Page 10 - BusinessWest September 28, 2020

Community Spotlight
Progress Continues in Wilbraham’s Business Districts
By Joseph Bednar
Wilbraham is a mostly residential town with two main business districts — the town center, as it’s known, on Main Street, and along a lengthy stretch of Route 20, or Boston Road.
The fact that both have seen development activity during the ongoing pandemic is good news indeed, said Jeffrey Smith, chairman of the Planning Board.
Take, for example, a couple of vacant build- ings next to Home Depot that have been vacant for about a decade. They will soon become a 7,000-square-foot O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store and a 2,340-square-foot Valvoline instant oil-change facility.
“It’s great,” Smith said. “Being on the Plan- ning Board and being a resident in town, I hear from people all the time, in casual converations, ‘what’s going on with that place?’ This is one of those vacant and seemingly abandoned proper- ties that is getting a great redo, and I think it’s going to be a welcome addition. The site has been an eyesore for some time.”
Then there’s the former Papa Gino’s restaurant near the Springfield line that’s been vacant sev- eral years, but will soon be home to an expansion of Springfield-based Vanguard Dental. Mean- while, Excel Therapy and Conditioning, a phys-
ical-therapy practice that’s expanding to sports rehabilitation and personal training, will set up shop on Boston Road as well.
“We had to work fast to fast-track this dur- ing the height of the pandemic, with Town Hall closed,” recalled John Pearsall, director of Plan- ning. “They were in a situation where their lease was running out and they had a chance to pur- chase this building and move and expand their practice. That’s been a good success story, saving a local business during these difficult times.”
Doing due diligence on development projects hasn’t been easy with offices closed, Smith noted.
“Just like every other town, we’re dealing with COVID, and all Planning and Zoning board meet- ings have to be done remotely. John and I used to meet quite a bit more in person during the week and outside our regularly scheduled meetings, and we do a little less of that right now. Every- thing has become more cumbersome, with a lot of extra steps.”
Yet, important work continues, including efforts by the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Health, and licensing authorities to get restau- rants reopened in recent months.
“We’re trying to do the best we can to help our businesses stay afloat during these difficult times,” Pearsall said. “And they seem to be very
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10 SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
BusinessWest
Wilbraham at a glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1763
POPULATION: 14,868
AREA: 22.4 square miles
COUNTY: Hampden
RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE: $22.38
COMMERCIAL TAX RATE: $22.38
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $65,014
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $73,825
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Board of Selectmen, Open Town Meeting
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: Baystate Wing Wilbraham Medical Center; Friendly Ice Cream Corp.; Big Y; Home Depot; Wilbraham & Monson Academy
*Latest information available