NORTHAMPTON — Over coffee and sandwiches in downtown Northampton late last week during a swing through western Massachusetts, the state’s top economic development official met with local leaders to explore how millions in new state funding could boost Northampton’s arts, downtown and business growth.
State Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley spent part of Friday eating lunch with state and local officials at Familiars Coffee and Tea on Strong Avenue, followed by a tour of the soon-to-close Coca-Cola plant in the Northampton Industrial Park and a closed-door session with the Northampton business community.
The meeting centered on the 2024 Mass Leads Act — a $4 billion economic development bond bill — as well as the Mass Wins Act, an economic development bill debuted by Gov. Maura Healey on April 16 aiming to invest more than $305 million in ventures supporting business across the state, including $25 million for downtown revitalization projects.
“Downtowns all over the state are the heartbeats of energy and excitement and economic futures of these communities and Northampton is an excellent example of how you bring a downtown into the community in a way that people love and care about and make people want to live somewhere drive quality of life,” said Paley, who was appointed to his position by Healey last September.
He added that Northampton’s cultural energy, in particular, is a real strength, while noting that there’s always more opportunity. Culture and the arts are classically underfunded, which is why the state is trying to invest in both downtowns and in the arts and culture through the Mass Wins Act.
Paley was joined for lunch by Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra and City Councilor Garrick Perry, state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and other local and state officials.
After lunch, officials gathered at the Iron Horse Music Hall for a session with business owners that was closed to the press. At that meeting, according to remarks released by the mayor’s office, Sciarra thanked legislators for $1 million in LEADS funding used to support the Iron Horse renovation and reopening. She also outlined numerous downtown projects the city is currently undertaking, including the Picture Main Street redesign.
Sciarra also discussed how the city has allocated federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds after the pandemic, including distributing $400,000 for local businesses and matching $75,000 in Casino Mitigation Fund dollars with ARPA to invest in branding and digital marketing.
The mayor then highlighted some of Northampton’s current efforts to drive economic development.
“We’re pursuing infrastructure funding through the MassWorks program to support redevelopment at 33 King Street, the former probate court building, where upgraded water, sewer, and streetscape improvements will help a mixed-use project with significant new affordable housing and economic activity,” Sciarra said. “Through the Cannabis Social Equity Grant Program, more than $1.8 million has been awarded to Northampton-based entrepreneurs, and we’re eager to see those funds deployed so that work can move forward.”
Although funds from both the Mass LEADS Act and the Mass Wins Act are distributed through grants, Paley expects Northampton to be a “great beneficiary” of state investments, partly due to the city’s track record of utilizing state grant opportunities.
“Northampton has been really good at proposing projects that have been incredibly competitive in our grant programs over time. [The city has] been one of the biggest beneficiaries of our vacant storefront program, for example, because they’ve done such a great job proposing excellent projects,” Paley said. “I have little doubt Northampton will continue to be a great beneficiary of those investments through the state.”
The meeting followed Paley’s tour of the city’s Coca-Cola facility, which Sabadosa said is expected to close in the coming months. Moments before officials began eating, Sabadosa explained that the Industrial Drive facility’s future had been among the topics discussed during the lunch.
“This is about support for our downtown, keeping our businesses open, thriving — making it easier for people to start up businesses, making it easier for companies to relocate here,” Sabadosa said. “We’ve had conversations about economic development. We’ve had conversations about the arts, but we have … an industrial park that needs attention. We have venture capital that’s trying to help our local startups … how do we make Northampton not just the culture and arts destination, but how do we make Northampton a place that young people want to move to and stay?”
Comerford, too, explained that the secretary’s visit stood out to her as the Healey administration’s effort to “float all boats” when planning funding for downtown development — especially smaller cities in rural areas, such as Northampton.
Paley explained that filling vacant storefronts remains a challenge for cities like Northampton, noting that he hopes to help address unused spaces in downtown centers.
“There are so many aspects of keeping downtowns exciting and energizing, but I think those spaces that are big, spaces that don’t get utilized really challenge downtowns. They could be massive positives, but instead, they become negatives,” he said. “Trying to figure out how to bring those places back to life, to work with the owners of those spaces and the community to really re-energize them is definitely a big emphasis of what we’re trying
to do.”
