For Immediate Release – April 5, 2021
Northampton Hosts Two Critical Meetings
in April About Downtown’s Future
NORTHAMPTON - Today, Mayor David J. Narkewicz announced that the month of April brings two important meetings inviting public comment about downtown Northampton. The city will host its 15th stakeholder outreach meeting about the Picture Main Street project on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, at 6:00 pm. On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the city will host its “Helping Downtown Recover from COVID-19” meeting as part of a $90,000 grant the city received under the Commonwealth’s Rapid Recovery Plan program.
“I am truly excited to continue the public conversation about plans for downtown Northampton,” said Mayor Narkewicz, “There’s a lot on the agenda for both meetings. Please come and share your thoughts about downtown’s future, and help us spread the word about these two important meetings to everyone you know.”
The main topics of the April 14, 2021, Picture Main Street meeting will be built on prior community input to discuss possible options for a redesign of Main Street. Three prototype plans will be shared in advance of the meeting on the Picture Main Street storyboard website at: tinyurl/MainStoryMap. The project will use state and federal funding provided through the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Currently, the Picture Main Street project is projected to receive $16.6M in 2025. When compared and scored against all other proposed projects, this project was identified as the highest priority project in the region. The project area extends from the intersection of Elm and West Streets on the west to the intersection of Market and Hawley Streets on the east.
The April 27, 2021 “Helping Downtown Recover from COVID-19” will share output from the Commonwealth's Rapid Recovery Plan Program. The project is designed to support our business community through actionable, project-based recovery recommendations unique to the individual economic challenges and COVID-related impacts in our downtown. These plans, facilitated by the Commonwealth and standardized across communities, will be developed in coordination with the City of Northampton. The goal is to share the results of our Rapid Recovery business survey and discuss with you what comes next during a community meeting.
Please save both dates starting at 6 pm: Wednesday, April 14, and Tuesday, April 27th. Both meetings will be held on the zoom remote meeting platform. Please stay tuned to www.northamptonma.gov for registration information closer to the meeting dates.
For more information, please contact the Mayor’s Office at 413-587-1249 or mayor@northamptonma.gov.