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Date: 7/7/2021
EAST LONGMEADOW – Early ideas for how to improve business in the northern section of town were presented to the Planning Board on June 22. The ideas are the preliminary result of the Local Rapid Recovery Project (LRRP), a program designed to help municipalities generate projects to bounce back from the impacts of the pandemic on businesses.
LRRP is a program launched by the Baker-Polito Administration earlier this year. It matched 125 municipalities with consultants, such as the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), to create “shovel-ready” projects that are ready to put into action when funding becomes available.
Lori Tanner, economic development manager with the PVPC, explained to the board that the focus area in town is the section of North Main Street/Route 83, from Harkness Avenue to the Springfield city line. Director of Planning and Community Development Bethany Yeo previously told Reminder Publishing that the town had chosen this area to address the smaller businesses that populate that part of Route 83, rather than the larger businesses in other areas of town. Municipal officials and consultants walked the focus area in April and distributed a survey to business owners to see how they have been impacted.
Tanner identified needed improvements to sidewalks and crosswalks. She said there are businesses with no curbing or sidewalks in front of the parking lots, creating a danger to pedestrians.
She acknowledged, “Properties are right up against the street, there’s very limited space and they need their own parking. It’s a tough situation.”
Many of the 550 parking spaces within the corridor are in the rear of businesses. This, combined with a large number of side streets off of that part of North Main Street, lead to cars frequently turning and an increased possibility of accidents.
Other opportunities for improvements include lighting on the street, at businesses and at bus stops, which she said could also use shelters and benches. A lack of adequate lighting is “deterring pedestrians at night,” Tanner said. She also cited opportunities for more trees and access for biking and pedestrians.
For the businesses, Tanner stated, “visible impacts are small, but there have been unquantifiable losses.” Some examples include two restaurants that delayed opening their doors during the pandemic and another one that had the unexpected investment of adding a deck to accommodate outdoor dining. Fortunately, Tanner said, no businesses seemed to have permanently closed their doors during the year and a half of public safety restrictions. Of the sector’s 42 storefronts, only one is vacant.
The area has the benefit of several destination businesses that drive customer traffic, including Kelly Fradet, East Longmeadow Animal Hospital, Century Fitness and Competitive Edge Ski & Bike. People also pass by through the area on their way to other parts of town.
Some of the possible ideas for increasing the post-pandemic success of businesses include creating commercial destinations with themed marketing, such as highlighting the several beauty and spa businesses or the restaurants there. Tanner also suggested a business attraction and retention program and cited bringing pop-ups to vacant retail space, particularly the Vegetable & Fruit Bin lot.
To attract people to the area, Tanner proposed making a walking and dining district by temporarily closing off side streets, hosting outdoor multi-business events and creating community art or displaying temporary art in parking lots. She said that improving the town’s infrastructure, namely sidewalks, crosswalks and bus stops, will encourage walking traffic.
The Planning Board offered feedback and suggestions. For contacts in the local art community, Vice Chair George Kingston pointed Tanner toward the Norcross House Board of Directors. Chair Russell Denver recommended that improving infrastructure be a priority so people feel comfortable walking through the area. He also encouraged the PVPC and Yeo to consider facade grants for buildings in the focus sector. Yeo told Denver that she is seeking Shared Street grants to address updates to crosswalks and street infrastructure.
“I don’t see what any of this has to do with recovery from [COVID-19], first of all,” said Planning Board member Peter Punderson. He acknowledged that the north end of Route 83 needs updating, but pointed out that adding sidewalks and street lights involve long-range, expensive plans – the opposite of the “rapid” recovery mission.
“I’m all for public safety,” Punderson said. “If you’re going to paint lines, that’s great. If you’re looking at sidewalks, it’s a real deep project that requires a lot of money, a lot of state funding.” As far as the commercial recovery, he said, “I think the businesses pretty much thrived down there.” He walked that statement back, stating that the restaurants were hurting financially and helping businesses was a good idea, but he didn’t think they should focus on improving “the look of the town.”
The next steps for LRRP are to narrow down the list of projects, host meetings with stakeholders and businesses, and finalize the project details. The program ends on Sept. 15 and the town will receive five project packets with detailed information for grant applications as funding becomes available.