Downtown Northampton Rapid Recovery Plan-Final-2021Northampton
Rapid
Recovery
Plan
October 2021
Acknowledgments
Rapid Recovery Plan 2CityofNorthampton
Subject Matter Experts
City of Northampton
Plan Facilitator
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 3
This plan has been made possible with
generous support from the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
The Department of Housing and Community Development, through
its community and business partners, provides affordable housing
options, financial assistance, and other support to Massachusetts
communities. We oversee different types of assistance and funding for
consumers, businesses, and non-profit partners.
For more information, contact us:
100 Cambridge St, Suite 300
Boston, MA 02114
617-573-1100
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 4
The Planning Team would also like to thank the following
individuals for participating as key stakeholders throughout the
planning process:
Key Stakeholders
Organization Name
City of Northampton -
Department of Planning &
Sustainability
Wayne Feiden,
FAICP
City of Northampton -
Mayor's Office
Alan Wolfe
City of Northampton -
Mayor's Office
Annie Lesko
Smith College Sam Masinter
Downtown Northampton
Association
Amy Chillane
Greater Northampton
Chamber of Commerce
Vince Jackson
Academy of Music Debra J'Anthony
Arts Trust Jeff Bliss, Executive
Director
Historic Northampton Laurie Sanders
Historic Northampton Elizabeth Sharpe
First Churches Reverend Todd Weir
Daily Hampshire Gazette Shawn Palmer
Thornes Market and
Hampshire Property
Management Group
Rich Madowitz
Valley Community
Development Corporation
Jane Loechler
Northampton Housing
Authority
Cara Leiper
Iconica Will Swyers
Iconica Ximena Salmerón
The Roost Robyn Wynn
Belly Of The Beast Aimee Francaes
Woodstar Rebecca Robbins
Eastside Grill Debra Flynn
Bidwell Advisors Dennis Bidwell
Organization Name
Greenfield Cooperative Bank Mike Tucker
Whalen Insurance Peter Whalen
Northampton Jazz Festival Ruth Griggs
Fierst Bloomberg Ohm LLP and
Chamber EDC
Nick Grimaldi
Community Arts Trust Dorothy Nemetz
NETA Leslie Laurie
Thornes Marketplace Jody Doele
Strada Anna Bowen
Inspirit Crystals Bud Neiswender
A2Z science store Andre Boulay
Pinch Jena Sujat
Gazebo Amy Dickenson
Rhyme Digital Blair Winans
Community Arts Trust Dorothy Nemetz
City of Northampton - Arts and
Culture
Brian Foote
Department of Public Works
DPW)
Maggie Chan
Department of Public Works
DPW)
David Veleta
City of Northampton - Parking
Administration
Nanci Forrestall
Toole Design Lydia Hausle
Western Mass Pollinator Network Peggy MacLeod
Douglas Architects Tom Douglas
City of Northampton -
Department of Planning &
Sustainability
Keith Benoit
City of Northampton -
Department of Planning &
Sustainability
Carolyn Misch,
AICP
Rapid Recovery Plan Name of Community 5
Rapid Recovery Program
Introduction
Approach/Framework
Executive Summary
Diagnostic Key Findings
Physical Environment
Business Environment
Customer Base
Administrative Capacity
Project Recommendations
Public Realm
Private Realm
Revenue and Sales
Administrative Capacity
Tenant Mix
Cultural/Arts
Next Steps & Appendix
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Table of Contents
Mass Downtown Initiative
distributed nearly $10 million
across 125 communities
throughout the Commonwealth
to assess impacts from COVID-19
and develop actionable, project-
based recovery plans tailored to
the unique economic challenges
in downtowns, town centers, and
commercial districts.
Rapid Recovery Plan 6
125 communities participated in the
Rapid Recovery Plan Program
52 Small Communities
51 Medium Communities
16 Large Communities
6 Extra Large Communities
City of Northampton
Phase I
DIAGNOSTIC
Phase II
PROJECT IDEAS
Phase III
FINAL PLAN
Mar MayJulAprJun Aug Sept Oct
Rapid Recovery Plan 7CityofNorthampton
In Phase 1: Diagnostic, Plan Facilitators utilized the Rapid Recovery Plan Diagnostic Framework that was
adapted from the award-winning Commercial DNA approach as published by the Local Initiative Support
Corporation (LISC) in “Preparing a Commercial District Diagnostic”, and authored by Larisa Ortiz, Managing
Director, Streetsense (RRP Program Advisor).
The framework was designed to ensure methodical diagnosis of challenges and opportunities in each
community, and to identify strategies and projects that aligned with the interests and priorities of each
community. The framework looks at four areas of analysis: Physical Environment, Business Environment,
Market Information, and Administrative Capacity - each equipped with guiding questions to direct research
conducted by Plan Facilitators.
The Rapid Recovery Plan (RRP) Program is intended to provide every municipality in Massachusetts
the opportunity to develop actionable, project-based recovery plans tailored to the unique economic
challenges and COVID-19 related impacts to downtowns, town centers, and commercial areas across the
commonwealth.
The program provided technical assistance through Plan Facilitators assigned to each community
applicant (e.g., city, town, or nonprofit entity) and Subject Matter Experts who supported the development
of ideas for project recommendations and shared knowledge through best practice webinars and individual
consultations.
Communities and Plan Facilitators were partnered through the program to assess COVID-19 impacts,
convene community partners to solicit project ideas and provide feedback, and develop project
recommendations. The following plan summarizes key findings from the diagnostic phase of the program
and includes a range of priority project recommendations for the community.
Each Rapid Recovery Plan was developed across three phases between March to October 2021. Phase 1 -
Diagnostic, Phase 2- Project Recommendations, Phase 3 - Plan.
Rapid Recovery Plan (RRP) Program
How conducive is the physical environment to meeting
the needs and expectations of both businesses and
customers?
What are the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses in the
Study Area? How well does the business mix meet the
needs of various customer groups?
Who are the key stewards of the Study Area? Are they
adequately staffed and resourced to support implementation
of projects? Are the regulatory, zoning, and permitting
processes an impediment to business activity?
Rapid Recovery Plan Diagnostic Framework
Private Realm AdminCapacityRevenue & SalesTenantMixPublicRealm
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 8
Following the diagnostic in Phase 1, Plan Facilitators, in close coordination with communities, developed
and refined a set of recommendations that address priority challenges and opportunities. These project
recommendations are organized in clear and concise rubrics created specially for the Rapid Recovery Plan
Program. Project recommendations are rooted in a set of essential and comprehensive improvements
across six categories: Public Realm, Private Realm, Revenue and Sales, Administrative Capacity, Tenant
Mix, Cultural/Arts & Others.
Who are the customers of businesses in the Study
Area?
PHYSICAL
ENVIRONMENT
BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
ADMIN
CAPACITY
CUSTOMER
BASE
OtherCultural/Arts
Executive Summary
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 9
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 10
Executive Summary
Building resilience in Paradise City
The Local Rapid Recovery Plan (LRRP) Program was undertaken to provide Northampton with actionable,
project-based recovery plans tailored to economic challenges and COVID-19 related impacts unique to
the downtown. Communities and Plan Facilitators were partnered through the LRRP program to assess
COVID-19 impacts, convene community partners to solicit project ideas and provide feedback, and develop
project recommendations. The following plan summarizes key findings from the diagnostic phase of the
program and includes a range of priority project recommendations for the community to implement.
Each Rapid Recovery Plan was developed across three phases between March and October 2021.
Phase 1 - Diagnostic: During the first phase, a methodical diagnosis of challenges and opportunities in
the downtown’s physical environment, customer base, business environment and administrative capacity
was conducted through a review of existing conditions, plans and documentation, as well as a survey of
local businesses owners and conversations with key local stakeholders. The Diagnostic revealed that the
downtown is still responding to the challenges of COVID-19, with 78% of businesses still receiving less foot
traffic in 2021 than before the pandemic and 96% still operating at reduced hours/capacity. It also revealed
opportunities to address the conditions of public spaces, district-wide marketing strategies, and exploring
permanent policy for outdoor dining and retail (source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021).
Phase 2 - Project Recommendations: Approximately 100 ideas were generated during the Diagnostic and
supported the development of a list of 25 draft project recommendations for consideration during Phase 2,
ranging from crosswalk safety improvements to enhanced programming for entrepreneurs and innovators.
The project recommendations were brought forward to two focus groups, as well as the general public,
during a community meeting held in June, in order to be considered for inclusion in the Rapid Recovery Plan.
Phase 3 - Final Plan: The final phase brought together key stakeholders to help inform and guide the
envisioning of the 14 project recommendations selected for inclusion in the Local Rapid Recovery Plan.
The projects are divided into six categories: public realm, private realm, revenue & sales, administrative
capacity, tenant mix, and cultural arts. A few examples of the projects are listed below.
Implementing long-term permitting and operations mechanisms for outdoor dining and retail on public
property.
Supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs by growing capacity and opportunities for digital
Marketing, improving access to resources and creating a new lab for innovation.
Creating new public arts initiatives such as a mural program and new lighting installations.
Each project recommendation includes content for consideration, such as rationale, potential funding
sources, risks, potential partners, and a recommended process for implementation. As with any plan, it will
be critical for key stakeholders of the plan to convene and make needed decisions on ushering the projects
toward implementation as part of downtown Northampton’s COVID-19 recovery.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 11
Diagnostic
Rapid Recovery Plan 12CityofNorthampton
The Local Rapid Recovery Plan (“LRRP”) process began with an approximately two-
month survey of existing conditions (“Diagnostic”) in the physical environment,
business environment, customer base and administrative capacity of Northampton’s
main commercial area (“downtown Northampton”). This area is comprised largely of
Main, Pleasant and King Streets and the 2-3 blocks surrounding them (see map on
next page). The Diagnostic is intended to help readers of the LRRP to get to know and
understand downtown Northampton’s main economic development indicators as they
relate to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recovery efforts.
The Diagnostic for this LRRP was developed through a specific set of methods
intended to gather both qualitative and quantitative data.
Business Survey, April 2021 (see Appendix): Distributed online and in-person to
businesses located in downtown Northampton. Eighty-two out of 317 businesses
responded to the survey.
Baseline Data, April 2021 (see Appendix): Desktop data, such as demographic and
economic indicators, were collected with the support of City of Northampton and
downtown Northampton Association staff. Field data, such as the quality of roads,
sidewalks and buildings, were collected during a site visit using a well-defined grading
rubric.
Community Meeting, April 24, 2021: An online community meeting was held to hear
from residents on findings from the business survey and baseline data, as well as their
experiences navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stakeholder Interviews, May 2021 (see Acknowledgments): Fourteen interviews were
conducted with City and non-profit staff, as well as key arts/culture and business
leaders.
Existing Plans and Resources: Content related to Picture Main Street, Walk/Bike
Northampton, the Resilience Hub, and more were reviewed to help ensure the LRRP
would serve as a complimentary planning document for the downtown.
Diagnostics: Process & Key Findings
PHYSICAL
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DOWNTOWN NORTHAMPTON00.50.
25
Miles LEGEND
STUDY AREA
OPEN SPACE RIGHT OF
WAY /
PARKING BUILDINGS LRRP
STUDY AREA Rapid Recovery Plan City of
City of Northampton14RapidRecoveryPlan 14
Physical Environment Highlights
health guidelines. On the lawn, circles were
drawn with spray paint to clarify where
groups can sit in order to maintain six feet of
spacing between groups.
Northampton’s comprehensive rail
trails and other shared use paths
connect Northampton with Amherst,
Belchertown, Easthampton, Florence,
Hadley, Southampton, and Williamsburg.
There are also 16 (soon to be 19) electric-
assist bike share locations and seven bike
shops on or near the trail, which attract
recreational bicyclists. The rail trail provides
Downtown Northampton’s public realm
has many great features including wide
sidewalks, parks and open space, and a
strong cultural identity. Together, these core
characteristics help to make a welcoming
Downtown.
SIDEWALKS AND CROSSWALKS
The sidewalks in the defined study area are
in moderate condition, wide on some streets,
and clean. Sidewalks that branch away
from the Main Street and Pleasant/King
Street “core” are in less favorable condition.
Numerous crosswalks need improvement
to increase pedestrian safety and vehicular
visibility. The improvement of sidewalks and
crosswalks are going to be addressed in the
Picture Main Street project and are slated
for improvements starting in 2025. However,
shorter-term projects to address short term
concerns for safety and accessibility could
be implemented.
WAYFINDING
Wayfinding in the study area is primarily
centered towards vehicular traffic. There
is no cohesive wayfinding system for all
modes of transportation, although new
digital Soofa wayfinding stations and
cultural district entrance signs have been
installed. The City of Northampton also
recently installed several digital parking
counters downtown that point drivers to the
nearest parking garage.
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE
There are two open spaces in Downtown:
the newly renewed Pulaski Park and the
Nagle Walkway, which also serves as the
intersection of the Mass Central Rail Trail
and the New Haven and Northampton Canal
Greenway. Both spaces are well used by
the community and cared for. In summer
2020, Pulaski Park had Ambassadors to help
ensure people followed COVID-19 public
New solar-powered digital Soofa wayfinding signage
near Pulaski Park
PHYSICAL
ENVIRONMENT
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 15
Physical Environment Hightlights, continued
an alternative mode of transportation and
connects the economic centers and open
spaces across these municipalities.
STREET TREES
Overall, in downtown there are street trees
that are small in stature. In front of Pulaski
Park there are larger trees. Several sections
of Pleasant Street, King Street, and Old
South Street are lacking the presence of
trees. On Main Street, there are many empty
tree wells, which can be a tripping hazard
or those who use mobility devices, such as
wheelchairs or walkers, can get stuck. In
addition, Main Street’s medians have large
planters with birch trees. These trees are
maintained by the downtown Northampton
Association and the Department of Public
Works.
A detailed summary of field work and
physical environment scoring is located in
the Appendix.
CULTURE AND ART
There are a number of murals and other
displays of public art within the downtown
area which emphasizes the strong presence
of cultural arts in Northampton’s identity.
Murals can be found on Bridge Street near
the Roost, on Cracker Barrel Alley, Kirkland
Avenue, and tucked into other nooks
throughout the downtown. Two sculptures
are featured on the outside faces of the
bike path and railroad bridges. Sculptures of
significance to the local community can be
found along Main Street.
Many of the city’s anchor institutions are
in the arts sector, such as the Academy
of Music Theatre, the Iron Horse Music
Hall, and Smith College’s Museum of Art.
Residents and business owners take great
pride in the art and music culture that
defines Northampton.
Benches between Thornes Marketplace and E.J. Gare
Parking Garage (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Northampton Memorial Hall
PHYSICAL
ENVIRONMENT
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 16
Map of public realm elements that scored well and need improvement
Overall Downtown Score
SIDEWALK A
STREET TREES + BENCHES B
LIGHTING B
WAYFINDING / SIGNAGE B
ROADBED / CROSSWALK B
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 1717
Business Environment Highlights
WINDOWS, SIGNAGE, AND LIGHTING.
Most downtown businesses have inviting
window displays and clear signage on their
facades. These engaging window displays
help to attract the attention of shoppers
and encourage people to stop. Many of the
businesses have lighting on the outsides
of their buildings to help attract customers
in the evening. During the pandemic, all
stores and restaurants had clear signage
that reminded people about COVID-19 public
health guidelines.
Downtown Northampton is a bustling
business district with 317 businesses
spanning retail, cafes and restaurants,
galleries, and a variety of professional
services.¹
KEY CORRIDORS AND NODES
The most compact business corridors in
Northampton are Main Street and Pleasant
Street. Both of these streets are also
primary routes for all transportation modes.
There are several side streets that also have
a number of businesses including Masonic
Street, Crafts Ave, Strong Ave, and Market
Street.
While businesses in downtown
Northampton are satisfied overall with
the density of, and proximity to, other
businesses and their customers, there is
a strong desire to improve the condition of
public infrastructure and public safety along
key corridors.²
KEY DESTINATIONS
Thornes Market serves as one of the key
anchors in downtown for retail and provides
easy access between Main Street and the
E.J. Gare Public Parking Garage. The newly-
renovated Academy of Music, Iron Horse
Music Hall, and Smith College’s Museum
of Art are also key cultural destinations.
Pulaski Park is one of the key destinations
where people who have purchased food and
beverages in downtown go to enjoy them.
There is a desire among the business
community to implement more
programming, events, and marketing
strategies to enhance and grow the
downtown’s presence as a regional
destination.²
Pulaski Park lighting at night
BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 18
Business Environment Highlights, continued
OUTDOOR DISPLAY AND DINING
In 2021, there were 23 cafes and restaurants
with outdoor seating in on-street parking
spaces and in privately owned parking lots.
Many were on Main Street, especially east
of Pleasant Street to Hawley and Market
Streets.
Outdoor seating was permitted in response
to the pandemic in an effort to reduce the
spread of COVID-19 and encourage people
to patron the restaurants, and as a result
the outdoor dining created a lively street
environment where people could gather.
There is a strong desire among most of the
business community to iterate upon existing
policy and permitting for outdoor dining and
retail.²
COVID-19 IMPACTS
Mandated public health guidelines
implemented in response to the spread
of the COVID-19 virus were hard-felt in
downtown Northampton, with 98% of
businesses reported being impacted from
revenue loss and reduced operations to
employee layoffs and insolvency. Eighty-
two percent of businesses generated less
revenue in 2020 than they did in 2019, and for
65% of businesses, revenue declined by 25%
or more.²
Seventy-eight percent of businesses had
less foot traffic in January and February
of 2021 than before COVID, and for 68%
of businesses there was a 25% or more
reduction of on-site customers.²
In Spring of 2021, 79% of businesses
reported they were still operating at
reduced hours or capacity, and many were
experiencing severe hiring shortages due to
shifting trends in the workforce.²
Wayfinding and outdoor dining on Main Street
Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
Overall Downtown Score
WINDOW B
OUTDOOR DISPLAY / DINING B
SIGNAGE A
AWNING B
FAÇADE A
LIGHTING A
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 19
Map of Private Realm elements that scored well and need improvement
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 20
Customer Base Highlights
DEMOGRAPHY AND RACE/ETHNICITY
With the exception of college-age adults,
Northampton’s population trends slightly
older, resulting in a median age of 40.0
vs. the state median of 39.5. Its average
household size is 2.19, which is notably less
than the state average of 2.52.
The self-identified racial and ethnic
composition of the city is 88.5% White, 2.2%
Black or African American, 0.2% American
Indian and Alaska Native, 3.3% Asian, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
1.7% as other races, and 4.2% from two or
more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race
were 8.7% of the population.³
Situated along the Connecticut River Valley
of Massachusetts, Northampton has long
been a regional hub for academics, arts,
music, and counterculture. Its resident
population is 28,801 (source: City of
Northampton, 2020) and student population
is 5,549.³
ECONOMY AND TOURISM
Northampton has a workforce population
of 15,526 and a median household annual
income of $66,522.³ It is estimated that over
900,000 visitors traveled to Northampton
in 2019 to enjoy destinations such as Smith
College, the Academy of Music, hospitality
establishments and other arts/culture
venues. The downtown’s economic activity
largely caters to these visitors, with
132 retail and 38 dining establishments
currently in operation comprising about
two thirds of the downtown’s ground floor
spaces. During the COVID-19 pandemic,
downtown Northampton saw a 41% decline
in foot traffic along Main Street and stalled
the City’s economic engine overnight.²
EDUCATION
Northampton’s population is very well-
educated, with the percentage of residents
with graduate degrees being 33.9%,
compared with 19.6% as the state average.³
This is in-part due to its role as municipal
host to Smith College and close geographic
proximity to the other members of the “Five
Colleges” consortium: Amherst College,
the University of Massachusetts Amherst,
Hampshire College in Amherst, and Mount
Holyoke College in South Hadley. Such ties
with academia enable a host of events
encouraging the promotion of intellectual
thought and progressive values, such as
book readings and rallies for social justice.
CUSTOMER
BASE
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 2121
Administrative Capacity Highlights
increased need for approvals from the
commission.
A $25 administrative fee was waived for
license holders looking to extend/alter
premises.
In addition, the Commonwealth allowed
cities and towns to handle liquor licenses,
which made it possible for restaurants to
serve alcohol outside and transport across
sidewalks. An important outcome from the
pandemic is to understand how temporary
additions or changes to the City’s permitting
processes will be adapted in the long term.
The City of Northampton’s economic
response to the COVID-19 pandemic
centered around the rapid ability to modify
regulations and resources impacting
the City’s businesses and organizations,
which are supported largely by the City’s
elected officials, administrative staff, main
street organizations and the Chamber of
Commerce.
CITY OF NORTHAMPTON
The City of Northampton organizes its
elected officials into the role of Mayor,
who serves in an executive capacity, and
City Council, which serves legislatively.
The Office of Planning and Sustainability,
which serves in an administrative role
to “identify and implement community
vision for a sustainable and resilient future
with a healthy and equitable economy
and environment,” is a key element of the
City’s administrative capacity for handling
the economy recovery from the COVID-19
pandemic (www.northamptonma.gov).
LICENSING AND PERMITTING
The City of Northampton’s License
Commission was able to adapt its
permitting process expediently in order
to respond to the pandemic. Below are
examples of City licenses and permits.
Exempted permits for the placement of
outdoor tables and chairs.
Waived fees for the permitting of tents
for outdoor dining.
Enacted executive powers to make
temporary changes to the public right of
way without approval from City Council.
The License Commission modified its
monthly schedule and met, at times, on
a weekly basis to accommodate the
City staff and consultant team on a site visit
ADMIN
CAPACITY
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 2222
DOWNTOWN NORTHAMPTON ASSOCIATION
GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE
Emerging as a result of conversations
with community stakeholders following
the demise of Northampton’s Business
Improvement District, the Downtown
Northampton Association (DNA) is a non-
profit organization, served by one paid
staff member and a dedicated Board of
Directors, who are “dedicated to preserving
and improving the economic and cultural
vitality of downtown Northampton” (www.
northamptondna.com). DNA’s annual budget,
which is comprised of voluntary member
donations, revenue from events and external
funding, averages approximately $100,000
annually.
The Greater Northampton Chamber of
Commerce (GNCC) “is a member-supported,
non-profit organization that creates
meaningful connections and facilitates
business learning opportunities” and works
closely in partnership with the DNA and
City of Northampton on citywide matters
related to economic development (www.
northamptonchamber.com).
Both the DNA and GNCC played outsized
roles during the COVID-19 pandemic,
providing guidance on response- and
recovery-related resources for local
businesses and their employees. They also
helped to spur the growth of online portals
for retail and dining, such as Northampton
Live and 413 Takeout, which served as
critical links in helping residents continue to
patronize local businesses.
Source: US Census Bureau, 2019.
Source: LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021.
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021.
Administrative Capacity Highlights, continued
Northampton Tuesday Farmer’s Market
Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
PHYSICAL
ENVIRONMENT
ADMIN
CAPACITY
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 23
Project Recommendations
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 24
Project List + Key Icons
Number Project Category Budget Timeframe Risk
1
Implement interim crosswalk safety
improvements on Main Street prior to its
reconstruction
2 Make improvements to the bike path and railroad
underpasses on Main Street
3 Improve the quality and activation of the
furniture zone on Main Street
4
Implement long-term permitting and operations
mechanisms for outdoor dining and retail on
public property
5 Create an information guide for storefront and
façade improvements
6
Conduct a ‘Developer’s Tour and Workshop’ to
expedite the redevelopment of 33 King Street
and other sites in downtown Northampton
7
Support small businesses and organizations by
growing capacity and opportunities for digital
marketing
8 Restructure parking management strategies to
increase vacancy rates for on-street parking
9 Test feasibility for the reformation of a business
improvement district (BID)
10
Create a comprehensive municipal service to
help entrepreneurs start, expand, and improve
their Northampton-based businesses
11 Create a new ground oor space dedicated to the
training and housing of start-up enterprises
12 Pilot the activation of vacant storefronts with
pop-ups
13 Create a public mural program for local artists
14 Implement a new lighting installation
Legend
Budget
Low Budget (Under $50k)
Medium Budget ($50k-$200k)
Large Budget ($200k+)
Timeframe
Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Medium Term (5-10years)
Long Term (10+ years)
Risk
Low Risk
Medium Risk
High Risk
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 25
Implement interim crosswalk safety improvements
on Main Street prior to its reconstruction
Category Public Realm
Location
Five uncontrolled crosswalk locations on Main Street, at:
Strong Ave
Center Street
150 Main Street (Thornes Market Place)
City Hall
Masonic Street
Origin City of Northampton Department of Planning & Sustainability
Budget
Medium ($50,000 to $200,000)
Potential funding sources:
MassDOT: Shared Streets and Spaces
AARP: Community Challenge Grant
Timeframe Short term (less than 5 years), with an expected
implementation in Spring, 2022.
Risk
Medium Risk
Will require the removal of up to two parking spaces per
crosswalk for daylighting, which may be contentious
Quick-build materials require ongoing maintenance
Key Performance Indicators
Change in the number of conflicts between crossing
pedestrians and motor vehicles
Change in the volume of pedestrians using crosswalks and
not using crosswalks
Change in motor vehicles stopping for pedestrians
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton’s Office of Planning & Sustainability
City of Northampton’s Department of Public Works
City of Northampton Central Services
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 26
Description There are several crosswalks on Main Street in downtown Northampton
that create unsafe conditions for drivers and pedestrians alike. The
crosswalks will be updated in the Picture Main Street project; however,
construction is still years away. Through baseline data and field data, it has
been identified that pedestrian safety could be improved with low-cost,
temporary adjustments, applying a concept often referred to as “tactical
urbanism.”
Diagnostic •
Crosswalk safety improvements are noted as a key feature of the
Picture Main Street and Walk/Bike Northampton planning processes
see Appendix).
Sixty-four percent of businesses surveyed believe the improvement of
the streetscape and sidewalks is “important” (28%) or “very important”
36%) to the downtown’s physical environment, atmosphere, and access
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021).
Main Street saw a 41% decline in foot traffic as a result of the pandemic
in 2020 (Source: LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021).
Overall, crosswalks and roadbeds in the downtown are currently
designed for motor vehicle throughput and access, creating a poor and
often dangerous pedestrian crossing experience (Source: LRRP Field
Work, April 2021).
Action Item •
Improve the pedestrian street crossing experience on Main Street, while
limiting the impact of the right-of-way use by motor vehicles.
Update crosswalk signage for optimal visibility and legibility.
Faded crosswalks at the Main Street and Pleasant Street
intersection
Faded crosswalk on Main Street and Masonic Street
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 27
Process Phase 1: Existing Work (1-3 months)
Complete efforts already in-progress related to the project.
Draft ordinance: Continue to work with DPW on drafting the ordinance
for removing parking spots that back onto or directly block the light of
sight of crosswalks.
