Page 10 - BusinessWest December 9, 2024

Longmeadow at
a glance
Year Incorporated: 1783
Population: 15,853
Area: 9.7 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $20.68 Commercial Tax Rate: $20.68 Median Household Income: $109,586 Median Family Income: $115,578
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting; Town Manager; Board of Selectmen
Largest Employers: Bay Path University; JGS Lifecare; Glenmeadow
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Longmeadow Emerges as Dining Destination
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
can’; Royal Spice, an Indian restaurant; and a Jersey Mike’s, all in the plaza across Williams Street from the Longmead- ow Shops, and Fletcher’s barbeque restaurant on Long- meadow Street.
“It’s becoming a little like West Hartford or Northampton years ago.”
This steady progress toward becoming a dining destina- tion is one of many storylines in this residential community of roughly 16,000 people.
Another is the relatively new ownership at the Longmead- ow Shops. It was acquired roughly a year ago by Regency Properties, which saw a unique asset — what Jack deVilliers, managing director of the company’s Northeast region, called “the heart and soul of the community.”
“This has the DNA that we really like — it’s a community shopping center,” he said, noting that the shops, fully leased for as long as anyone can remember, is a gathering spot, not just for Longmeadow residents, but those in neighboring communities as well. “This property checks all the boxes — location, tenant mix, access, visibility, parking; it’s all there.”
On the municipal side, the town is making progress with
Ralph Santaniello was gushing about the Longmeadow Shops as the location for a restaurant — specifically the one operated by his family, Posto, which features Ital-
ian cuisine.
“It’s just ideal,” he said, listing everything from location —
it’s in Longmeadow, but just a stone’s throw from East Long- meadow, Enfield, Springfield, and other communities — to its many shops, which draw people for an extended stay that could include a meal; from the strong support for local busi- nesses from the Longmeadow community to the growing number of restaurants in or near the shops, creating a dining destination of sorts.
“It’s becoming a little like West Hartford or Northampton years ago,” said Santaniello, noting that this combination of factors led his family to double down, if you will, and con- vert the former Umi’s Asian restaurant (and, before that, a Friendly’s) at the shops into Lola’s, described as a ‘coastal Mexican’ restaurant.
“Mexican is now the most popular food behind Italian food in this country,” Santaniello said. “And we’re taking a different look at Mexican food; for years, it was what Mexi- can-American food was; now, you’re getting more authentic Mexican food from different parts of Mexico.”
Lola’s adds this authentic Mexican eatery to a grow-
ing, diverse roster of restaurants in town that also includes Posto, Max Burger, and Delaney’s Market, all in the shops, as well as the Meeting House, featuring ‘creative New Ameri-
10 DECEMBER 9, 2024
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