NORTHAMPTON – The city on Monday launched an online portal featuring data on the economic health of downtown.
Included on the page is an inventory of the number of businesses in various categories, a list of businesses that have opened or closed in the last year, a count of vacant storefronts and a comparision of average retail rents paid in Northampton and other communities.
The data was compiled by Terry Masterson, the city’s economic development director.
“These measures are important ways for us to work towards improving the attractiveness and vitality of our downtown,” reads the introductory statement on the portal.
The data will be updated annually, according to the website, which can be found at http://ma-northampton.civicplus.com/985/Downtown-Northampton-Economic-Indicators.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com