Preparation: Fund and implement the removal of parking spots and
installation of appropriate signage.
Phase 2: Planning & Engagement (3-6 months)
Prepare rationale, baseline data, and consenting opinion for the project.
Apply for funding: Apply for a MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces
Program grant or a similar source, highlighting the importance of the
project as it relates to previous applications and the reconstruction of
Main Street.
Review plans: Review existing plans and resources to identify key
locations and conditions for redesign.
Align with policy: Frame crosswalk improvements within existing policy
to align with overall municipal objectives for pedestrian safety.
Measure existing conditions: Take appropriate baseline measurements,
including visibility, behaviors of motorists and pedestrians, and publish
a public survey to capture the perceived safety of crosswalks by
members of the public.
Walk audit: Conduct a walk audit as the primary form of engaging key
stakeholders, involving business owners and non-profit leaders.
Interdepartmental Meeting: Convene an hour-long meeting of
interdepartmental stakeholders to present findings from Phase 1.
Assess capacity: Determine internal capacity for all project phases.
Where needed, hire an external consulting firm to provide additional
bandwidth for each phase.
Phase 3: Design & Operations (3-6 months)
Determine the ideal design for each intersection, including treatments, and
materials.
Engagement and approval: Prior to starting the design process,
notify direct abutters about the crosswalk improvements and
determine the review and approval process for each installation.
Conceptual design: The design team should create at least two
design alternatives for roadway and signage treatments, including
types of materials.
Refine and finalize design: Select a preferred design to refine and
finalize, including materials, and prepare appropriate engineering
plans.
Vet operations: Meet on-site with DPW, Fire and Police to ensure
compliance with emergency operations.
Ongoing operations: Develop an operations plan to ensure the
effective stewardship and maintenance of degradable materials.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 28
Existing Conditions of a Main Street Crossing
Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Process, continued
Phase 4: Implementation (1 month)
Prepare for and conduct the installation of the
project.
Procurement: Purchase materials for
implementation.
Notify: Two weeks prior to the installation,
direct abutters and other key stakeholders.
Implementation: Conduct the installation
in collaboration with DPW, other
operational stakeholders and contractors.
Phase 5: Monitoring & Evaluation (6-12 months)
Refine and measure the implementation to help
identify opportunities for their incorporation in
long-term solutions.
Monitor: Conduct monthly inspections
of the implementation on a recurring
basis, making repairs, and adjustments as
necessary.
Evaluate: Conduct post-implementation
measurements identical to those
measured prior to implementation,
including visibility, behaviors of motorists
and pedestrians, and re-publish a public
survey to capture the perceived safety of
crosswalks by members of the public.
Tactical to practical: Update elements of
the quick-build treatments as needed to
comply with improvements occurring as
part of Main Street’s reconstruction.
Note: Selected processes are sourced from
the Federal Highway Administration’s Guide for
Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled
Crossing Locations.
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OPEN SPACE RIGHT OF
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DOWNTOWN NORTHAMPTON 1. Main
Street at
Masonic Street 2.
Main Street at
City Hall
3. 150
Main Street 4.
Main Street at
Center Street 5.
Main Street at
Strong Ave Rapid Recovery Plan City of
Crosswalks throughout downtown Northampton, while abundant, are long and provide high exposure for pedestrians
to moving motor vehicle traffic. Parked cars adjacent the crosswalks also impact pedestrian visibility when crossing.
Crosswalks on Main Street
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 30
Crosswalk at Hawley Streeet and BridgeStreetRainbowcrosswalkat150MainStreet
Crosswalk on Main Street at CenterStreetCrosswalkonMainStreetatCityHall
31
Best Practice
City ofNorthamptonLowell, MALocation
Quick-Build Intersections
Quick-build improvements for a long, unsafe crosswalk
Image source: Neighborways Design for the City of Lowell)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 32
Best Practice:
Quick-Build Intersections Quick-build improvements to the public right-of-way
provide low-cost, short-term and testable solutions for
improving mobility safety before major reconstructions
occur. Existing often under the phrase tactical urbanism,
these types of improvements acknowledge their
imperfection while asserting that short-term solutions
lead to long-term incremental change.
In Winter 2021, the City of Lowell utilized funding from the
MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces program to explore
quick-build safety improvements to the intersections of
Cardinal O’Connell Parkway at Merrimack and Market
Streets prior to their reconstruction in a few years. Located
adjacent civic infrastructure (City Hall, Lowell High School)
in a mixed-use district with ground floor retail, the site was
host to ample foot-traffic, but suffered from poor roadway
design, resulting in high vehicle speeds, dangerous turning
movements from vehicles, and unprotected, unsignalized
pedestrian crossings of more than 100 feet.
The City of Lowell contracted Neighborways Design, a
firm specializing in low-cost solutions for traffic calming
and placemaking, to conduct planning, engagement, and
design services for the site’s renewal. After observing
existing conditions, capturing baseline data (quantitative
and qualitative), and reviewing existing plans regarding
the site, Neighborways convened a meeting of internal
stakeholders to share their findings and conceptual design
alternatives, as well as solicit feedback on quick-build
projects using a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities,
and Threats) analysis.
The final quick-build intersection design selected included
painted neckdowns, curb extensions, pedestrian refuges,
vertically-delineated traffic medians, and bike lanes.
Neighborways produced engineering plans and a materials
list, as well as conducted field layouts for the City’s
Planning and Public Works Departments to implement
in May 2021. The City is continuing to monitor for needed
repairs and plans to conduct a post-implementation
evaluation in order to assess differential change in traffic
behavior and perceived mobility safety.
Website: www.neighborways.com
Image source: https://www.lowellma.gov/1340/GoLowell#sharedstreets
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 33
Make improvements to the bike path and
railroad underpasses on Main Street
Category Public Realm
Location The railroad and bike path underpasses on Main Street in
downtown Northampton
Origin City of Northampton
Budget
Medium ($50,000-$200,000)
Potential funding sources:
MassDOT: Shared Streets and Spaces (grant already
awarded for bridge underpass lighting)
Patronicity: Crowdfunding
New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA): Public Arts
Program
Timeframe Short term (less than 5 years)
Risk Low
Permitting and approvals
Key Performance Indicators
Perceived improvements to safety
Increased pedestrian foot traffic
Perceived improvements to the bridge as a gateway to
downtown Northampton
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Historic Northampton
Architect/lighting consultants
Local artists
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 34
Description A number of improvements can be made to the bike path and railroad
underpasses on Main Street to create a better pedestrian experience. The
underpasses could act as a gateway to help the lower portion of Main
Street feel included in downtown Northampton. Improvements could
include adding artistic lighting, cleaning the walls, and addressing leaks.
Phase 1 with a lighting installation is underway in 2021 and is funded by
MassDOT’s Shared Streets and Spaces grant program.
Diagnostic •
The “Walk/Bike Northampton Plan by Alta Planning and Design” (2017)
outlines the need for upgrading the sidewalks below the underpass due
to poor condition.
Seventy-one percent of business owners who responded to the
business survey identified improvements to safety and/or cleanliness
in the downtown as “important” (31%) or “very important” (40%) to the
downtown’s physical environment, atmosphere and access. ¹
Sixty-four percent of businesses surveyed believe the improvement of
the streetscape and sidewalks is “important” (28%) or “very important”
36%) to the downtown’s physical environment, atmosphere and
access.¹
Main Street saw a 41% decline in foot traffic as a result of the pandemic
in 2020 (Source: LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021).
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021
Action Item • Make the underpass a place for safe passage by all modes of
transportation.
Reinforce the identity of downtown Northampton on both sides of the
underpasses.
Make necessary improvements to the structure, including lead
decontamination.
Sheet No.
A-150
Sheet Title
RCP
Project North
Project Title
DOWNTOWN BRIDGE LIGHTING
THE CITY OF NORTHAMPTON
Rev Date Description
Issue Date:
Drawn By:
Checked By:
Project ID:
Scale:
2021
XYZ
ABC
21-045
AS NOTED
1 XX/ XX/2021 XXXXXXXXXX SET
Architects, Inc.
196 Pleasant Street, Suite202Northampton,
MA 01060
413-585-0641http://www.tdouglasarchitects.com
REGISTERED ARCHITECT,
COMMONWEALTHOFMASSACHUSETTS
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uusseedd ffoorrccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn ppuurrppoosseess uunnlleessss tthheeSSiiggnneeddpprrooffeessssiioonnaallsseeaallooffaarreeggiisstteerreedd
aarrcchhiitteecctt eemmppllooyyeedd bbyyTThhoommaassDDoouuggllaassAArrcchhiitteeccttssiissaaffffiixxeeddiinntthheessppaacceebbeellooww.. TThhee
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tthheeccooppyyrriigghhtt..
THOMAS DOUGLAS
23 MAIN STREET
NORTHAMPTON
MA 01060
08/12/2021
NOT FORCONSTRUCTION4 3 2
1
1234
C
B
AA
B
C
P3
P3
P3 SITE
PLAN Scale: 3/16" = 1'-0"
1 0 25 35 45 55 65
FT
P3 94'-
3"
CONTROL
BOX EXISTINGLIGHTPOLEEXISTINGPOWERIS
TAKEN FROM THIS
POLE
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P1
P2
P2
P2
P2
P2
P2
P2
P1
CONTROLBOX 70'-
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POLE
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0"63'-
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COLORKINETICSACCENT
RGBW COLOR KINETICSFLEX Rapid Recovery Plan City
of Northampton 35 The Rail Trail Bridge on Main Street
in downtown Northampton Site plan of downtown Bridge Lighting for the City of Northampton (
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 36
Process Several improvements to the bike path and railroad underpasses have
been identified that include the following:
Improve lighting for both aesthetics and safety
Clean walls
Fix leaking bridge, that will also help reduce ice on the sidewalk in the
winter
Remove lead paint
Add art pieces between the bridges, underneath the bridge, and
stairway to bike path
Clear overgrowth and landscape the ledge on south retaining wall
Add wayfinding and history of the railway signage
The City of Northampton has started this project by securing a grant
from MassDOT’s Shared Spaces and Streets to work on the concept
development and implementation of lighting improvements.
Phase 1: Lighting Installation on Bike Path Bridge and Cleaning Walls
6-12 months)
The first phase of this project is to improve the lighting for pedestrians and
to clean the walls under the bike bridge.
Apply and secure funding: In 2021, the City of Northampton applied to
MassDOT’s Shared Spaces and Streets grant for lighting improvements
to the bike bridge underpass. MassDOT awarded the grant to the City in
summer 2021, and Phase 1 is already underway.
Lighting design: The City hired Tom Douglas Architects of Northampton
as a consultant to design an artistic lighting installation under the bike
bridge. In summer 2021, there was a community meeting to collect
feedback. Lights made by Color Kinetics (colorkinetics.com), which are
programmable and change colors, will be placed over the sidewalk area
and, as funding allows, over the street. To connect the installation there
would be a weather-proofed box located on site with controllers, power
supply, and internet for lights to be run through an app. Finally, the
design will not impede any regular bridge inspections.
Lighting pricing: At the end of the process, there should be multiple
design options and broken down by cost for each bridge. Based on the
funding available, a lighting design and project scope will be selected.
Approaching lighting equitably: Some residents experiencing
homelessness use the bridge for shelter at night. Pay attention to
ensure that lights are implemented humanely while addressing the
needs of individuals who seek shelter at the bridge.Install Lights: Install
lighting, with fixtures on the bike path bridge to be prioritized first as
they do not require MassDOT approval.
Sheet No.
A-101
Sheet Title
RAIL TRAIL BRIDGE
Project North
Project Title
DOWNTOWN BRIDGE LIGHTING
THE CITY OF NORTHAMPTON
Rev Date Description
Issue Date:
Drawn By:
Checked By:
Project ID:
Scale:
2021
XYZ
ABC
21-045
AS NOTED
1 XX/ XX/2021 XXXXXXXXXX SET
Architects, Inc.
196 Pleasant Street, Suite202Northampton,
MA01060413-585-0641http://www.tdouglasarchitects.com
REGISTERED ARCHITECT,
COMMONWEALTHOFMASSACHUSETTS
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uusseedd ffoorr ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn ppuurrppoosseess uunnlleessss tthhee
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THOMAS DOUGLAS
23 MAIN STREET
NORTHAMPTON
MA 01060
08/12/2021
NOT FORCONSTRUCTION4 3 2
1
1234
C
B
AA
B
C 15'-
9"79'-8"RAIL
TRAIL BRIDGE ELEVATION Scale: 1/4" =
1'-0"1 RAIL TRAIL BRIDGE
REFLECTED CEILING PLAN Scale: 1/4" = 1'-0"215'-9
7/16"RAIL TRAIL BRIDGESECTION
Scale: 1/4" = 1'-0"3 Rapid
Recovery Plan City of Northampton 37 Process, continued Phase 2: Expanded Lighting
Program Under the Railroad
Bridges and Clean-up (12 months)The second phase builds off the first
phase to expand the lighting program to the railroad bridges and de-lead the bridges.
Since there is lead paint on the bridge, MassDOT
approval and permits will be necessary. Funding: For design implementation
of Phase 2, additional funding is needed and can be best supported
by applying for additional grants. Use cost estimates from Phase 1 to help
determine
the project scope for the application. Expanded lighting: During Phase 1,
the lighting design will provide ideas for the full lighting program that
includes the cross-section of the bridges over the street. Finalizing
this lighting design and preparing final documentation should be
prioritized along with any additional features, such as lighting on the
stairway leading to the bike path.Signage: QR codes could be
incorporated into signage to support any additional event programming.
