Page 30 - BusinessWest December 22, 2021

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FEBRUARY 3, 2021 THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS VOLUME 37 NUMBER 20 $3.00
In Demand
As Families Eye
Western Mass.,
Home Prices Soar
... Page 6
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Tanya Vital-Basile of Executive Real Estate
older Americans has died from the virus, while, for people younger than 65, that ratio is closer to 1 in 1,400.
So it’s natural that business and political lead- ers have been frustrated by vaccine hesitancy among wide swaths of Americans. While the vaccines have certainly prompted decreases in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID, they have left employers with hard decisions — and some dilemmas.
Many business owners didn’t want to be in
a position to require vaccinations, but this fall, the Biden administration made the decision
for them, requiring vaccinations for all busi- nesses with more than 100 employees and those working on federal contracts (or subcontracts), healthcare workers, and federal government workers.
There are legal challenges pending on these vaccination mandates, putting the mandate for federal workers on hold, while private employ- ers moving forward with the mandate must cope with employees leaving because they don’t wish to be vaccinated, adding to an already-difficult workforce environment. It’s another story that will play itself out over the coming weeks and months.
Data Center Proposed in Westfield
It’s being called the largest private-sector development proposal in the region’s history. That some of the language attached to a plan to build a $2.7 billion data center on a 165-acre par- cel off Servistar Industrial Way in Westfield.
The proposal’s developers, Servistar Indus-
trial Realties, have presented plans calling for a complex of 10 buildings totaling more than 2.74 million square feet, with projected customers expected to include the likes of Google, Micro- soft, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. The proj- ect, which still has a number of hurdles to clear before it becomes reality, has received approval from the Planning Board and City Council, with the state now considering a 40-year tax-abate- ment package.
The developers focused in on Westfield and the large parcel in question — actually, several smaller parcels knitted together — because the site could check a number of boxes, including the ability to draw power, and large amounts of it, directly from the grid, as well as access to a reliable, high-speed fiber communications net- work. Competitive cost of doing business is also high on the list, as is a skilled workforce and easy access to major markets.
Area economic-development officials note that, while sites for such massive initiatives, called ‘hyperscale’ projects, are rare, there is the potential for smaller-scale data-center ventures, and success with the Westfield project could cre- ate other opportunities for the region.
Housing Prices Soar
Have you tried to buy a house lately? How frustrating has it been?
Probably plenty frustrating, because of a simple supply-and-demand equation: there are far fewer available houses on the market, espe- cially in Western Mass., than there are buyers, and that’s caused prices to soar. Homes are often publicly on the market for a day or two before they’re snapped up, often at more than the ask-
ing price, sometimes without an inspection. Statistics from the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer
Valley bear this out. Last December, home sales
Year in Review
Continued on page 32
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Carlas Pasta Pavan Line Control Panels
30 DECEMBER 22, 2021
YEAR IN REVIEW
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