Lanesborough Select Board Defers Decision on Mall Eminent Domain and JMJ Settlement

LANESBOROUGH — November 24, 2025 — Lanesborough's Select Board heard dueling redevelopment plans for the vacant former Berkshire Mall on Monday, reaching no decision and directing the matter to Town Counsel. The Baker Hill Road District, represented by attorney Mark Seegers, urged the board to form a working group to explore eminent domain of the property in partnership with Target Corporation, warning that a structural failure could leave the town with an $8 million to $10 million cleanup bill and noting that the fire suppression system is non-operational and the water tank is leaking again in violation of a 2021 court order the town itself later dismissed. JMJ Real Estate Holdings countered with a two-scenario settlement: Proposal 1 offers $1.25 million upfront, dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District through a home-rule petition, and a 10-year tax abatement capping the JMJ parcel's assessed value at $20.5 million; Proposal 2 offers roughly $700,000 with no abatement. Chair Deborah Maynard said she is "totally opposed" to the 10-year abatement and would not support Proposal 1, while indicating she prefers Proposal 2 with the payment raised to the full projected shortfall of $1.116 million. The town's financial working group clarified it modeled budget scenarios for lost road district revenue but did not endorse any settlement term JMJ presented. The board separately voted unanimously to authorize the Conservation Commission to sign a grant agreement with Berkshire Natural Resources Council and Eversource for a conservation restriction on the 630,000-dollar Farnham's Hill Reserve acquisition.