Add signage to indicate where Historic Northampton and
the Community Arts Trust are located.Approval process:
The railroad bridge installation and improvements will require approval by contacts at
MassDOT’s Rail and Transit Division.Capture pre-implementation
metrics: Conduct a survey of measures listed in the ‘Key
Performance Indicators’ section prior
to conducting improvements to the underpass.Public art: Currently, there are two 80+
foot long art pieces visible to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Between
the bridges there is a 20-foot gap that could provide additional
opportunities for art. Also, there is the
staircase connecting to the Rail Trail.
Maintenance improvements: There are several maintenance improvements to be made prior
to
the installation of new lighting, including:De-leading
the railroad bridge: The largest maintenance undertaking and
will require state approval to complete.
Painting: Removing paint and repainting railings.Clearing overgrowth vegetation:
On
the southside ledge and plant perennials. Drawings from
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 38
Process, continued
Phase 3: Installation
Phase 3 is the installation of designs from Phase
2, which could include the following types of
projects that could be installed by a contractor,
artists, or volunteers. Improvements include the
following:
Cleaning walls (power washing): MassDOT or
contractor
De-leading: MassDOT or contractor
Re-painting bridges: MassDOT or contractor
Installing additional lighting: DPW, contractor
or designer
Planting new vegetation: DPW, contractor, or
volunteers with the Western Mass Pollinator
Network
Installing new art pieces: Artist overseen by
the Art Council
For the railroad underpass, de-leading
and repainting is necessary before other
improvements can be made.
Depending on the project financing structure, the
underpass improvements could be broken into
smaller projects and completed in phases.
Phase 4: Evaluation
Capture measures listed in the ‘Key Performance
Indicators’ section after installation.
Existing condtions of the underpasses on Main Street
Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Panoramic of existing conditions of the underpasses on Main Street (Source: Douglas Architects)
Overgrowth under the underpasses on Main Street
Source: Douglas Architects)
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 39
Lynn Lights was a lighting project implemented in
Lynn, MA across three different underpasses as
part of the Beyond Walls placemaking initiative.
In 2018, the lighting was installed in response
to the community’s call for placemaking and
visibility in the underpass (Source: Downtown
Action Plan, 2016). Using Color Kinetics LED
lighting, 600 linear feet of lighting has helped
contribute to improved pedestrian safety,
attract more people to the underpasses, and
enhanced the streetscape’s aesthetics. This
project was funded by the Barr Foundation,
MassDevelopment’s Commonwealth Places, and
crowdfunding through Patronicity, and received
pro-bono architectural and lighting design, and
electrical engineering.
Website: www.beyond-walls.org/lynnlights
Lighting installation in Lynn at an MBTA Underpass (Image source: Beyond Walls)
City of Northampton
Lynn, MALocation
Lynn Lights
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 40
Improve the quality and activation of the
furniture zone on Main Street
Category Public Realm
Location Downtown Northampton Study Area
Origin • LRRP Community Meeting, April 2021.
Retail Business Focus Group, June 2021.
Budget
Medium ($50,000 to $200,000)
Potential funding sources:
City of Northampton: Annual Budget
Chapter 90
MassDOT: Shared Streets and Spaces
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk Low Risk
Key Performance Indicators
Linear feet of furniture zone (bricks) replaced
Number of tree wells repaired
Change in satisfaction of Main Street’s aesthetic
Cost per square foot
Partners & Resources • City of Northampton Department of Public Works (DPW)
City of Northampton Disability Commission
Local businesses
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 41
Description
Downtown Northampton’s Main Street has a wide sidewalk and furniture
zone frequently filled with visitors and patrons of local businesses. Despite
the downtown’s many attractions, its public right-of-way for pedestrians
has many missing bricks and empty tree wells that are a tripping and
safety hazard, especially for those using wheelchairs, walkers and other
mobility devices. This project rubric describes how to create a better
pedestrian experience using low-cost solutions prior to Main Street’s
reconstruction.
Diagnostic •
Forty-two percent of business owners were either dissatisfied (30%) or
very dissatisfied (12%) with the condition of public spaces, streets, and
sidewalks in the downtown. ¹
Sixty-four percent of business owners believed that improvements
to the streetscape and sidewalks was either important (28%) or very
important (36%) to the physical environment, atmosphere, and access
in the downtown. ¹
Street trees and benches in the downtown scored an overall score of
B’ which is indicates that features in the “furniture zone” have not been
cleaned or well-maintained, and require physical improvement (Source:
LRRP Field Work, April 2021).
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021
Action Item •
Fix missing bricks and empty tree wells on Main Street.
Improve the accessibility and aesthetics of Main Street’s furniture zone.
Identify new spaces for outdoor dining where operationally viable.
Furniture zone in poor condition, including a firehydrantTreewellinpoorconditionwithmissingbricks
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 42
Process Phase 1: Project Scoping (3-6 months)
Determine the extent of the work that is needed for addressing the
furniture zone on and around Main Street.
Field assessment: Utilizing existing field surveying conducted as part
of the LRRP process; conduct a field assessment to determine the
condition of the brick sidewalk edge in 10 to 20 feet increments and
assign the sections with a rating (e.g., good, fair, poor, and extremely
poor). Also, identify spaces that may be operationally viable for
outdoor dining and retail. For sections that are extremely poor, smaller
increments may be needed. Areas will be prioritized in order of need and
level of pedestrian activity.
Design alternatives: Identify a few different design and material
solutions to fix the problem. Below are a few options.
Replace all the bricks with concrete, which could include colored
concrete or other artistic concrete solutions.
Patch the poorest sections with concrete or asphalt.
Replace bricks that are popping up with new bricks. Place planters,
bike racks, and other amenities in the downtown to help program
the space. On a related note: rain gardens will be looked at as part
of Main Street’s reconstruction and is not included in the scope of
this project recommendation.
Cost estimates: After discussing and selecting a couple of design
solutions, receive a cost estimate for each approach that includes
additional design, engineering, and installation costs. Discuss whether
or not this project could be implemented by DPW or a contractor.
Engage business owners: Engage and discuss the leading design
solutions and pros and cons of each option. Clarify questions about the
installation timeline and impacts to downtown, circulation, and access.
Engage the Northampton Disability Commission: Meet to discuss
overall compliance and satisfaction with regards to the project
proposal.
Engage stakeholders: Discuss with DPW and key City staff to determine
the scope of work, general budget range, timeline, and installation
staffing/contractor needs.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 43
Missing bricks (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Process, continued
Phase 2: Budgeting & Approval (1-3 months)
Given the need for a rapid implementation of the
project, it is recommended the City look to utilize
municipal funds to advance the project towards
implementation, although other funding options are
available.
If existing funds do not already exist in
departmental budgets to cover the cost, it is
recommended to include the project in the City’s
FY23 budget, which would require approval from the
Mayor’s Office and City Council.
Phase 3: Implementation (1-3 months)
Implementation: For implementation, there are
two options which should be identified during the
project scoping and budget approval phases. The
two options include DPW or hiring contractors.
Engage business owners: Allow several weeks to
notify business owners via email, phone calls, and
flyers about the upcoming construction, timeline,
and what to expect.
Example of tree well improvements (Source:
https://www.kenherndonplacemaker.com/plants/
n4dmndbl6q6q9q7qsqccksqimpnfqc)
Example of Perma-Cast Shake-On Color Hardener, Basketweave
Stencil (Source: https://www.butterfieldcolor.com/gallery/stenciled-
concrete/)
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan 44
The City of Boston provides estimates on
material cost per square foot, including concrete
10/square feet), brick or pavers ($17 per square
feet) and asphalt ($7 per square feet), as well as
guidance on standards for the reconstruction of
sidewalks and tree wells.
Website: www.boston.gov/departments/public-
works/sidewalk-deposits
While many of New England’s brick sidewalks
have been replaced over time with concrete, they
are still used frequently in the “furniture zone,”
a typically 2-3 feet strip located between the
pedestrian curb and right of way. Maintenance
programs are needed to ensure that bricks and
other features such as tree wells do not pose
a threat to the public realm’s accessibility and
aesthetic over time.
Many cities choose to offer solutions in the form
of permanent programs, capital improvement
schedules may necessitate the creation of low-
cost, interim solutions with similar materials and
processes, similar to what is being explored for
Northampton.
City of Northampton
Boston, MALocation
Sidewalk Repair
Image source: Street Caster Sidewalk Fair by The Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and Boston Public Works https://twitter.com/
SEBVONS/status/1018975305564815363
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 45
Implement long-term permitting and operations mechanisms
for outdoor dining and retail on public property
Category Public Realm
Location City of Northampton
Origin • LRRP Business Survey (April 2021)
LRRP Stakeholder Interviews (May 2021)
Budget
Low (Under $50,000)
Potential funding sources:
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk
High Risk
Real and perceived loss of parking
Uncertainty around long-term structure of state Alcoholic
Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) laws
Considerations related to ADA, universal design, public
health, and building codes
Key Performance Indicators
Annual number of applications
Amount of space activated (square feet)
Change in revenue or number of ticket sales of businesses
with and without permits
Public opinion collected through community surveys
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton Mayor’s Office
City of Northampton City Council
City of Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Local businesses
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 46
Description
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid demonstration in the transfer of
public space, either previously unused or for parking, into permitted spaces
for outdoor dining and retail. This transformative activation was enjoyed
by members of the public as safe ways to support local businesses. This
project is designed to help the City understand what can be improved
from this demonstration towards the implementation of new policy and
permitting processes for outdoor dining and retail.
Diagnostic •
The City of Northampton has long permitted outdoor dining and retail on
private property and, where sufficient space allows on public property. ¹
The COVID-19 pandemic expanded the notion of where and how much
outdoor dining and retail spacecould be permitted in a temporary
manner on public property, with 23 outdoor dining permits issued in first
half of 2021. (Source: City of Northampton)
Seventy-two percent of businesses surveyed believed that creating
more opportunities for outdoor dining and selling was either important
34%) or very important (38%) to the downtown’s economic recovery.
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021)
132 retail and 38 dining establishments occupy approximately 2/3 of
ground floor space in the downtown and serve as its main economic
driver. (Source: LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021)
There is a desire to understand to what extent the permitting of outdoor
dining and retail is possible given the wide range of uses are demanded
in the public right-of-way. ¹
Source: LRRP Stakeholder Interviews, May 2021
Action Item •
Enact a new ordinance for outdoor dining and retail on public property.
Establish a streamlined permitting process and annual fee structure.
Maintain a healthy balance of public use and private enterprise on
public property.
Outdoor dining at Progression Brewing (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 47
Process
The Department of Housing and Community
Development’s Outdoor Dining / Retail
Toolkit (“Toolkit”) has been designed to guide
municipalities throughout the Commonwealth in
their evolution of policy and permitting processes
related to the private utilization of the public
right-of-way. The following section elaborates
a phased approach to implementing the toolkit
with considerations unique to the context of
downtown Northampton.
Phase 1: Planning (1-2 months)
Conduct necessary pre-work to advance new
policy and permitting processes.
Existing conditions: Prepare a summary of
all existing documentation related to outdoor
dining and retail, including policy language,
permitting processes, list of current permits,
and examples of a couple of outdoor dining
applications.
Convene a meeting: Bring together key
stakeholders listed in the Partners and
Resources section to review the summary of
existing conditions. Discuss considerations for
outdoor entertainment and current sentiment
towards the use of parking spaces for
alternative uses and consider a fee for during
and post pandemic. Consider improvements
to the site design to create a platform that is
flush with the sidewalk to be ADA compliant
and easy access to the outdoor dining space.
Identify a main department responsible for
leading Phases 2, 3 and 4 and plan to meet
regularly throughout the process.
Review the Toolkit: Each stakeholder
should review and comment on the Toolkit
as it relates to their unique position and
perspective. Make sure stakeholders are able
to review each other’s comments to assist
with drafting the policy.
Outdoor dining on Main Street
Outdoor dining at Iconica
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 48
Process, continued
Phase 2: Drafting new policy (1-2 months)
Based on the outcomes of Phase 1, and utilizing
best practices and templates provided in the
Toolkit, prepare draft policy and permitting
processes for an evolved outdoor dining and retail
environment. A few considerations are listed
below.
Ensure compliance for ADA-accessible and
universal design.
Consider design standards, such as types of
barriers, heating and shade structures that are
allowed.
Consider how public use of the permitted
spaces will be accommodated, such as how
the spaces should be utilized outside of
business operational hours, or if a percentage
of space should be saved for general public
access (e.g. seating, public amenities, etc.).
Consider including zoning that allows
outdoor dining to be exempted from parking
requirements.
Prepare an easy-to-disseminate presentation
for presentation to City Council and other
public venues.
Consider how the permitting process would
allow multiple business owners to submit one
application for a public parklet that would be
publicly accessible and supported by multiple
business with the day-to-day maintenance.
Phase 3: Legislate (1-3 months)
Municipal: Work with City Council to draft new
policy based on outcomes from Phases 1 and
2. Refer to the Toolkit for recommendations
and best practices. During presentations,
highlight the universal benefits of outdoor
dining to help mitigate individual concerns
e.g. negative impacts on business).
State: Work toward state legislative and
administrative support around outdoor dining
in parks, even with alcohol, so that it does not
conflict with Article 97 of the amendments to
the state constitution. Consider obtaining an
opinion from the Executive Office of Energy
and Environmental Affairs, Attorney General or
a municipal attorney on why patio dining is or
is not considered a conversion of parkland.
