Designs on Growth

The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce & Regional Tourism Council recently announced that it has been awarded the contract to spearhead the Rural Downtown Redevelopment Project, an initiative aimed at revitalizing the downtowns of Northfield, Turners Falls, and Shelburne Falls/Buckland.

The project, administered by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) and funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development, aims to bolster economic growth and develop a sustainable regional model for rural downtown management. 

The year-long pilot project builds upon a 2023-24 study conducted by the BSC Group, which identified the need for enhanced coordination and administrative capacity to support rural downtowns. The Rural Downtown District Project aims to strengthen economic growth and improve collaboration between business owners, municipal leaders, and community stakeholders to boost local economies and improve overall downtown vibrancy, and pilot a regional downtown coordination model that, if successful, may be replicated throughout Franklin County and other rural areas. 

Project organizers say the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, serving as the county’s only regional chamber and state-designated regional tourism council, is well-positioned to lead the effort. With more than a century of experience supporting local businesses, promoting economic development, and marketing Franklin County locally and regionally, the chamber looks to improve collaboration and leverage existing resources to maximize the pilot’s success. 

“This project is an exciting opportunity to plug in additional administrative capacity to enhance regional collaboration and downtown vibrancy and test a replicable regional model for economic growth.”

“After a robust planning process, we are excited about the opportunity to work with the chamber on this pilot phase of the Rural Downtown Redevelopment Project,” said Ted Harvey, senior economic development planner at FRCOG. “At its core, this project is about building capacity and supporting our communities to grow their local economies sustainably. Given the chamber’s strong local partnerships and its success as a regional dot connector, the chamber is well-positioned to bring this program to life in the three downtown districts.” 

Harvey explained that each of the three pilot communities prioritized enhanced coordination in their local rapid recovery plans, making them ideal starter locations to pilot this new approach. 

He said the Franklin County Chamber will collaborate closely with the Franklin County Community Development Corp. (FCCDC), FRCOG, municipal officials, and local leaders to launch the pilot. A key part of the project will include hiring a downtown district coordinator to convene working groups in each community. These downtown working groups (DWGs) — comprised of business owners, residents, nonprofit leaders, arts and culture representatives, property owners, and town officials — will identify two or three priority projects in each district, help guide the downtown district coordinator, and inform long-term planning. 

“This project is an exciting opportunity to plug in additional administrative capacity to enhance regional collaboration and downtown vibrancy and test a replicable regional model for economic growth,” said Jessye Deane, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce & Regional Tourism Council. “This is a great, low-risk opportunity to pilot a regional coordination model and give our downtowns a measurable boost.”

Deane said the downtown district coordinator’s work will be guided by input from local stakeholders to ensure that projects reflect each community’s unique vision and needs. The DWGs will also help determine how to best leverage available resources and identify new opportunities for funding downtown projects. 

“The Franklin County CDC is excited to work with the chamber and FRCOG on this project. We work one-on-one with many businesses in the area to strengthen their business plans and work with them on marketing, operations, and finances. We provide capital when appropriate,” said John Waite, executive director of the FCCDC. “We also know that each individual business is stronger when the other neighboring businesses are stronger. This project will help businesses and vested stakeholders work together and use their various strengths to make each downtown greater than the sum of its parts.”