Comments, ideas needed for Holyoke urban renewal plan

Date: 2/9/2011

Feb. 9, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

HOLYOKE — First, there was a Vision Plan developed by residents of Churchill, Downtown, South Holyoke and Flats neighborhoods. Now, the Office of Planning and Development is asking residents to participate in another round of meetings to further develop an urban renewal plan.

The meeting schedule, which has been altered due to the recent winter storms, will be starting with a session for residents of the Churchill neighborhood on Feb. 16 at the Wistariahurst Museum. The Downtown meeting will be at the War Memorial on Feb. 17 and the dates for the South Holyoke and Flats meetings have yet to be determined.

All of the meetings will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Kathy Anderson, director of the Office of Planning and Development, explained to Reminder Publications the meetings are open to all Holyoke residents. She hopes that people who either live, work or are familiar with these neighborhoods come to a meeting with their ideas.

She said the visioning meetings developed a number of broad goals for these sections of the city, including: promote private investment and bring new jobs to the areas; improve the housing stock; rehabilitate buildings and deal with blight; create sustainable communities; increase the tax base; and improve the quality of life.

This new round of meetings is to add some "physical nuts and bolts" to the vision goals. Anderson noted examples such as what buildings are problems and which ones could be repaired. Adequate park space close enough to housing is another issue.

She said an announcement on the location and times of the last two meetings will be made shortly.