[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6305621,"mediaKeyId","2444228-d32e4a5edfd40f90cc88cf9905e9da38","parentId",2444228,"title","HRA hears mixed progress on housing and site‑readiness work; staff pressing MassDevelopment scope on grant","audioSeconds",1490,"startMs",1975000,"endMs",3465000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2444228-d32e4a5edfd40f90cc88cf9905e9da38&start=1975&end=3465","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2444228-d32e4a5edfd40f90cc88cf9905e9da38/thumbnail_1975000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6305621/Holyoke-City/Hampden-County/Massachusetts/HRA-hears-mixed-progress-on-housing-and-sitereadiness-work-staff-pressing-MassDevelopment-scope-on-grant","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6305621-80b0d8c1632ef5d48a510dc03a130e07/orig.mp4?Expires=1774492625&Signature=leKPQSPCFgbK0mfVDNUAhUM~44NHzBfXV73P4RBIXI5M6zdGcsRhcCGswF5my7HmgfAV24rqFCC8crdN2YOxi9fa56Pkpog-E~T1P49AViNn0ZAE9tlqZTEwnPhVbAAny58esxaxMG8lf45~4dJB7xS8N~wLuanLYxli73oLgFx8n-MfEN-LNb4m78Uh4zDwwDjoteIv0j8Aysw1u-DUZttHDetvNTgq7QW3fxspD~wUPRtxl~Ue0DMk34hermOkPTPadeoOnhhv-iNqWM3IOPgTv969qxMZ24kWDzYBq9~rIhPihwS3sWi9NumQly7k~WZp-nCUVxlaKysJqie7yA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Holyoke City, MA","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Staff briefed the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority on Feb. 19 about an array of property projects and a pending site‑readiness grant scope from MassDevelopment.

On Southland Homes, staff said phase 2 is contracted and financed and is proceeding, while phase 3 remains uncertain because of HUD and federal financing changes. Staff presented a draft letter of support for Southland Homes phase 3 and the board authorized the chair to execute that letter (see \"Votes at a glance\"). Staff emphasized they intend to continue supporting Southland Homes' work regardless of federal timing and to provide boilerplate and project-specific language requested by board members.

Staff reported activity at several development sites. At the Appleton Street property (216/37 Appleton), developers have a model apartment and completed walk‑throughs with the mayor and staff; discussions continue about rail property easements and potential relocations. A developer has bifurcated a larger conversion project into phase 1 (storage/repairs) and phase 2 (historic federal-component work). Staff said the developer is evaluating demolition of certain buildings, with preliminary demolition estimates between $500,000 and $1.2 million and active engagement with the National Park Service on historic-structure processes.

Staff also described site‑readiness grant work managed by MassDevelopment, which selected Scantec to produce a scope of services. HRA staff and consultants pushed back on an early draft scope that proposed heavy public‑engagement work, arguing that prior studies and public outreach reduce the need to repeat basic engagement and that more of the grant budget should fund remediation, title work, surveys and market analysis that will make properties attractive to private investors. Staff said the draft program under discussion included a $200,000 plan component and asked the board for input on prioritizing demolition, environmental assessments, title work and targeted market analysis over repeated community surveys.

Board members asked staff to add more specific local context to the Southland letter — for example, quantifying rental demand and explaining how the project aligns with the city’s redevelopment plan. Staff said they would draft suggested language and circulate a final letter to the chair for signature. Staff also said they are awaiting a personal representative appointment in one estate that currently blocks access for environmental investigation; once appointed, staff said they will pursue an access agreement to perform environmental testing.

On the HAPCO building, staff said they will send a certified letter to the owner to open conversations about redevelopment. Multiple board members said they were dissatisfied with a MassDevelopment site‑readiness draft that repeated engagement already done and asked staff to push for more actionable scope and more funds allocated to site remediation and preparation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Holyoke Redevelopment Authority 2/19/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff told the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority on Feb. 19 that Southland Homes’ phase 2 is contracted and proceeding while phase 3 financing remains uncertain, MassDevelopment’s site‑readiness grant scope is being renegotiated to emphasize remediation and market analysis, and developers at Appleton Street and UVP sites are advancing design and demolition planning.","taxTitle","Holyoke City, Hampden County, Massachusetts","taxId",52807,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6305626,"MassDevelopment TDI team reports progress on High Street trash, BID planning and small-business grants",1718,164000,1882000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2444228-d32e4a5edfd40f90cc88cf9905e9da38&start=164&end=1882","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2444228-d32e4a5edfd40f90cc88cf9905e9da38/thumbnail_164000.jpg","/articles/6305626/Holyoke-City/Hampden-County/Massachusetts/MassDevelopment-TDI-team-reports-progress-on-High-Street-trash-BID-planning-and-small-business-grants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6305626-61816852e09229d575454f300db1f34e/orig.mp4?Expires=1774492625&Signature=WQcaQigctFEbPGB2MDj-qFajF0-HSgP8waunNO0s0G~g7DTM4qwWoNNtZe-OdnE0KuoVAfAnVSPVW26Un9RigAonCyv~6q8JgmN9LwRh3t0VXNny0jRZuEbbWYwMxsDD-8trNWX5tYvMHcNcEU5I8BqxEZPx8mTQMsO31uy2JSQnZalS7yXr3e65vTSWzx~qB6bPfwhJi2glALpRvcE8k6~pCU3-lKn4iPscfpL44twbMHH~bSqyzqBAHeQ7KVQVucVFX2dn74ZyxAXHEVcFS-HOlN4f3uUkSnFv4WCAQoKjUScOsSWDDgjxzxy1hv2I8UxO1bUU13hp3g0OG~Qebw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kevin Forte, MassDevelopment TDI project lead, told the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority on Feb. 19 that the High Street Experiment is entering a more sustainable second year focused on cleanliness, safety and targeted capital investments.

