Page 14 - BusinessWest December 9, 2024

on it,” said deVilliers, adding that the location is slated to open in the sum- mer of 2025.
Meanwhile, Longmeadow’s stable of restaurants should have at least one addition with the development of the neighboring church property, said Sim- mons, adding that the project is an important development for the town, which has little in the way of develop- able land or property.
“We have very few parcels that can be redeveloped,” she noted, adding that a measure was passed at the Nov. 12 town meeting to update the town’s zon- ing map to reflect an article passed at an earlier town meeting to change the
“Our population at each school is about 330 students, so when we consolidate, we’ll have 660 at one site, which is the standard model used in many districts across the state.”
the owners have not provided informa- tion on potential new tenants, which will not include Armata’s.
As these commercial developments unfold, there are several municipal projects advancing as well, starting with the new middle school.
The town’s two middle schools, Williams and Glenbrook, are aging structures, opened in the ’60s, noted Simmons, adding that the trend in communities of this size is toward one middle school, which in this case would be built on the athletic fields adjacent to Williams, with the existing structure then demolished.
“Our population at each school is about 330 students, so when we con- solidate, we’ll have 660 at one site, which is the standard model used in many districts across the state,” she explained, adding that the town will gain efficiencies, and certainly reduce costs, by operating and maintaining one school instead of two.
The project has received approval from the state and is the queue for funding, said Simmons, noting that a town-meeting vote will take place in the fall of 2025.
Meanwhile, the consolidation of the middle schools would give the town an opportunity for redevelop- ment of the Glenbrook site, said Corrin Meise-Munns, assistant town manager and director of Planning & Community Development, adding that talks about what to do with that prop- erty are still in the very early stages.
Other municipal projects include
a state Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, the first one the town has received in 30 years, to be used for renovations of the playground at Bliss Park.
The project comes with a $1.6 mil- lion price tag, with the grant cover- ing just over half that total. The work involves replacing the playground, benches, and picnic tables and mak- ing them all ADA-accessible. The work complements significant invest- ments in the park’s pool, including upgrades to the pump room, said Simmons, adding that the next phase of that initiative is a liner.
The town has also received its first-ever MassWorks grant, $285,000 to design improvements to the inter- section of Williams Street, Redfern Drive, and Frank Smith Road, site
of the church adjacent to the Long- meadow Shops that is slated for redevelopment.
“It’s a heavily trafficked area, and there have been discussions for some time about the need for pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular improvements, and this will fund that design work,” Simmons said, adding that the town will look for additional grant mon-
ies to help pay for the recommended improvements. BW
zoning of the property from residential to business. “This certainly provides
an opportunity for development, job creation, and new growth, which is
not something we see very often, espe- cially to the extent we can see from this parcel.”
Developing Stories
As for the Maple Road plaza, known to most locals as the Armata’s Plaza, for the supermarket that was located there, the shell of a new facility has been constructed, as well as a new parking lot, said Simmons, adding that
14 DECEMBER 9, 2024
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