Page 11 - BusinessWest July 25, 2022
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        At top, the town common now boasts new walking paths. Above, the former Hofbrauhaus property will become a new site for Amherst Brewing.
to commence next April, and it will take two years to complete.
Significant work is also planned for Route
5 (Riverdale Street) and specifically the stretch north of I-91, said Reichelt, adding that the broad goal is to redevelop that section of the street, which has always been far less popular with retailers than the stretch south of the highway.
“There’s this perception ... businesses have no desire to be north of the I-91 overpass,” he said. “They all want to be between the overpass and East Elm connection, where are no vacancies.”
As for the aforementioned power plant, it is very early in the process of deciding what its fate will be, said Reichelt, adding that, if all goes well, the community could have 10 acres of land right
off Route 5 and Memorial Avenue that could
be redeveloped for a number of uses. There is a landfill next door, so there are some limitations, he noted, but industrial, commercial, and infra- structure opportunities exist, including a connec- tion to the rotary so that motorists can go both north and south from Agawam Avenue.
What’s Down the Road
But much of the attention is now focused on cannabis-related businesses, that July 18 vote, and what will likely happen if that measure passes.
“There are signs on Riverdale and Westfield Street and Memorial Avenue pointing to the different places you can buy marijuana outside of town; look at the tax money that’s leaving here.”
At present, the only business allowed in West Springfield for cannabis-related ventures is to advertise their products and services on bill- boards along the highways that run through the community. That will change, of course, if the measure passes, as the mayor predicts it will, and
West Side
Continued on page 44
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
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