Outdoor dining on Main Street in Summer 2021
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 49
Process, continued
Phase 4: Implementation (12 months)
Contract a project manager with appropriate
experience working with the restaurant
community and municipalities to assist with the
items listed below.
Work with the City on evolving online
processes for the revised permits.
Provide technical assistance to help
businesses navigate the new policy, site
design, permitting, and guidance.
Develop a shortlist of vendors who are able
to provide needed materials and contracted
labor to meet the new standards. They may
also explore opportunities for collective
bargaining.
Phase 5: Evaluation
Measure data as outlined in the ‘Key Performance
Indicators’ section on an annual basis or more
frequently.
View of pergola at Summer on Strong Dining for Summer on Strong
Banner for Summer on Strong
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 50
Outdoor Dining (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Summer on Strong banner
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DOWNTOWN NORTHAMPTON Rapid Recovery Plan City of
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 52
Create an information guide for storefront and
façade improvements
Category Private Realm
Location City of Northampton
Origin LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021
Budget
Low (Less than $50,000)
Potential funding sources:
Coronavirus Local and State Recovery Funds
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk
Low Risk
Potential lack of participants
Businesses prioritizing other COVID-19 impacts such as
revenue loss
Key Performance Indicators
Number of businesses/storefronts served
Change in revenues
Change in foot traffic
Average grant per renovation/modification
Partners & Resources • City of Northampton
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Description
Public-health requirements related to the COVID-19 pandemic severely
contracted the ability to conduct in-person activities in downtown
Northampton, which in-turn greatly impacted foot traffic and revenues
for local businesses. To help maintain a state of good repair among the
downtown’s buildings, this project recommends the City of Northampton
develop an informational guide that will help to reduce the barrier for
business and property owners to conduct needed improvements to their
storefronts.
Diagnostic •
Eighty-two percent of businesses surveyed saw a decrease in annual
revenues in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. For 65% of businesses,
revenue declined by 25% or more.¹
Seventy-eight percent of businesses had less on-site customers in
early 2021 than before COVID.¹
Local business owners have mixed sentiment around the condition of
private buildings, facades, storefronts, and signage in the downtown,
with 20% of survey respondents dissatisfied with their repair and 33%
neutral on the subject.¹
Twenty-seven percent of businesses survey expressed a desire for low-
cost financing for storefront/façade improvements.¹
Sixty-seven percent of businesses surveyed believed the renovation of
storefronts/facades were an important strategy for improving physical
environment, atmosphere and access in the downtown’s economic
recovery.¹
Physical surveying of the private realm revealed that while signage,
facades and lighting were, overall, in good repair throughout the
study area, window displays and awnings were two particular areas
of improvement. Streets which received the lowest scores included
Pleasant, West, Bridge, and Center Street (see Appendix).²
LRRP Business Survey, April 2021.
LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021.
Action Item •
Ensure appropriate bandwidth among municipal staff to develop and
oversee the implementation of the information guide for storefront and
façade improvements.
Create and launch the information guide for storefront and façade
improvements, ensuring that it exists in digital and print formats and is
paired with in-person technical assistance when needed.
Build trust and capacity among local businesses and property owners
by enhancing the sharing of information and showing support for
improvement projects undertaken in the private realm.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 53
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 54
Process
Portions of this section have been adapted from a memo on storefront
improvements located in the Appendix. The memo also includes additional
information and best practices from other communities.
Phase 1: Planning & Design (3-6 months)
Gather organizational support, labor, and information needed to create a
draft information guide for storefront and façade improvements
Convene a meeting: Meet with key stakeholders listed in the Partners
and Resources section to confirm project objectives and identify
responsible municipal department for oversight and implementation.
Needs discussed that can help to guide the development of project
objectives include, but are not limited to, the following.
Zoning: Providing business owners guidance related to the City’s
zoning, signage, and Central District Architecture Regulations.
Permits: Step-by-step instructions for obtaining permits and
complying with building codes.
Design: Clear design improvements that are desired by key
stakeholders along Main Street and commercial side streets that
still enable individual expression and uniqueness of character.
Empty storefronts: Consider standards for empty storefronts, along
with any potential enforcement or zoning code updates to assist in
their activation.
Funding: Create and/or promote municipal grant and loan program
assistance.
Confirm City staffing and bandwidth: While material cost for the
project will be limited, appropriating funds, and hiring/contracting for
designing the information guide and overseeing its implementation will
be notable. Take time to ensure the project has appropriate bandwidth
prior to initiating.
Engage local businesses and property owners: City staff and project
leaders should have conversations with local beneficiaries to confirm
support needs and opportunities for assistance. This is an important
step in an effort to build relationship capital and credibility from
members of the private sector.
Process, continued
Draft the information guide: Develop a draft
of the information guide that is visually
appealing and easy understand. Share the
draft externally for review and comment. The
guide could include, but is not limited to, the
following content which has been previously
discussed as during the LRRP process.
Regulations: An explanation of what
can and cannot be done to a storefront
relative to signage, ADA access, windows
and other items controlled by the City’s
zoning and Central District Architectural
Regulations.
Design visuals: Create visuals to show
what is allowed as well as instructions
for how to take critical measurements
and calculations (e.g. square footage,
percentages, etc.).
Public health: Provide information on
improvements that can reduce airborne
bacteria and viruses, such as door and
window systems, outdoor structures,
walk-up service windows, and additional
signage, markings, or partitions to support
social distancing guidelines.
Permitting: Step-by-step instructions
for project permitting and links to City’s
online permitting portal.
Code: A code compliance manual.
Approvals: Outline how the City can help
support and guide a property or business
owner through the process to obtain
approval for a storefront improvement.
Provide a contact person or department
name.
Funding sources: Lists of potential
funding sources, including city, state, and
federal funding, to support loans or grants
for upgrading rental spaces and owned
property. This could include the municipal
general fund, the creation of a special tax
body, coronavirus local and state fiscal
recovery funds, CDBG programming, or
historical funding.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 55
Retail establishment Kestrel’s outdoor display
Process, continued
Phase 2: Implementation, Monitoring and
Evaluation (1 year)
Launch the information guide and capture
thorough data on its success.
Conduct a baseline evaluation: Capture before
measurements of metrics listed in the ‘Key
Performance Indicators’ section of this project
rubric. Track variables which may impact pre/
post evaluation.
Develop guide materials: Creating a landing
page on the City’s website should be
considered, including an interactive form
for contacting City staff for assistance. A
pamphlet or flyer version of the guide can also
allow interested entities to learn more about
storefront improvements offline.
Go live: Launch the new resources, taking
close consideration for needed adjustments
early-on and update as needed.
Conduct a post-implementation evaluation:
Conduct post measurements of metrics listed
in the ‘Key Performance Indicators’ section
of this rubric one year after implementation.
Consider publishing the results publicly to
help display project success to members
of the public and the local business, and/or
determine the future of the guide.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 56
State Street Fruit Store provides an excellent example of signage,
awnings and outdoor display
Tart Baking provides an excellent example of private realm lighting
and windows (Photo credit: Camila Elizeu)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 57
Category Private Realm
Location Downtown Northampton
Origin LRRP Stakeholder Interviews, May 2021
Budget
Low (Under $50,000)
Potential funding sources:
Massachusetts Department for Housing and Community
Development’s Community One Stop Program:
Underutilized Properties Program
MassWorks Program
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk
Medium Risk
The tour and RFP process will require the staffing of a
project manager
Ensure effective public-private partnership
Key Performance Indicators
Number of prospective developers and local organizations
engaged. Conduct a survey of perceived clarity and
excitement about vision, next steps and potential for
financing / partnership opportunities
Number of RFP applicants
Time from event to subsequent project milestones,
including release of the RFP and the property’s sale as well
as redevelopment
Partners & Resources • City of Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability
City of Northampton Mayor’s Office
Valley Community Development Corporation
Draft and release a request for proposals guided by a
Developer’s Tour and Workshop’ for 33 King Street and
other sites in downtown Northampton
Description
33 King Street is a landmark site poised for redevelopment in downtown
Northampton. This project recommends that a request for proposals be
drafted and released, guided by a ‘developer’s tour and workshop’ that
could foster greater collaboration and catalyze opportunities for further
redevelopment in the downtown.
Diagnostic •
At approximately 24,000 square feet in size and 140 feet of street
frontage, the parcel at 33 King Street comprises more than 1/5th of
vacant ground floor space in the downtown.¹
Sixty-seven percent of businesses surveyed believe the renovation of
storefronts/facades are an important strategy for improving physical
environment, atmosphere and access in the downtown’s economic
recovery. (Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021)
The block of King Street including the 33 King parcel received a grade
of “C” for private realm features such as windows, outdoor displays and
dining, and lighting, impacting pedestrian perceptions of comfort and
safety.¹
Source: LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021
Action Item •
Conduct a successful tour and workshop about the redevelopment of 33
King Street, promoting clarity and excitement about vision, next steps,
and potential for financing and partnership opportunities.
Draft and release a request for proposals for 33 King Street
Obtain quality data to enable sound pro-forma development and secure
financing.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 58
33 King Street, formerly the Hampshire County Hall of Records Hotel Northampton is across the street from the 33 King Street
parcel, making its redevelopment an opportunity for greater
activation on King Street
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 59
Process Phase 1: Planning & Development (3-6 months)
Convene stakeholders: Conduct a meeting with key stakeholders to
determine what a successful redevelopment process for 33 King Street
will look like.
Submit an expression of interest into the Commonwealth’s One-Stop
for Growth Program: Use application to outline primary projects and
any supporting elements known to date. Begin to identify necessary
tasks and funds available along the development continuum to get
the development shovel-ready status, including (but not limited to) the
following.
Community capacity building (near-term; $25,000-$100,000 grant
awards): Use to support and clarify the early-stage strategy and
vision for development, and to identify key potential actors across
sectors (the City, the private sector, Smith College, and others). This
could be achieved via developers’ tour and a half day redevelopment
workshop. In addition to serving to draw developer interest and
introduce them to potential partners, and helping them see market
potential firsthand, the tour/workshop could serve as a process for
refining content for a site development RFP and/or other strategy to
promote site redevelopment.
Site preparation ($50,000-$100,000 grant awards): Apply, if needed,
to support program refinement and pro-forma development. A
recommendation would be to undertake a study that would serve
key redevelopments sites as well as the broader commercial
district. These may be used to provide RFP content and/or support
the pursuing of technical assistance from MassDevelopment.
Additional market data / market research may also be available by
service contract with the UMass Donahue Institute of Public Policy
and/or the UMass Boston Collins Center.
Due diligence: Conduct appropriate property assessments to ensure
transparency on potential hazards during redevelopment, such as
asbestos and stormwater drainage.
Land use: Determine appropriate mix of uses for the property, such as
mixed income housing and commercial office space on upper levels and
a thin façade of retail/dining on the ground floor.
Parking assessment: Reassess the demand for public parking on and
adjacent to the parcel, including the easement which is currently in-
place.
Develop a local precedent: Conduct a meeting with the new developers
of the 175 Main Street (“Faces Building”) in order to understand what
attracted them to invest in the downtown.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 60
Process, continued Phase 2: Programming & Evaluation (3 months)
Recruit and program for a successful tour and workshop
Onboard a project manager: Use the One Stop Program’s Community
Capacity Building fund to onboard, either internally or externally, a
project manager to lead the planning of and undertaking of the tour and
workshop, as well as conduct appropriate follow-up. The role should be
created under the assumption that it will closely collaborate with city
staff and other stakeholders on materials preparation, programming
and synthesis.
Program the tour and workshop: Purposes that can be prioritized based
upon funding, time, and personnel include (but are not limited to):
Generate excitement, bringing potential investors to town and/or
help the community see the site(s) through a new lens.
Present key planning data and describe post-covid market context.
Efficiently display and detail information about key properties
available for redevelopment.
Confirm community desires / needs for the property.
Set redevelopment goals (Net Zero Building, continuation of
easements, etc.).
Advance program ideas: identify partnership opportunities and
opportunities to develop both mixed-use and multi-use revenue
strategies.
Clarify the City’s role as a strategic partner in project review,
permitting, etc.
Crowdsource information on program-specific grant funding, tax
credits, and other financial opportunities that a redevelopment
could benefit from; consider bringing in experts and/or lenders to
speak on these topics.
Allow potential investors to meet current business and property
owners, as well as City staff, MassDev and other public finance /
economic development agency personnel.
Recruit potential developers: Create a database of potential developers
and local organizations for inviting to the tour and workshop, including
local lawyers and architects who may be able to assist developers in
navigating local context.
Host the tour and workshop: Prepare documentation for distribution to
attendees with information about the property, resources for property
development in Northampton, and additional information about the
Northampton community.
Conduct Follow-Up and evaluate: Conduct a campaign to follow-up
with every event attendee to hear feedback and discuss opportunities
for future collaboration. Compile metrics as listed in the ‘Key
Performance Indicators’ section.
