Page 14 - BusinessWest January 10, 2022

Stops and Starts
The city had a setback recently when the Sil- verbrook Group said it may not be able to devel- op 600 apartments in the former Cabotville Mill in the center of town, citing rising construction costs as the main culprit. Vieau remains optimis- tic that both the Cabotville and Lyman mills will eventually be developed for housing and other uses.
While the next step for the mills is uncertain, that hasn’t stopped Vieau from moving forward with what he called a renaissance of Chicopee’s downtown. The city received a grant to convert
“I liked the location because it’s not far from the plaza, and I could keep the customers who enjoyed coming in.”
the old library building, adjacent to City Hall, into an incubator space for budding entrepre- neurs. The first steps involve bringing the build- ing up to compliance with current ADA regu- lations. Vieau would like to eventually see the cultural council or the chamber take office space there, too.
“Entrepreneurs have to start somewhere, so why not start at our old library?” he wondered.
Next door to the old library, the former Rivoli Theatre has just gone up for sale. The mayor called this another space with great potential for
the city.
In addition to new entrepreneurs, Chicopee
still manages to attract established businesses to locate there. After decades at the Springfield Plaza, Dino Facente had been looking to move the Koffee Kup Bakery. In his words, he “stum- bled on” Mickey’s Bike Shop, which had recently closed. The East Street location turned out to be the right spot to move the bakery.
“I liked the location because it’s not far from the plaza, and I could keep the customers who
Dino Facente says his bakery’s move from Springfield to Chicopee has been a positive one.
enjoyed coming in,” Facente said. He also cred- ited Chicopee officials at all levels for making the move easy and successful.
“I’ve picked up a lot of business since I’ve been here,” he said. “I’ll be staying here until I retire.” u
Customized Commercial Lending & Cash Management Solutions
Great lending products and rates Member service that’s truly personal Local decisions from local lenders
EQUAL HOUSING L E N D E R
MEMBER
MASSACHUSETTS CREDIT UNION
INSURED SAVINGS
ShSarHesAanRd DEepIoNsitSs inUeRxceAssNoCf NECUCA aOre RfulPly iOnsRureAd TbyIMOSNIC.
Your savings federally insured to at least $250,000
and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government
National Credit Union Administration, a U.S. Government Agency
NMLS #439259
Nancy Mirkin
VP, Commercial Lending
Debra Leone
AVP, Cash Management
(413) 206-5618 [email protected]
Kathi Donahue
SVP, Commercial Lending
(413) 333-5830 [email protected]
Robert Turner
AVP, Commercial Lending
(413) 206-5616 [email protected]
(413) 588-5708 [email protected]
www.pncu.com | (413) 592-9495
Our mission: to grow lasting relationships to improve people’s lives.
14 JANUARY 10, 2022
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
BusinessWest