The historic Medfield State Hospital, a former long-term care facility in Massachusetts, was built in 1896 on 425 acres using a cottage-style plan. Since being decommissioned in 2003, it has been boarded up and nearing condemnation—albeit beloved by Medfield residents for its campus, which is widely used for recreation.
The Town of Medfield, which became owner and caretaker of the property, needed a new long-term vision for the site. Trinity Financial partnered closely with VHB’s Land Development Team, which provided traffic analysis and due diligence for utilities and infrastructure needs. Trinity proposed to provide more than 300 units of housing and improved pedestrian and bicycle access and amenities, while preserving rather than demolishing the historic buildings.
The Cultural Alliance of Medfield also has plans to develop a non-profit arts center under a separate lease. VHB facilitated public meetings to communicate the project’s potential, which resulted in overwhelming support from the community. The result has been close alignment of objectives between the project team and the town. The state and local permitting process is currently anticipated to run through spring 2024, with preliminary filings made to the local Planning Board, National Parks Service, and others.
