Page 50 - BusinessWest September 15, 2021

From Parking Lot to Plaza
MNorth Adams Chamber to Build Public Outdoor Dining Space
assDevelopment has awarded a $10,000 “Before this pandemic, the vibrant announced the opening of the first Commonwealth
grant to the North Adams Chamber Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places
of Commerce to transform the Center in June 2020, and from August through October
Street parking lot at 55 Veterans Memorial Dr. in North Adams into a seasonal public dining cor- ridor dubbed Mohawk Plaza.
The organization will use funds to add outdoor seating, a sidewalk surface mural, wayfinding sig- nage, ambience lighting, and landscape work. The chamber will also crowdfund this summer and fall; if the organization reaches its $7,850 goal, it will receive an additional $7,850 matching grant from MassDevelopment.
The funds are awarded through MassDevelop- ment’s special Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places, which was made available specifically to assist local economic- recovery efforts as community partners prepare public spaces and commercial districts to serve resi- dents and visitors.
“Before this pandemic, the vibrant centers of our cities and towns were not only a driving force behind the strength of local economies, they were the places where we gathered to dine, to shop, and to be enter- tained, and the Commonwealth Places program is one way that we can help these areas bounce back stronger than ever,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s board of directors.
“The Baker-Polito administration continues to
centers of our cities and towns were not only a driving force behind the strength of local economies, they were the places where we gathered to dine, to shop, and to be entertained, and the Commonwealth Places program is one way that we can help these areas bounce back stronger than ever.
support downtowns and town centers through vari- ous economic-recovery programs,” he added, “and these Resurgent Places grants are providing non- profit community organizations with the resources to activate public spaces, boost economic activity, and support an equitable recovery.”
Created in 2016, Commonwealth Places aims to engage and mobilize community members to make individual contributions to placemaking projects, with the incentive of a funding match from Mass- Development if the crowdfunding goal is reached. In response to the pandemic, MassDevelopment
2020, $224,965 in funding was awarded for 21 place- making projects across Massachusetts.
In December 2020, MassDevelopment announced the availability of $390,000 in fund-
ing for a second Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places. Nonprofits and other community groups can apply to MassDevel- opment for seed grants of between $250 to $7,500 to fund inclusive community engagement, visioning, and local capacity building that will support future placemaking efforts, or implementation grants of up to $50,000 to execute a placemaking project. For implementation grants, up to $10,000 per project may be awarded as an unmatched grant; awards greater than $10,000 must be matched with crowd- funding donations.
“Amazing things can happen when communi- ties reimagine underutilized public spaces, such as North Adams Chamber of Commerce’s vision for a parking lot steps away from the city’s Main Street,” MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera said. “MassDevelopment is pleased to help the organization create Mohawk Plaza, a space that will increase foot traffic downtown, provide additional outdoor dining, and reinvigorate a prime public way.” u
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