A total of $8 million in Community One Stop for Growth grant funding is slated to come to Franklin County, supporting 15 housing and infrastructure projects.
The Community One Stop for Growth program is a grant portal that accepts applications to 12 of the state’s most popular community-focused economic development and housing grant programs, and distributes funding under the Executive Office of Economic Development, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and MassDevelopment.
“We’re proud to be a state of strong cities and towns — made stronger by programs like the Community One Stop for Growth, which give local leaders the tools they need to strengthen their economies and improve quality of life,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “These grants will help communities build housing, lower costs, improve road safety, revitalize downtowns, create jobs and more. We can’t wait to see the impact of these investments across Massachusetts.”
The program received 713 applications from 453 organizations, representing projects in 245 communities. The grants are estimated to create 20,000 new housing units, including 5,000 affordable units, as well as create 11,000 new permanent jobs and 8.8 million square feet of new commercial development.
Erving
After continued advocacy for the Evergreen Circle at Care Drive multigenerational and senior housing project, Erving was awarded $2.42 million through the HousingWorks Infrastructure Program, making it the largest Community One Stop for Growth grant in Franklin County.
Earlier this year, Erving hosted state officials from the executive offices of Housing and Livable Communities, Economic Development, and Aging and Independence, as well as the governor’s office, to learn more about the project that would extend Care Drive into the empty lot behind the Erving Senior & Community Center and the Erving Public Library.
After hearing optimistic feedback from state officials in January, and a hint from Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Edward Augustus at October’s Franklin County Chamber of Commerce breakfast that Erving would be “pleased” when the Community One Stop for Growth grants were announced, the town received $2.42 million.
“We’re extremely appreciative of the support of the [Healey-Driscoll] administration,” Town Administrator Bryan Smith said when asked about what it means to secure the grant. Referencing the January visit, he added, “It meant a lot that they were willing to even come and hear about our project. The idea that our grant was successful, not only on the first ask, but for full funding, I think the town is more than excited and appreciative.”
The first half of this project, which the HousingWorks grant is dedicated to, is for upgrading the infrastructure on Care Drive. This includes extending Care Drive into a 470-foot-long, 50-foot-wide roadway with a cul-de-sac at the end and extending the existing water and sewer systems with a new sewer pump station, which will support the new housing and the existing Senior & Community Center and library, Smith explained.
This grant will take the town through the bidding, construction and closeout phase of this portion of the project, Smith added. The town will work off of a previously appropriated $149,000 for the water and sewer engineering.
The housing will be made up of 18 one-bedroom apartments for seniors ages 62 and older, and eight multigenerational units, each with two or three bedrooms. The multigenerational housing will feature two, four-unit townhouses with a combination of two- and three-bedroom units. The units range from 826 square feet for the one-story, two-bedroom unit to 1,257 square feet for a three-bedroom townhouse.
Rural Development Inc. (RDI), the nonprofit created by the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority, is working with the town, Austin Design Cooperative and Berkshire Design Group on the housing development.
At a July information session, the preliminary site plan was presented, showing the housing will be located to the west of the Senior Center and library, where a field and tree line exists.
RDI is looking at a $20.15 million price tag for the housing development. The bulk of the funding is expected to come from federal and state tax credits estimated at $13.23 million, $4.01 million from the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and other grants and incentives.
Over the last year, RDI has completed the schematic architectural designs, as well as pre-permitting requirements and funding applications. RDI already received $227,553 in predevelopment funding from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation in November 2024. If the goals for financing and permitting continue on course over the next two years, construction on the housing development could start in early 2027, with leases available for renters by 2028.
Greenfield
The city is getting a boost on housing development, business development and community services through its combined $1.3 million in Community One Stop for Growth awards.
The largest portion of this sum comes from $1 million from the Underutilized Properties Program to support MassDevelopment’s plan to expand and relocate Green Fields Market into the first floor of the former Wilson’s Department Store on Main Street while turning the upper floors into 61 mixed-income rental apartments, dubbed “The Putnam.”
“The funds will be used for critical infrastructure upgrades, including mechanical, utility and envelope work, which will enable the full development of the building to modern requirements,” MassDevelopment Director of Communications Kelsey Schiller wrote in an email. “Many older buildings that have been vacant for a substantial amount of time are very costly to rehabilitate while the expected income from tenancy once built out often cannot cover the costs of improvements.”
The city also received a $50,000 grant to be distributed as tax credits for businesses that move into vacant storefronts in the city’s downtown commercial area. Greenfield’s Community and Economic Development Director Amy Cahillane said qualifying storefronts must have been vacant for six months of longer.
“This year, our identified district has been the downtown commercial core. If you are a business that moves into one of those storefronts, you would be eligible for a portion of the tax credits that we were awarded,” Cahillane said. “This is a wonderful opportunity and we’re grateful to the state for funding us.”
Although not a city project, Community Action Pioneer Valley received $250,000 for its project at 95 River St. through the Underutilized Properties Program. The project involves the conversion of the former Barn Grocery Store into an all-in-one service center and food pantry, estimated to cost a total of $6 million.
