Page 10 - BusinessWest August 4, 2025

EDITORIAL >>
A Triumph for Holyoke
There have been a lot of good stories to come out of Holyoke in
recent years, including a wave of entrepreneurship, an emerg-
ing clean-tech sector, a cannabis sector that isn’t what it once
was but is still prominent, and a more vibrant downtown.
But there was always a cloud hanging over the city in the form
of an school system in receivership, a radical step taken by the state
when a system is chronically underperforming, local leadership is
ineffective, and there is essentially no hope and few alternatives.
This is where the Holyoke schools were a decade ago, with one
of the state’s lowest graduation rates, highest drop-out rates, poor
MCAS scores, and leadership that seemed unwilling or unable (actu-
ally, a mix of both) to do anything about it.
Receivership, as we noted, is a dramatic step. Only three systems
across the state have been put into receivership — Lawrence, Holy-
oke, and Southbridge. And until July 1, no community had emerged
from receivership, until Holyoke managed to achieve that feat.
It did so by achieving progress on many on those aforementioned
fronts, including graduation rates that have soared from 52% to
77% — not where anyone wants them, but much better than they
were.
But mostly, this was accomplished through a commitment to
regaining local control — Mayor Joshua Garcia is firm in his belief
that receivership should be temporary and that a community should
run its own schools, and he’s right about that — and also through
partnering with the state, and, most importantly, showing the kind of
leadership that was, quite frankly, missing a decade ago in the years
leading up to receivership.
Garcia and Anthony Soto — the interim school superintendent
and, now, former receiver — like to say there was no blueprint for
coming out of receivership, and that they believe they have cre-
ated one. Its fine points includes everything from continued strong
involvement from the city’s school board (even though it had no real
power with a receiver in place); investments in schools, such as the
new Peck Middle School; hard but necessary decisions, such as
rezoning and restructuring away from the K-8 model; and programs
designed to keep students engaged and motivated not to drop out.
And, don’t forget, all this happened with the pandemic serving to
stifle momentum, isolate students, and add to an already deep list of
societal problems that include poverty, homelessness, and more.
Make no mistake, these problems still exist. They make it difficult
for students to focus on learning, and equally difficult to attract and
retain the talent needed in the classrooms and administrative offices
to provide a quality education. And there is much work still to be
done to improve MCAS scores and further improve those gradua-
tion rates.
But Holyoke has taken a huge step forward, one that bodes well
for the community and its business community. The challenge now is
to maintain the current momentum — but the black cloud is gone. BW
PUBLISHER
John Gormally
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SALES MANAGER &
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Kate Campiti
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EDITOR
Joseph Bednar
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CONTRIBUTING
WRITER
George O’Brien
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OPINION >>
ADVERTISING
CONSULTANTS
Kate Campiti
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Kathleen Plante
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Cecille Youmans
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Think Large for Economic Development
BY PETER ABAIR AND JEFF DALEY
Massachusetts needs large acreage sites for employment-gen-
erating opportunities. This growing need presents an oppor-
tunity for Western Mass.
Released earlier this year, “Large Site Demand and Capacity in
Massachusetts,” a report published by MassEcon, yielded several
significant findings. While several highly desirable industry sectors,
such as clean energy, data and AI, and advanced manufacturing, are
driving demand for large acreage availabilities around the nation,
Massachusetts has a limited number of 100-plus-acre sites available.
Many of the large sites in the marketplace here lack sufficient ener-
gy, water, and sewer infrastructure. This lack of viable large acreage
sites places Massachusetts at a competitive disadvantage in landing
significant business prospects.
In a survey of real estate professionals in Massachusetts featured
in the report, 80% indicated awareness of large facility requirements
that failed to find suitable sites in the Commonwealth. Despite vali-
dated demand for such spaces in Massachusetts, the issue of lack
of development acreage is under-considered by most municipal and
regional planners. This is also troubling, as assembling land and
delivering required infrastructure for large acreage sites requires
rigorous planning at all levels of government, as well as consensus
among host community members for such development.
In total, the report identifies just 12 large sites available in Mas-
sachusetts. Of these, the two in Western Mass. are smaller in size, at
70 and 40 acres each. The report identifies two potentially develop-
able sites in the Pioneer Valley, also less than 100 acres in size. Nei-
ther site is currently in the commercial real estate marketplace.
So, what is the opportunity for Western Mass.?
• The region is well-located between two major economic power-
houses, Greater Boston and Metropolitan New York.
• It has robust infrastructure, served by two major interstates and
rail, and includes several municipal power providers.
• It possesses strong research and educational institutions.
• It has a considerable workforce.
• Its quality of life and relative affordability are notable.
10 << OPINION >>
AUGUST 4, 2025
EXECUTIVE
ADMINISTRATOR
Melissa Hallock
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ART DIRECTOR
Mike Nasuti
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GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Ryan Leary
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MARKETING &
EVENTS MANAGER
Natasha
Mercado-Santana
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• It also has land.
The MassEcon report identified contiguous land parcels around
the state that, theoretically, could be assembled for commercial
development, amounting to 1,700 acres. Half of this acreage is
found in Western Mass.
If such sites are prepared, will opportunities come to the region?
We say the answer is an emphatic yes.
In a global economy in which industries are constantly evolving,
often in new directions, at a rapid pace, Massachusetts is involved
in a global site location competition. With all the state’s competitive
advantages, it is a target for significant investments by employers.
To win the competition for the best projects, it will need to have
large acreage sites prepared and ready for these opportunities. This
requires considerable planning and investment.
While Western Mass. has not always shared in the growth of the
state’s most robust industries, there is no reason it can’t become
a leader in assembling large sites for new economic development
opportunities. For emerging large site requirements, developable
OFFICE MANAGER
Darlene Clarke
officemanager@
businesswest.com
acreage and ample infrastructure are the most important facility
location determinants.
Entire contents of this
Massachusetts has a strong history of success in planning eco-
publication are Copyright
© 2025, and cannot be reprinted
nomic development in significant spaces. Kendall Square in Cam-
in whole or part
bridge was once a tired landscape of former soap factories. It now
without special written
reigns supreme in life sciences with more than12 million square
permission by the publisher.
feet of lab space. At the time of its base reduction/closure, Devens
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seemed an isolated site with little economic upside. Today, it stands
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is received within 7 days of
The Pioneer Valley is well-suited to host significant-sized new
publication date. BusinessWest
reserves the right to reject
employers. The opportunities are at the region’s doorstep. They need
an advertisement it deems
only the space to grow. BW
misleading or inappropriate.
Peter Abair is executive director of MassEcon, and Jeff Daley is
president and CEO of Westmass Area Development Corp.
1441 Main Street
Springfield, MA 01103
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