County communities land $5.1M in One Stop for Growth grants for variety of projects

Hampshire County is getting a $5.1 million boost through the state’s Community One Stop for Growth program that will go toward a sewer pump in Hadley; vacant storefronts in Northampton, Williamsburg and Belchertown; culvert updates, fixes to sewers, and dozens of other urgent needs throughout the region.

The Community One Stop for Growth program is a grant portal that accepts applications to 12 of the state’s most popular community-focused economic development and housing grant programs, and distributes funding under the Executive Office of Economic Development, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and MassDevelopment.

“We’re proud to be a state of strong cities and towns — made stronger by programs like the Community One Stop for Growth, which give local leaders the tools they need to strengthen their economies and improve quality of life,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement last month. “These grants will help communities build housing, lower costs, improve road safety, revitalize downtowns, create jobs and more. We can’t wait to see the impact of these investments across Massachusetts.” 

In Amherst, $70,000 has been awarded for zoning updates to the East Amherst Village Center. Belchertown received $125,000 to go toward zoning, and an additional $30,000 to address vacant business spaces downtown. The town of Chesterfield is receiving a $110,000 boost for their master plan which is already ongoing.

Easthampton received $35,000 for a second phase for new wayfinding signage downtown, and Goshen received $68,000 for a comprehensive zoning bylaw revision.

Hadley received $351,000 for pump station improvements and a connection to Amherst’s pump station, and the neighboring town of Hatfield received $96,000 for a comprehensive revision of the town’s bylaws.

While not in Hampshire County, Holyoke received funds for a variety of projects and was one of the biggest awardees in the area, receiving a total of $1.6 million.

The city received $117,000 to make an affordable housing plan, and $265,000 towards the restoration of the city’s dated sewage system.

Vacant storefronts will get a boost with a $50,000 award, and $30,000 was awarded to the city for its business improvement district. Several local businesses were also awarded with grants, including Wes’s Spot LLC, which received $80,000 to extend their kitchen, $41,000 for Train 42 LLC, OneHolyoke CDC received $40,000 for a kitchen upgrade, and $700,000 is going toward the Holyoke Hotel Apartments.

In addition, The Canal Gallery received $250,000.

The Holyoke Redevelopment Authority received $100,000 for site readiness at the 456 High Street Development Project, and the Holyoke Housing Authority received $117,000 for community planning.

Northampton received $50, 000 for the city’s vacant storefront program.

Among the infrastructure projects made possible by the grants, a total of $2.1 million was awarded to Pelham for its sewer extension project. Shutesbury was given $81,000 for homes and tertiary roads along Lake Wyola, and the Pine Island culvert in Westhampton will be fixed with $168,000.

Williamsburg received $50,000 to be used as tax breaks to fill vacant storefront and commercial properties downtown.

A grant that benefits the region was an 150,000 distribution to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission based in Springfield.

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