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Current Building Footprint
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PLAN VIEW Rapid Recovery Plan City of
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Process, continued Upon conclusion of the tour
and workshop, as well as conducting appropriate
follow-up, subsequent phases may be
implemented
as follows:Phase 3: RFP development and
contracting (
6 months)The project team will work to create
an RFP. The RFP should include the key
site and project details, such as parcel ID
number, lot size, site map, current conditions,
any known contaminants, and information
collected during the Phase 1
site assessment.Phase 4: Design/Demo/Construction/
Move-in 2-
3 years)Consider potential funding from
the Community One-Stop Program for building, such
as the Underutilized Properties Program ($
250,000-2,000,000 grant awards), and
infrastructure, such as the MassWorks Program ($500,000-$5,
000,000
grant awards).Open space and benches in front of 33
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 62
Source: New Bedford Developer’s Tour document
New Bedford, MALocation
New Bedford Developer’s Tour
The New Bedford Developer’s Tour,
coordinated by the New Bedford Economic
Development Commission and New Bedford’s
MassDevelopment TDI Fellow, paired a day-
long, in-person tour with an accompanying
tour document for prospective developers to
take home and review. In addition to providing
an agenda for the tour, the document included
letters of introduction from the Mayor and
MassDevelopment, property profiles and a
summary of New Bedford’s history and geography
as they related to matters of community and
economic development.
Each property profile included a brief description
of the available site, a picture, a map, and a
table of information such as current ownership
and use, zoning, lot size and assessed value.
The document was prepared in a manner so
that it can be updated with new properties on a
regularly recurring basis (e.g. quarterly, annually).
Source: New Bedford Economic Development
Commission
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 63
Support small businesses and organizations by growing
capacity and opportunities for digital marketing
Category Revenue/Sales
Location Downtown Northampton
Origin LRRP Stakeholder Interviews (May 2021)
Budget
Medium ($50,000-$200,000)
Potential funding sources:
EDA Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Program
Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation: Small Business
Technical Assistance Grant Program
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk Low Risk
Key Performance Indicators
Number of businesses with completed business profiles on
www.northampton.live
Number of businesses who seek marketing and branding
support
Dollar amount of revenue generated from the sale of one-
time and recurring paid promotions
Increase in website visits to northampton.live
Partners & Resources
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Rhyme Digital
City of Northampton Mayor’s Office
Local businesses and organizations
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 64
Description
Northampton.live is the largest shared digital marketing platform for
small businesses in Northampton. To accommodate a growing desire for
digital marketing capacity and opportunities, this project recommends an
increase in administrative capacity to grow small business engagement
and ensure sustainable revenue streams for this valuable online resource.
Diagnostic •
There are 132 retail trade and 38 accommodation and food service
businesses serving as the main economic anchors in Northampton
LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021).
Eighty-two percent of businesses surveyed generated less revenue in
2020 than they did in 2019. For 65% of businesses surveyed, revenue
declined by 25% or more.¹
Seventy-three percent of businesses surveyed established alternative
modes to sell and deliver products as a result of the pandemic, many
towards e-commerce.¹
Forty-four percent of businesses surveyed are interested in
participating in shared marketing / advertising.¹
Seventy-four percent of businesses surveyed believed the
implementation of marketing strategies were either important (34%) or
very important (40%) for the Downtown’s economic recovery.¹
Twenty-two percent of businesses surveyed are interested in training
on the use of social media.¹
Source: Local Rapid Recovery Planning Business Survey, April 2021
Action Item •
Contract a sales and businesses development professional to support
the adoption of free business profiles on the northampton.live platform
and sell promotional packaging.
Incentivize the ownership of free business profiles on the northampton.
live website through gamification and the promotion of data analytics.
Increase digital marketing, branding and social media training
opportunities for small businesses.
northampton.live (Source: www.northampton.live)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 65
Process
Phase 1: Development/Fundraising (3 months)
Confirm funding and action items for
implementation.
Funding: Secure funds for a contracted
sales and business development position
responsible for acquiring paid promotions
and driving small business engagement on
www.northampton.live. Additional funding
may also be needed to help update features
on Northampton.live. Potential funding could
come from the EDA’s Travel, Tourism and
Outdoor Recreation Program.
Paid promotion assets: Prepare appropriate
collateral for selling paid promotions. Content
should include a microsite for northampton.
live business members, including a section
for submitting inquiries about paid promotion,
and a pitch deck for meetings. Sales goals
should be set and work toward matching
northampton.live’s budget for recurring
operations.
Training opportunities: Survey local
businesses and organizations to determine
what content should be highlighted during
training opportunities for digital marketing,
branding and social media. Efforts should be
made to bolster the Greater Northampton
Chamber of Commerce’s existing training
program, rather than starting from scratch.
Incentivize the use of Northampton.live
for small businesses and organizations:
Determine which features should be
introduced to northampton.live to help
promote small business and organizational
activity on the platform. Features to consider
include but are not limited to the following.
Creating a “profile score” which
incentivizes members to fully complete
their profile.
Publishing website activity metrics
regularly to celebrate individual and
collective achievements.
Rewards for completed features could
include free promotional content for small
businesses and organizations.
Help small businesses pair physical marketing assets with digital
resources (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Businesses and events posted on northampton.live (Source:
northampton.live)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 66
Process, continued
Phase 2: Implementation, Monitoring &
Evaluation (6-12 months)
Sell paid promotions: Where it makes sense,
integrate discussions for paid promotion with
discussions for DNA membership. Set up a
customer relationship management (CRM)
platform to track progress.
Conduct digital trainings: Offer accessible
classes for small businesses and
organizations to learn about digital marketing,
branding and social media. Offer participants
the opportunity to put their training into
practice, such as a social media takeover of
northampton.live’s social media platforms.
Monitor and evaluate: Track metrics as defined
in the ‘Key Performance Indicators’ section of
this project rubric on a quarterly basis.
View of Main Street façades
Categories on northampton.live
Source: northampton.live)
View of Crafts Avenue
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Location New England Foundation for the Arts
Creative Ground
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton
Creative Ground is a free online directory
of cultural nonprofits, creative businesses
and artists of all disciplines for utilization
by individuals and organizations seeking to
collaborate with uniquely qualified creators
and performers. As a self-described “real-
time online community,” a key to the Creative
Ground’s success is its use of a “profile score”,
incentivizing community members to regularly
engage with the platform. By gamifying the
process for generating crowd-sourced content,
Creative Ground has been able to successfully
implement aspects of the shared economy into
its platform and mission.
Website: www.creativeground.org
Image source: homepage of www.creativeground.org
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 68
Category Administrative Capacity
Location Downtown Northampton with an emphasis on Main Street and
municipal parking structures
Origin • LRRP Stakeholder Interviews, May 2021
Downtown Northampton Parking Study (2015)
Budget
Low (Less than $50,000)
Potential funding sources:
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
Existing staff capacity
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk
High
Political will
Tension surrounding parking management on Main Street
Key Performance Indicators
Increase in average on-street parking space availability
rates, by block
Change in average duration of on-street parking space use
on Main Street
Change in average off-street parking space occupancy rate,
by facility
Adoption of updated parking regulations into code
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability
City of Northampton Transportation & Parking Commission
City of Northampton Mayor’s Office
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
City of Northampton Department of Public Works (if
ordinance is needed)
Toole Design Group (“Picture Main Street” consultants)
Restructure parking management strategies to
increase vacancy rates for on-street parking
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 69
Description
The evolution of parking management in the downtown study area will
allow the City of Northampton to better serve the needs of its base
of customers and employees while addressing concerns over parking
availability in the downtown.
Diagnostic • The “Downtown Northampton Parking Management Study” by Walker
Parking Consultants (2015) outlines a series of recommendations to
help improve parking in the Downtown, the majority of which have not
yet been implemented. Recommendations include modifications to
pricing, hours of operation, and further incentives to transfer on-street
parking to off-street lots and structures.
Sixty percent of businesses believe that changes in parking availability,
management or policy are “important” or “very important” to their
continued operations following the COVID-19 pandemic.¹
Businesses believe that parking regulations are the largest current
obstacle to their business operations (33%) when compared to other
policy improvements, such as outdoor dining (19%) and signage (17%).¹
There are currently 2,096 public parking spaces in the Downtown area
of focus – 828 are on-street and 1,268 are off-street (Source: LRRP
Baseline Data, April 2021).
In a full year, the E.J. Gare Parking Garage is only at capacity (430
spaces) 1% of the time. For 87% of the year, there are more empty
spaces in the E.J .Gare Parking Garage than all of the possible on-street
parking spaces on Main Street (136 spaces). There is an abundance of
available spaces on weekends in Smith College’s privately-owned lots,
which can also serve to help mitigate demand for on-street parking
Source: Northampton Transportation and Parking Commission).
The Walk Bike Northampton Master Plan by Alta Planning and Design
2017) outlines opportunities to encourage more trips by walking and
biking within a 15-minute threshold, reducing the reliance of parking for
local residents when shopping Downtown. The Downtown also benefits
greatly from walkable access to an Amtrak Station and the Mass
Central, New Haven, and Northampton Rail Trails.
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021
Action Item •
Use a combination of parking and transportation demand management
strategies to accommodate customer and employee activity.
Adjust enforcement and regulatory mechanisms, paired with a
marketing campaign, to improve parking space turnover.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 70
Process Phase 1: Convene a Working Group (1-3 months)
Utilize the recurring monthly parking meeting with key stakeholders
to unravel and reconcile parking considerations based on proposed
designs for the downtown, as well as float unified messaging prior to
broader public engagement.
Phase 2: Implementation (1-2 years)
Goals and metrics: Adopt formal parking goals and metrics. Collect
and track data annually to support ongoing management and increase
transparency of decision making for policy changes.
A set of formal goals will guide parking management and use
of revenue in support of downtown Northampton’s unique
needs. Potential focus areas: availability (85%) and turnover,
citations, customer friendliness, employee access, safety, equity,
neighborhood preservation, and economic vitality.
Establish internal and external data sharing protocols, including
making data “open source” via a data dashboard.
Parking enforcement: Implement consistent and equitable parking
enforcement. Raise citation rates from $15 as recommended by the
2015 parking study to effectively deter motorists from violating parking
regulations.
Update downtown-specific enforcement metrics and schedule. For
example, shift enforcement to better accommodate evening use,
from 11am to 8pm, making appropriate changes to regulation and
signage.
Consider progressive parking rates on-street. For example, $1/hr for
the first two hours, then $2/hr up to a maximum duration of 4 hours.
In any case, the first hour should remain as-is to deter pushback
from the community.
Revise training programs as needed for downtown-specific rules
and programs.
Consider including information on public parking lots on the back of,
or along with, tickets that are placed on vehicles.
Introduce a reduced-rate monthly pass for Downtown employees at
the E.J. Parking Garage (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Masonic Street Parking Lot (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 71
Process, continued Phase 2, continued
Regulations: Adjust regulations on Main Street.
Adjust hours of on-street parking enforcement on Main Street
to 11am – 8pm to better reflect hours demanding parking space
turnover.
Concurrently, a marketing campaign for the E.J. Gare Garage’s free
first hour may encourage more visitors to divert from Main Street,
and should be a focus prior to construction commencement that
will reduce capacity.
Communications and outreach: Develop communications program,
defining key messages, collateral, and tools. Roll-out in coordination
with on-street hours enforcement changes and in anticipation of Main
Street reconstruction. Key elements could include the following.
Downtown-specific website and social media channels.
User-friendly maps, brochures, and FAQs on the City website.
Messaging and collateral at meter kiosks/apps.
Ongoing trainings, pop-up events, and informational sessions with
merchants, employees, and residents.
Information on transit and multimodal options.
Digital parking counters downtown that point drivers to the nearest
parking garage
E.J. Gare Parking Garage
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Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 73
Ann Arbor’s parking site (Source: https://www.a2dda.org/getting-around/)
Website: https://mainstreetannarbor.org/parking
The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority
has an affordable evening parking permit
program. They offer a “Limited/Overnight” permit
available at some parking locations downtown
for $30 per month, compared to a standard $195
monthly rate, and allow access to those facilities
from 3:30 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. seven days per week.
While used most often for overnight parking by
downtown residents, the permit structure and
hours allow many evening retail and restaurant
employees to take advantage of the program as
well.
Location Ann Arbor, MI
Limited Overnight” Parking
Permit Program
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 74
Test feasibility for the reformation of a
business improvement district (BID)
Category Administrative Capacity
Location Downtown Northampton
Origin LRRP Stakeholder Meetings, May 2021
Budget
Low (Under $50,000)
Potential funding sources:
Department of Housing and Community Development:
Community One Stop (Massachusetts Downtown Initiative
or the MassDevelopment Real Estate Technical Assistance
Program)
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk Medium Risk
Political will, support from property owners
Key Performance Indicators • Number of property owners, stakeholders and politicians
in-favor with reforming the BID
Forecasted annual BID budget
Partners & Resources
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
City of Northampton Mayor’s Office
Local businesses, property owners and organizations
Northampton Farmer’s Market sign in front of Gothic Street
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 75
Description
The LRRP process revealed several stewardship and placemaking
initiatives that business owners and community members would like to
see improved in downtown Northampton. This project recommends testing
the feasibility of reformation of a business improvement district (BID) in
an effort to provide sustainable funding and management for Downtown
improvements.
Diagnostic •
Forty-two percent of business owners were either dissatisfied (30%) or
very dissatisfied (12%) with the condition of public spaces, streets, and
sidewalks in the downtown.¹
Thirty-six percent of business owners were either dissatisfied (26%)
or very dissatisfied (10%) when asked about the safety and comfort of
customers and employees in the downtown.¹
Seventy-one percent of business owners identified improvements to
safety and/or cleanliness in the downtown as “important” (31%) or “very
important” (40%) to physical environment, atmosphere, and access in
the downtown.¹
Fifty-eight percent of business owners believe the improvement/
development of public spaces and seating areas was either an
important (37%) or very important (21%) strategy to the downtown’s
economic recovery.¹
Seventy-seven percent of business owners identified the development
of more cultural events/activities as “important” (40%) or “very
important” (37%) for the attraction and retention of customers and
businesses in the downtown.¹
Seventy percent of business owners believed the creation of a district
management entity, such as a BID or other organization, was either a
moderately important” (27%), “important” (27%), or “very important”
16%) strategy for the downtown’s economic recovery.¹
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021)
Action Item •
Prepare convincing rationale for testing the reformation of a BID in
downtown Northampton with data, programming ideas and case
studies provided from the LRRP process.
