $13,600,000 in construction costs and is slated for completion late in 2020.

Phase II

The second phase of this development includes 3 parcels of land to be comprised of three, new, three-story buildings that will include 36 units and the renovation of an existing beautiful brick and stone building to house an additional 11 units for a total of 47 units in this phase.

Three different single family High-Performance Homes, all in Western Massachusetts. 

Designed  solely by Marc Sternick, Architect.