“The dream of the River Street building is that we would be able to bring our frontline service programs to a ‘one-stop shop,’ so people who needed help would also be able to talk to someone about their fuel assistance. They would also be able to access [the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children] and would also be able to access our Money Matters program — all of those frontline resources we hope to put in one building,” Associate Director of Community Engagement Jess Thompson said in an interview in June. “We’d be able to take care of people or help them get the services that they need with so much more ease.”
Deerfield
With a $1 million MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant, South Deerfield’s downtown is set for a makeover. The grant will fund repairs on Elm Street, a project that has been in the works since 2012.
The grant follows a $500,000 Complete Streets construction grant the town received in January. Since then, the town has developed about one-quarter of the designs needed.
The town plans to reconstruct the entire roadway, replacing sidewalks on both sides of Elm Street while adding a shared-use path stretching 10 feet with a tree belt on the north side of the street, a sidewalk to the south side of the street stretching 7.5 feet and a crosswalk in front of the Leary Public Parking Lot. The town also plans to shift parking along Elm Street from angled to parallel spots and slope the street for smoother stormwater drainage.
“This is a culmination of at least over a decade’s work of investing in our downtown,” Deerfield’s Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Alexandria Galloway said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
With new pathways and more parking, the changes will boost the vibrancy and accessibility of downtown, the “heart of [South Deerfield’s] small business community,” Galloway said.
“It will be a long project, and it will be a little messy with the construction, but I think for the most part, people are really excited to have the town and the state investing in our downtown,” Galloway said. “It brings a really good sense of place and a lot of community members are really excited about that.”
Hawley
Hawley received $362,000 from the Rural Development Fund for preliminary design work to improve safety on the Dugway, a particularly curvy and hazardous stretch of West Hawley Road (Route 8A).
The Dugway has been on the minds of town officials for a long time, and they hope the grant will help the town move forward on a solution.
Previous discussions on the road have considered widening travel lanes, straightening the road and restoring the retaining wall. The grant will allow the town to hire an engineering firm to design plans for the Dugway.
“This is not going to rebuild the Dugway; this grant is going to figure out how to do it,” Hawley Selectboard Chair Will Crosby said during a board meeting last month. “We have received $362,000 to engage a firm to help us.”
Montague
For Montague, $330,000 is being invested in the town for housing, wayfinding and small business assistance projects.
First, the town received $52,000 from the Rural Development Fund to develop a housing production plan to update the existing 2015 plan. Building off of community feedback advocating for additional signs, $30,000 from MassDevelopment will support wayfinding efforts in Turners Falls. Finally, $251,000 from the Underutilized Property Program, awarded to Third Place Garage LLC, will support the creation of a small business hub.
Planning Director Maureen Pollock said the housing production plan will help Montague better understand the needs of its residents, and allow a level of control in future housing.
“This new plan will include data about who needs housing and what options currently exist, identify goals for different housing types and identify implementation strategies Montague might pursue to strengthen affordable housing opportunities,” she said.
When asked if this could be a beneficial grant amid the ongoing redevelopment of the former Farren Care Center site, where housing is a key goal, Pollock said these efforts are “very much complementary.”
Pollock said the town aims to hire a consultant to work on developing this housing production plan, and be part of public outreach to understand what types of housing residents want to see.
Another grant the town received is piggybacking off of community interest in having more wayfinding signs in Turners Falls, Pollock said. As part of the Rural Downtown Redevelopment Project taking place in the village, local stakeholders said adding signs should be a priority to highlight what the village has to offer. Now, funding is available to see the idea through.
“If someone is visiting downtown, be it a resident or visitor, coming downtown to go to The Rendezvous, they need signage to help them find the parking,” she said, “but once they get out of the car, it would be great to offer signage to have them navigate through downtown and maybe even learn about things that they weren’t even aware of.”
With this grant in hand, Pollock said she’s excited to see how this project can play out in Turners Falls, then eventually in the other villages of Montague.
Franklin Regional Council of Governments
The Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) received about $200,000 to create the “Thrive Franklin County: Blueprint for Rural MA” across all 26 of its towns.
According to the grant application submitted by FRCOG Livability Program Manager Megan Rhodes, the framework aims to address concerns identified in FRCOG’s Rural Policy Plan, including declining populations and unsatisfied housing needs in rural areas, “with clear, practical ways for the region and its champions to move toward a sustainable future.”
In the spring, FRCOG plans to help town officials modernize zoning bylaws and policies to catalyze new housing, and explore the logistics of hiring a shared regional housing coordinator.
If FRCOG finds the position to be possible, it will use a fraction of the $200,000 to support the position for its first year, with the hope that additional Community Preservation Act and municipal funds will help the position bloom.
FRCOG also plans to launch a “dynamic educational campaign” about the role of local governments in housing development to inspire more residents to fill vacant municipal seats and “see themselves as change agents within their communities,” the grant application reads.
Colrain
The Colrain Sewer District was awarded $72,000 from the Rural Development Fund for site development work.
The district has been working since 2023 to address its wastewater management needs following the closure of Barnhardt Manufacturing Co., which treated waste for 19 nearby households in Griswoldville.