If successful, request technical assistance from the Department of
Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in an effort to advance to
BID planning, petitioning, and initiation.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 76
Process In the “Guide for Establishing BIDs” the Massachusetts Department of
Housing and Community Development (DHCD) recommends the formation
of a BID be approached in four phases: testing feasibility, creating a BID
improvement plan, conducting a petition process, and initiating operations.
The purpose of this section is to elaborate on the Guide’s process for
Phase 1: Test the Feasibility with key data, programming ideas, and other
considerations from the LRRP process.
Phase 1: Testing Feasibility (1-3 months)
Compile appropriate rationale for the reformation of a BID in downtown
Northampton.
Are conditions right for a BID?
Property Mix: The Downtown’s ground floor spaces are comprised
of approximately 738,122 square feet of retail space, 379,264 square
feet of office space, and 43,059 square feet of manufacturing
space.²
Stakeholder and political support: Tap into the network of the
key stakeholders listed in the Partners and Resources section
of this project recommendation to conduct outreach and a
survey to assess support from property owners, businesses and
organizations. Consider how the City’s 2021 candidates for Mayor
and City Council will consider a potential reformation of the BID and
if they would endorse such an effort.
Stable economic base: At the time of surveying there was
approximately 25 storefronts comprising 103,144 square feet of
vacant ground floor space in the downtown.² Take a moment to
consider the impacts of these depressed spaces in the formation of
the BID. A few questions to ask many include:
How will their owners engage in the process?
What new programming can be considered which help to
revitalize them?
Planned major developments or infrastructure projects: Consider
how major projects would relate to the BID. A couple questions to
ask many include the following.
How does the development of the Resilience Hub, the
reconstruction of Main Street and the redevelopment of 33
King Street factor into a BID formation?
Can it help to anchor the process over mutual goals and
objectives?
State the case for a BID
Data uncovered from the LRRP process can support to advance
the case for forming a BID. Refer to the diagnostics section of this
project rubric for notable results from the LRRP Business Survey,
which was administered in April 2021 and received responses from
82 businesses located in the downtown area.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 77
Process, continued • State the case for a BID, continued
Almost every project mentioned in the LRRP plan could either be
programmatically supported or fully funded by the reformation of a
BID in downtown Northampton. In addition to these projects, some
other programs that would benefit include, but are not limited to:
technical assistance and collective bargaining for storefront
and outdoor space improvements
programming for the resilience hub
sidewalk sweeping, cleaning, and snow removal
wayfinding signs
public parklets
events and festivals
Re-introduce the BID concept
The downtown’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
has changed the atmosphere of collaboration between sectors and
has brought forth new inspiration to try changes to the status quo,
such as with outdoor dining. Tap into the theme of building back
better for a potential BID reformation.
Recruit the steering committee
Work with key stakeholders listed in the Partners and Resources
section of this project rubric to identify additional individuals and
organizations to engage. A list of stakeholders interviewed for the
LRRP process can be found in the Appendix.
Find the gesources
Begin conversations with DHCD regarding technical assistance
and funding opportunities to help advance the BIDs reformation.
Funding is available through the Community One Stop program’s
Massachusetts Downtown Initiative or MassDevelopment Real
estate Technical Assistance Program. Letters of interest for FY22
are open in mid-October 2021.
Establish preliminary boundaries
Re-examine the past BID boundary map and compare with the
LRRP project boundary to provide guidance on a reformed BID’s
boundaries.
Create a property owner database
Ensure the property owner database has been updated since the
start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, as approximately 31
businesses discontinued operations in the downtown in the year
following. ²
Develop a plan outline and timeline
Consider key projects as outlined in “Planned Major Developments
and Construction Projects.”
Utilize the DNA’s strategic planning process to explore developing
potential plan for BID formation.
Source: LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 78
Northampton Tuesday Farmers Market (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan 79CityofNorthampton
Cambridge, MALocation
Central Square Business
Improvement District
Formed after a self-described “30 years of momentum-
building, organizing and advocating” the Central Square
Business Improvement District (www.centralsq.org)
was formed in 2019. This was in response to growing
calls for a district management entity who could deliver
the programming and services needed to provide real
connections between the people of Central Square and the
places in which they exist.
In addition to providing economic development programs
traditional to BIDs such as cohesive branding and events,
the Central Square BID serves as an on-the-ground
intermediary between at-risk neighbors and the social
services they need. They also captured public health data
to assess the changes on indicators such as homelessness
and needle pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic. By
serving in a holistic capacity, the BID continues to be a
close partner with the City of Cambridge and non-profits
seeking to provide an equitable provision of support.
In addition to their website, which offers information on
programming and an annual report, additional resources
on the Central Square BID can be found in DHCD’s “Guide to
Establishing BIDs.”
Website:
www.mass.gov/doc/2020-revised-business-
improvement-district-manual/download
https://centralsq.org/
Central Square Business Improvement District interactive
map of businesses (Image source: https://centralsq.org/)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 80
Category Tenant Mix
Location City of Northampton
Origin
LRRP Stakeholder Interviews (May 2021)
Budget
Medium ($50,000-$200,000)
Potential funding sources:
Coronavirus State and Local fiscal Recovery Fund
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Community Compact IT
Grant
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk Low Risk
Administrative Capacity
Key Performance Indicators
Number of businesses who utilize the City’s comprehensive
service
Change in the satisfaction of businesses towards the City of
Northampton’s economic development resources
Change in the number of vacant storefronts
Partners & Resources • City of Northampton Mayor’s Office
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Create a comprehensive service to help entrepreneurs start,
expand, and improve their Northampton-based businesses
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 81
Description
The City of Northampton is improving its internal platform for licensing
and permitting. This project recommends the City take this opportunity to
create a complimentary service that will help small businesses navigate
licensing and permitting, real estate, finance, and technical assistance
resources.
Diagnostic • There are currently 247 businesses in operation and approximately 15
vacant storefronts in downtown Northampton (Source: LRRP Baseline
Data, April 2021).
Seventy-six percent of businesses surveyed believe that recruitment
programs to attract additional businesses were either important (39%)
or very important (37%) to the downtown’s economic recovery (Source:
LRRP Business Survey, April 2021).
Interviews with key stakeholders concurred with the business
community’s desire to recruit new businesses, and help diversify
Northampton’s commercial diversity, particularly by building capacity
among business owners and growing entrepreneurship among their
employees (Source: LRRP Stakeholder Interviews, May, 2021).
Action Item • Introduce a new portal on the City of Northampton’s Business website
which offers a comprehensive service for licensing and permitting, real
estate, financial and technical assistance.
Develop resources and coordinate workshops to encourage worker co-
operatives and entrepreneurial advancement.
Create, and maintain a package of “ready to use” commercial spaces
available for lease or purchase in downtown Northampton, updated
quarterly.
Align City’s regulatory requirements (parking, zoning, stormwater) to
encourage new development in the downtown.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 8282
Process
Phase 1: Funding/Development (3 months)
Determine needed bandwidth and funding for
revamping the City of Northampton’s resources for
small businesses.
Engage stakeholders: Convene a meeting of the
stakeholders listed to agree upon a roadmap for
action items related to the project.
Evaluate: Conduct an audit of the City’s
existing Business webpage and accompanying
resources, including administrative capacity for
providing assistance on commercial real estate,
finance, and technical matters.
Staff: Estimate the number of hours Economic
Development staff will spend weekly on the
comprehensive service, once the online portal is
live. Make a determination on growing existing
roles versus hiring new staff to manage the
service.
Fund: Request appropriate funds from the
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery
Fund based on needs for labor and resources.
A one-stop can provide support for businesses working to transition
ownership (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Empty space for lease
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 83
Process, continued Phase 2: Design & Programming (12 to 24 months)
Design resources and programming for the new comprehensive municipal
service.
Financial and technical assistance: Consider the development of
resources and facilitation of workshops which would support new
and existing small businesses, as well as those looking to close,
including but not limited to the following.
Creating a budget and business plan.
Financing your business.
Making physical improvements.
Entrepreneurial training for employees.
Transitioning ownership and information on worker co-
operatives.
Commercial real estate:
Maintaining a package of ready to use commercial spaces
available to lease or own (updated quarterly, at a minimum).
Create a “site search” request form.
Grow the list of available coworking spaces to include
fabrication spaces, shared kitchens, and academic and publicly
available spaces.
Step-by-step guidance on storefront improvements (e.g.
signage, facades).
Licenses and permitting:
Create a digital and printable guide for helping businesses to
determine their taxation structure and handle government
documentation, such as their employer identification numbers,
business certificates and other industry specific licenses and
permits.
Promote the availability of municipal resources such as the
new websites for “Establishing a business in Northampton”,
Doing Business in Northampton,” and permitting matrix to
businesses who apply for business certificates.
Create a service request form to handle inquiries consistent to
licensing and permitting.
Phase 3: Evaluation (Quarterly)
Conduct a quarterly evaluation of metrics listed in the ‘Key Performance
Indicators’ section. Baseline data should be captured prior to the program’s
implementation, to help determine program success.
Location
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 84
Somerville, MA
Doing Business in Somerville
Somerville cleantech incubator Greentown Labs expansion
Image source: https://greentownlabs.com/greentown-labs-launches-11-million-expansion-project/)
The City of Somerville’s Economic Development
Department maintains an easy to navigate
website to help entrepreneurs start, expand,
or improve their businesses. In addition to
traditional information such as a step-by-step
walkthrough for business start-ups and a landing
page for key permits and licenses, the site
also hosts a Business Help portal which pairs
businesses with tailored comprehensive services
to meet their tailored needs. Services offered
range from help navigating financial resources,
permits and licensing, and helping to find
available spaces for lease or purchase.
By offering an experience unique to the needs
of each inquiring small business, the City of
Somerville’s Economic Development Department
is promoting healthy relations with the private
sector in a tone that screams “open for business.”
Website: www.somervillema.gov/businesshelp
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 85
Category Tenant Mix
Location Downtown Northampton
Origin LRRP Stakeholder Interviews (May 2021)
Budget
Large ($200,000)
Potential funding sources:
Mass Development: Collaborative Workspace Program
Timeframe Medium Term (5-10 years)
Risk Medium Risk
Fiscal viability
Key Performance Indicators
Number of enterprises incubated
Number of jobs created
Dollar amount of economic impact
Dollar amount of collective funding raised
Partners & Resources
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Northampton Arts Council
City of Northampton Department of Economic Development
Academic institution(s)
Create a new space dedicated to the training
and housing of start-up enterprises
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 86
Description
The future of work in the Commonwealth will require the incubating of new
enterprises in expanding industries and the retraining of workforces from
contracting industries. To address this trend, this project will develop a
successful incubator space with accessible and affordable programming,
equipment, and materials for budding entrepreneurs.
Diagnostic •
Seventy-six percent of businesses surveyed believed that the creation
of new programs to attract additional businesses was either important
39%) or very important (37%) to the economic recovery of the
downtown (Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021).
The Preparing for the Future of Work in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts report (2021) forecasts that 300,000 to 400,000
Massachusetts residents, particularly women and those with limited
higher education, will need to retrain or shift industries as a result of
changing demands in occupational categories over the next decade.
Northampton’s workforce population is 15,526 (US Census Bureau, 2019).
Approximately 58% of ground floor space in the downtown is retail, a
large sector that is forecasted to see a 9% decline in workforce demand
over the next decade. Providing local opportunities for job retraining,
particularly towards education, professional, scientific and technical
services, will be a helpful strategy for retaining a workforce-age
population (Source: Local Rapid Recovery Planning Field Work, April
2021).
Action Item •
Offer recurring programming focusing on specific industries which will
thrive in Northampton’s socioeconomic environment.
Find a brick-and-mortar space in downtown Northampton, dedicated to
the housing and training of start-up enterprises.
Integrate programming with opportunities for programming at the new
Resilience hub.
Foster and maintain a strong network of intersectoral partners
dedicated to maintaining an entrepreneurial ecosystem in downtown
Northampton.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 87
Process
Phase 1: Planning (6-12 months)
Determine a high demand industry in need of
entrepreneurial resources and coalesce an initial
group of partners around the formation of an
innovation space.
Determine flagship organization: Determine
which organization has the administrative
capacity to serve as the lead entity
responsible for fostering the project. They will
ideally be able to receive public grant funding.
Determine industry: Determine which
industry would best fit Northampton’s
unique economic and cultural landscape for
innovation. Industries discussed during the
LRRP process include:
education technology, and
food service.
Food service is potentially a great area of focus
for those seeking programming opportunities
through the Resilience Hub.
Demonstrate: Source a small amount of
funding to pilot programming for the selected
industry. The goal of the demonstration should
be to prove the demand for entrepreneurial
resources in that particular industry in
downtown Northampton. For example, to test
the interest in food services, an organization
could offer cooking courses. For education
technology, an organization could conduct a
design thinking challenge or hackathon.
Fund initial planning: Apply for a
MassDevelopment Collaborative Workspaces
Grant to fund planning of the new space.
Shortlist partners:Based on the industry
or industries selected and the outcomes
of the demonstration, develop a shortlist
of candidate organizations to serve in the
following partnering capacities:
Fiscal administration (must be able to
receive public grants).