Forte said TDI’s downtown work has concentrated on basic appearance and operations, and highlighted three initiatives: a trash-can and pickup program, formation of a business improvement district (BID) and a TDI equity grant program for small storefront businesses.

\"A large focus for us has been the basics. So safety and security, cleanliness, and just the general appearance of the downtown,\" Forte said. He described TDI-financed purchases and outreach that led to placement of 18 trash cans on High Street and a once-weekly sponsored pickup service that he said has been received positively by business owners.

The TDI team also has been working with a consultant retained via the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development to design a BID. Forte said a successful BID would create a private fund, drawn from property owners and businesses in a defined area, to pay for supplemental services — for example, continuing trash pickup, landscape maintenance and events — but cautioned the legal formation process is “incredibly complicated,” requiring property-owner majorities and formal city approvals.

On TDI equity grants, Forte said the program has now put money into multiple downtown firms: \"This round we have $374,000 that were invested in 5 businesses in the downtown,\" he said, and he noted prior rounds of roughly $280,000 and $370,000 in earlier years. He said the grant program has moved under a statewide \"one-stop\" administration and that the state has allocated $1 million to the program, though how additional locally raised funds will be managed is still under discussion.

Forte said the TDI contract supporting local staff runs through Aug. 31 and that staff are preparing to leave tools and institutional knowledge in place should the state or TDI not extend local funding. \"If TDI actually ends on August 31, then that's a legacy that's gonna go into the next year,\" he said.

Board members pressed on safety and housing as related issues. The board and Forte discussed visible open-air drug activity and a transient population downtown; Forte said increasing businesses and foot traffic, together with collaboration with police and mayoral offices, are among the strategies being pursued. Board members also urged the city to consider covering the modest ongoing costs for trash pickup rather than relying on private sponsorships.

Forte said TDI has also funded landscaping, planters and tree-pit cleanup and that the program is testing small blocks of planters to evaluate maintenance needs and public response. He said several additional storefronts are in early stages of opening and that concentrated cluster growth is necessary to create sustained downtown activity.","Kevin Forte of MassDevelopment’s TDI update the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority on a three-part strategy — trash collection and streetscape work, formation of a business improvement district and a TDI equity grant program that has funded downtown storefronts — and urged local partners to sustain gains if TDI funding ends in August.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6305616,"At a glance: HRA approves minutes, backs Southland Homes Phase 3 support letter and moves to executive session",2150,1890000,4040000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2444228-d32e4a5edfd40f90cc88cf9905e9da38&start=1890&end=4040","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2444228-d32e4a5edfd40f90cc88cf9905e9da38/thumbnail_1890000.jpg","/articles/6305616/Holyoke-City/Hampden-County/Massachusetts/At-a-glance-HRA-approves-minutes-backs-Southland-Homes-Phase-3-support-letter-and-moves-to-executive-session","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6305616-920d876bb937228a05bdc99f736535b6/orig.mp4?Expires=1774492625&Signature=e3LncqWiZsWQOfF3Rb-qVCpq6unq9KhXAwn5FJ-jOXaPQrfUkvABt1gPExAZ-6wBmrmteQJmb1S9twTLMJvSk3mTl-PwRQ28k~u2uTNi66AD~lxUbPeoCgLjjY1JzMGSbhROhNJpq2oejHux5sPr-pbVWyV7CFg8A5xCvXBVaqwVNWodqLQp5JZKf0XsPmfV3nnM-zPPdhzaQkbOL03TDGH2ZcW7dIWxfzFzjREDYGdm25DJxnY0y7h7fiRJM~F31GhUxpmYUxtJtAkjWG0DiZIHE2W9B0mQr64ew5tGp01gxDeTPV-kdHlky8Gl9cFY8OB~J9t3XMAivFAewr8IFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Holyoke Redevelopment Authority on Feb. 19 recorded three formal votes during its regular session:

1) Approval of minutes: The board voted to accept the HRA meeting minutes from Jan. 22, 2025. The motion carried by roll call; the tally recorded in the meeting record was unanimous among members who voted.

2) Southland Homes support letter: The board authorized the chair to execute a letter of support to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities for Southland Homes Phase 3. Staff will draft and circulate personalized language requested by board members before the chair signs the final letter. The motion passed by roll call.

3) Adjournment into executive session: The board moved to adjourn the regular session and proceed into executive session, with no return to regular session expected. The motion passed by roll call; executive session minutes were not discussed in public.

The meeting record shows roll-call voting for each motion; the recorded tallies for each motion (as published in the meeting record) indicate approval by the members present at the time of each vote.","During its Feb. 19 meeting the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority approved the Jan. 22 minutes, authorized the chair to sign a letter of support for Southland Homes Phase 3 and voted to adjourn into executive session. All motions passed by recorded roll call.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

HRA hears mixed progress on housing and site‑readiness work; staff pressing MassDevelopment scope on grant

MassDevelopment TDI team reports progress on High Street trash, BID planning and small-business grants

At a glance: HRA approves minutes, backs Southland Homes Phase 3 support letter and moves to executive session