Economic recovery plans under development ahead of grants

April 7, 2021 | Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com

The focus area for the Local Rapid Recovery Planning program in East Longmeadow.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

EAST LONGMEADOW – A group of town officials and consultants from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), clad in yellow safety vests, set off from Century Fitness and walked down North Main Street toward the Springfield city line. Along the way, they discussed potential improvements to businesses and infrastructure that could be made if funding becomes available.

The walk-through was part of the Local Rapid Recovery Planning (LRRP) program initiated by the Baker-Polito Administration. The $9.5 million program partners 125 municipalities with consultants to develop strategies to help downtown and commercial districts bounce back after the pandemic.

“Massachusetts’ downtowns and main streets drive local economic activity and provide a wide range of opportunities to residents in communities throughout the state,” said Gov. Charlie Baker in a press release. The administration has said that the program will benefit more than 15,000 small businesses.

In East Longmeadow, Director of Planning and Community Development Bethany Yeo explained that the program will involve working with businesses to identify their needs and how the town can best support them. To do this, a survey is going out to business owners and a meeting will be conducted for those stakeholders in the impacted area. The town and its consulting partner, PVPC, will be gathering information and accepting project proposals until Aug. 31. That information will be sent to the state to help inform grants coming down the line.

“The funding programs since COVID has been so fast paced, they’re trying to help small communities get their feet under them,” Yeo said.

Town Manager Mary McNally told Reminder Publishing, “It’s a goal that Bethany and I have to grow our relationship with our small businesses.” While most projects are proposed and designed when grants are announced, she said that this program is different because it will allow for the planning to be completed ahead of time and be “shovel-ready.”

“Once the communities have these projects planned out, they are ready to go when funding becomes available,” said PVPC Economic Development Manager Lori Tanner. The organization is working with eight different communities to develop similar economic recovery plans.

Yeo said that people in town may wonder why the area of Route 83 from Harkness Avenue to the edge of town was chosen. She said that they wanted to focus on smaller businesses, as opposed to other areas of East Longmeadow that contain box stores, such as the plazas near Heritage Park and Center Square. She said they are hoping to take the experience from this program and apply it to business areas in other parts of town.

Share this: