Page 14 - BusinessWest March 7, 2022

Community Spotlight
Holyoke Looks to Build on the Momentum from Cannabis, Entrepreneurship
By George O’Brien
Joshua Garcia, Holyoke’s first Puerto Rican mayor and a lifelong resident of this historic community, says that, in many respects, history is repeating itself in the city.
itself; but instead of the Paper City, there’s now this ‘Rolling Paper City’ interest. Although it’s a different industry ... the impact is the same.”
Indeed, cannabis is changing the landscape in Holyoke, figuratively if not literally, although that, too. Aaron Vega, director of Planning & Economic Development in Holyoke and a former state rep- resentative, said there are now eight cannabis operations doing business in Holyoke, and sever- al dozen more in various stages of development.
Just as important as the number of ventures
is the broad diversity on display, he said, noting that the city boasts several cultivating operations, dispensaries, a testing lab, and more.
“We continue to see cannabis interest and cannabis companies opening,” said Vega. “There’s a lot in the pipeline.”
But while the emergence of a cannabis cluster in Holyoke — similar to what is happening with biotech in Worcester in many respects — has been impressive, there is much more to what most would call a resurgence in this city than one industry. There has been a surge in entrepreneur- ship that has brought many new businesses to High Street and other streets. There have been several new restaurants, for example, despite the toll the pandemic has taken on that sector, but many other kinds of ventures as well, said Jordan
“Those mills were the economic anchor. And it’s interesting to see history repeat itself.”
Elaborating,
he said that for the better part
of a century, the paper and textile mills on the canals were a symbol of strength, a source of jobs, and, in many ways, the city’s identity.
It wasn’t that way through the latter half of the 20th century as
most of the mills went south, and into the 21st century, he went on, but it’s becoming that way again, largely because of the booming canna- bis industry that is breathing new life into those long-vacant mills.
“Those mills were the economic anchor,” he said. “And it’s interesting to see history repeat
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14 MARCH 7, 2022
COMMUITY SPOTLIGHT
BusinessWest
Holyoke
at a Glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1850 POPULATION: 38,238
AREA: 22.8 square miles
COUNTY: Hampden
RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE: $19.26 COMMERCIAL TAX RATE: $40.60 MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $37,954 Family Household Income: $46,940
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Mayor, City Council
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: Holyoke Medical Center; Holyoke Community College; ISO New England; Hazen Paper
* Latest information available