Page 14 - BusinessWest April 18, 2022

Community Spotlight
There’s a Developing Story in Palmer
By Mark Morris
Three years ago, when Ryan McNutt took the job as Palmer’s town manager, he observed that, when people entered
town from Mass Pike exit 8 (now exit 63), they encountered a Big Y World Class Market, a McDonald’s, a couple of other businesses, and lots of empty parcels all around them on Thorndike Street.
“Instead of getting off the pike and just driving through, there are going to be lots of opportunities for people to stop and spend money in Palmer.”
“You don’t typically see this near a turnpike exit; it’s usually built out with commercial real estate,” he said, adding that town residents — and those passing through — may soon see the landscape change in a meaningful way.
Indeed, McNutt has been working with other town officials and with landowners to take advantage of the considerable opportunities
these empty lots present.
“The landowners have met with several
national chains, and I can now share that one of the projects will be a Starbucks coffee shop,” he said.
Linda Leduc, the town planner and Economic Development director, is working on finding a retail tenant and a sit-down restaurant to join the planned Starbucks. She said turning these chron- ically vacant sites on Thorndike Street into vital businesses gives a big boost to Palmer residents.
“Just seeing the cleanup happen on two of the lots we’re developing is getting people excited,” she added.
Far from a scattershot approach, these com- mercial developments are part of a master plan the town compiled and published at the end of 2020. McNutt said this is the first master plan for Palmer since 1975.
“We had an amazing amount of public input on the plan,” he noted. “When you put the meet- ings on Zoom, more people show up.”
The plan addresses commercial, residential, and protected open space in Palmer. McNutt said it helps prioritize the “low-hanging fruit” where the town should put its energy now, as well as projects that can be done later. The master plan lists 20 underdeveloped sites in Palmer, 12 of
Connecting people, commerce, and communities.
Not just asphalt, trucks, and roads. We promise excellence. It’s that simple.
SERVING MASSACHUSETTS AND NORTHERN CONNECTICUT
Palmer, MA Easthampton, MA Barre, MA Springfield, MA 413-283-8354 413-527-6906 413-283-8354 413-737-4020
Palmer Paving Corp | palmerpaving.com | 413-283-8354 |
Charlton, MA Windsor Locks, CT 508-248-6040 860-623-2895
A Peckham Industries, Inc. Subsidiary
14 APRIL 18, 2022
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
BusinessWest
Palmer
at a glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1775 POPULATION: 12,448
AREA: 32 square miles COUNTY: Hampden
TAX RATE, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL: Palmer, $21.40; Three Rivers, $21.82; Bondsville, $22.54; Thorndike, $22.25
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $41,443
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $49,358
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Town Manager; Town Council
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: Baystate Wing Hospital; Sanderson MacLeod Inc., Camp Ramah of New England; Big Y World Class Market
* Latest information available