Programming and operations (typically
non-government).
Research and development (academic
entrepreneurship programs).
An initial group of start-ups.
Investment (capital funds or corporate
sponsorship from an organization with a
philanthropic mission or vested interest in
the selected industry).
Click Workspace (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Click Workspaces offers affordable office space in Northampton
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 88
Process, continued Phase 1 , continued
Pitch to partners: Meet individually with each interested organization to
to continue the conversation.
Present the vision for an innovation space.
Why an innovation space is important for the future of downtown
Northampton
How it is envisioned.
What resources are needed from the organization in order to
partner.
Appropriate partnership development follow-up should be made
to assess interest in moving forward and work through potential
roadblocks.
Form an agreement: Initial founding partners should enter a legal
agreement outlining specific roles and responsibilities, as well as
structures for ownership and taxation.
Phase 2: Development/Fundraising (3-6 months)
Create an engaging and financially sustainable program.
Funding fixed costs: Apply for an additional public grant, such as
MassDevelopment’s Collaborative Workspace Grant Program, to cover
initial fixed costs related to equipment and retrofitting of a physical
space.
Secure a physical space: Identify and sign a lease for a space which
can be retrofitted to serve industry needs. A ground floor location
offers downtown visitors an opportunity to view innovation at work in
downtown Northampton.
Funding recurring costs: Develop a match program for recurring costs
such as rent, utilities, and insurance between the founding startups and
investors. Startups will benefit from receiving more than just a space
in their recurring costs, while investors form new relationships with the
budding enterprises.
Funding variable costs: Variable costs such as programming can often
be supported by grants, academic institutions, or non-profits looking
to advance research or a mission. For example, UMass’s Amherst’s
Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship would be an ideal partner to
provide guest lectures from professors.
Programming: Determine appropriate programming for the space, such
as recurring event series, workshops, design thinking challenges and
networking conferences.
Determine/hire staff : Hire staff in preparation for launching the space.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 89
Process, continued
Phase 3: Operations & Evaluation
Ensure ongoing success for the new space.
Launch: Open the space for start-ups, offering
programming for both members and non-
members.
Promote: Conduct a media relations campaign
to highlight differentiating features of the new
space.
Recruit: Determine an appropriate process for
the recruitment of additional start-ups and
investors.
Evaluate: Performance of the space should
be evaluated quarterly and include metrics
as shown in the ‘Key Performance Indicators’
Section.
Cyclists on the Rail Trail (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 90
Successful incubator spaces are founded on partnerships
that provide accessible and affordable programming,
equipment and materials to their intended audiences.
Nibble Kitchen is an initiative of the Somerville Arts
Council (SAC) that “celebrates culinary-cultural exchange,
spurs cultural economic development and supports
immigrant communities.” Initially starting with tours of
Somerville’s international and often overlooked food
markets, cooking classes, and a cookbook, SAC received a
coworking grant from MassDevelopment to open a brick-
and-mortar storefront with an industrial kitchen, allowing
enterprising immigrant chefs and restaurateurs to conduct
daily takeovers of the space to sell their goods while also
receiving capacity building training from dedicated staff
and the Nibble community.
Website: www.nibblesomerville.com
Somerville, MALocation
Nibble Kitchen
Nibble Kitchen, Summer 2020“From Bangladesh to
Brazil, inside one Somerville restaurant”
Image source: https://www.bostonglobe.
com/2020/08/11/lifestyle/bangladesh-brazil-inside-
one-somerville-restaurant/)
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 91
Greentown Labs innovation space (Image source: https://greentownlabs.com/greentown-boston/)
Greentown Labs in Somerville is a clean
technology incubation lab that provides industry-
specific resources to dozens of budding clean
energy and life sciences companies. This
community of “startups, corporations, investors,
politicians” have come together to provide
industry-specific prototype lab space and maker
shops. Greentown Labs is privately funded by
corporate partners who have made financial
commitments to advancements in science-based
climate initiatives. Greentown Labs has been
able to provide a space for young entrepreneurs
to find their place in a rapidly growing and often
exclusive industry. An effective strategy they
use is hosting events, such as their Climatetech
Summit series, which lays a foundation for
collective knowledge sharing and networking.
Website: www.greentownlabs.com
Somerville, MALocation
Greentown Labs
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 92
Category Tenant Mix
Location Downtown Northampton
Origin LRRP Baseline Data (April 2021)
LRRP Stakeholder Interviews (May 2021)
LRRP Focus Groups (June 2021)
Budget Medium ($50,000-$200,000)
Timeframe
Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Potential funding sources:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Vacant Storefronts
Program
Risk
Medium Risk
Level of interest from businesses and entrepreneurs/
creatives
Willingness of property owners to enter non-standard
leasing agreements
Key Performance Indicators
Change in the number of vacant storefronts
Number of participating entrepreneurs/activators
Number of patrons/visitors to the spaces
Dollar amount of revenue generated by the spaces, if
applicable
Change in foot traffic outside of participating storefronts
Change in sales/revenue at neighboring storefronts
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Property owners and realtors
Small business owners
Pilot the activation of vacant storefronts with pop-ups
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 93
Description
The desire to fill vacant commercial spaces was identified during
several stages of rapid recovery planning process. In meetings with key
stakeholders in the downtown, pop-up food halls, art markets, and holiday
markets were all identified as potential worthwhile activations. The goal
of this project is to identify property owners willing to pilot these types of
activations in an effort to reduce the amount of vacant space in downtown
Northampton.
Diagnostic • As of April, 2021 there were 25 vacant storefronts in the study area,
accounting for just over 100,000 square feet of ground floor commercial
space.¹
Vacancies as a result of COVID have been filled relatively quickly,
however the dormancy of several long-vacant storefronts in the
downtown pose a challenge when recruiting businesses (Source LRRP
Stakeholder Interviews, May 2021).
With an average price of ground floor retail space at $25 per square foot,
entering a long-term lease for a brick-and-mortar space with quality
foot traffic may be out-of-reach for startup enterprises.¹
Seventy-six percent of businesses surveyed believed that the
development of new programs to attract additional businesses was
either important (39%) or very important (37%) to the downtown’s
economic recovery (LRRP Business Survey, April 2021).
Source: LRRP Baseline Data, April 2021
Action Item •
Convene partners to pilot a pop-up program for the activation of a
vacant space.
Establish a working relationship with property owners and work through
any potential roadblocks to their participation through the execution of
a sublease agreement.
Conduct outreach to artists and entrepreneurs to join the pilot program
and help with its development.
Exemplify benefits of pop-ups/filling vacant spaces showing a positive
correlation of activation and increased revenue or foot traffic.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 94
Process
During the LRRP process, a few uses for vacant indoor spaces were
identified, including:
holiday market,
art market or gallery, and
food hall.
Utilizing these vacant spaces in a piloted manner could be for any range of
time, from one day to one year, depending on context.
Phase 1: Concept Development (1-3 months)
Research: Identify successful examples of projects with inspiring
elements.
Build a team: Identify a team of stakeholders and project partners to
coordinate the project.
The team should be diverse and represent any sectors the
activation might touch on, such as city departments, property
owners, designers, community organizers, as well as supporters
and volunteers.
Mentors and project partners are a valuable resource for advice.
Roles and expectations of all team members should be clearly
outlined and reviewed regularly throughout the process.
Define scope and goals: Create a concise mission statement to quickly
communicate the goals of the pilot.
Create a one-page pitch document to explain the purpose, goals,
and intended process for the pilot.
Any document drafted should include a key with any language or
vocabulary guidelines for consistency, as well as a list of rebuttals
for common arguments that come up.
Highlight current barriers to activation, including unresponsive
property owners as well as zoning and permitting processes.
Phase 2: Project Scoping & Funding (1-3 months)
Connect with Partners
Contact district directors and local government officials to make
sure everyone necessary is part of the conversation.
Connect with industry leaders to consult about inspiring example
projects and advice.
Connect with community members to get a sense of the needs
of the community and build relationships for when feedback or
volunteers are needed.
Budget and fundraising: Set a funding goal to apply for grants.
Searching for smaller grants first can make it easier to apply for
larger grants later.
Find similar organizations and identify their funding source. Their
funding source or the organization could be valuable for future
funding.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 95
Process , continued Phase 2, continued
Determine key considerations: Identify potential administrative road
blocks related to the project’s implementation, including (but not
limited to): building codes and health permits, insurance, accessibility,
and additional needs for staffing.
Phase 3: Project Planning (1-3 months)
Project planning: When approaching district leaders and property
owners, pitch the benefits of a temporary activation.
Pop-ups benefit adjacent businesses by increasing foot traffic,
activate vacant storefronts, and improve health and happiness in a
municipality.
Location selection: A successful vacant space activation will be a
balance between what is allowed by the property owner, how that
aligns with the project goals, and the size of the space.
Keep in mind the physical location of your space, and if there is
transportation access, neighborhood amenities, and regular foot
traffic. Those elements will connect the space to the community
more effectively.
It will be important to determine with the property owner any
restrictions on what is allowed in the space, if approval is needed
for programming, and how quickly the property owner can be
reached if needed.
Determine if there is a community need for a public space, if
community members have expressed interest, and are they willing
to be community partners in the process.
Once a location is selected, a sublease must be negotiated. The
goal is to establish a simple and mutually beneficial framework for
partnership between owners of the spaces and the programmatic
partners. In the agreement, identify the duration of the lease, hours
of operations, causes for a breach of agreement, considerations for
set-up and breakdown, and provision of resources such as utilities,
furniture and equipment.
Research the area: The LRRP process gives a summarization of the
physical and economic realms of Northampton in the wake of COVID-19.
Gathering and analyzing demographic information about your
neighborhood will ensure the prioritization of diversity, equity, and
inclusion in the process.
Identify the strengths of stakeholders and partners that could be
interested in supporting a pop-up.
This rubric includes city entities that may be engaged; however,
property owners will need additional outreach.
Make a plan for design, implementation, maintenance, programming,
deinstallation, and evaluation of the space.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 96
Process, continued
Phase 4: Implementation (3-6 months)
The type of vacant storefront activation and the
condition of the building will greatly determine
the implementation phases. During Phase 2
and 3 the implementation approach should be
outlined. A few common considerations include
the followoing.
Improving interior conditions, as needed.
Clean-up of the space.
Approval for building codes.
Permits depending on the type of business.
Designing the space once selected based on
the function and goals the project team has
identified.
Work with stakeholders in the
implementation phase to plan
programming for the spaces, and the type
of support they could provide.
Conduct a community survey to
encourage feedback about the design
and function of the space, depending
on the type of activation.
Creating a memorable event and
experience is important for visitors to have
a good time and increase engagement.
Advertisement of the pop-up space is
important to let people know something is
going on in a space that is usually empty.
Flyers, social media, newsletters, and any
other method of advertising should be
used to promote events.
Monitor:
Measure data as listed in the ‘Key
Performance Indicators’ section both
before and after the implementation of the
pop-up space.
Anecdotal, qualitative observations can
provide important feedback for inclusion
in project summaries and media.
Phase 5: Evaluation (1-3 months)
After the pop-up space has been deinstalled,
look at the data points that were collected.
Reviewing anecdotal, quantitative, and
qualitative data gathered could provide
guidance for a permanent space that fills
community need.
A vacant storefront in downtown Northampton
Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Empty storefront in downtown Northampton
97
Best Practice
City ofNorthamptonGreaterBoston, MALocation
CultureHouse
Image source: culturehouse.cc
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 98
Best Practice:
Culture House CultureHouse created their mission to create a public indoor
space based on projects they’d seen in Copenhagen. Working
with mentors at Olin College and Better Block, they crafted
a mission statement and a one-page pitch explaining what
their idea was about, why they wanted to create that space,
and how they intended to execute it. Their next step was
to connect with partners by contacting district directors,
talking to community and industry leaders, and seeking out
partners and grants. CultureHouse received a grant from
the Forest Foundation, allowing them to set and achieve the
goal of a month-long pop-up to test out their idea. After the
pop-up activation was completed, they created a Manual to
offer guidance to others on creating a pop-up space.
When CultureHouse first set out to select a location, they
were dismissed by many real estate agents. They found
success by connecting with property owners through the
main street and district directors. CultureHouse knew
they needed to persuade property owners by pitching the
idea with the benefits to the community. Their Manual
highlights the importance of determining location goals and
researching your area, two important factors in deciding if a
space is a good fit for the project.
CultureHouse designed their space with a list of
requirements throughout their process. They identified
play elements as an important part of the space. In order to
build out, partners and community members were invited,
and they utilized open-source designs to furnish the space.
While construction is underway, they connected with
stakeholders about programming the space, and advertised
the space! Once the pop-up was ready to open, they staffed
the space, hosted events, and engaged the community.
In order to monitor and evaluate, CultureHouse tracked
numerical data such as age and length of stay, collected
visitor comments in the space, and collected feedback
through their survey. After the pop-up was complete,
they broke down the space and evaluated the impacts
of activating a vacant space, including how the space
addressed community need, and gave people a place and a
reason to stay.
With the experience of opening several pop-up community
spaces under their belt, CultureHouse now works with
communities to help them open up similar projects in
their own downtowns. Most recently, they worked with
community organizers in Peabody, MA, to open a pop-up
that helped reconnect the neighborhood in light of the
pandemic. You can view their Impact Report of that project
at culturehouse.cc/peabody.
Website: www.CultureHouse.cc
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 99
Newton and NeedhamMALocation
Project: Pop-Up
Newton Center - Piccadilly Pop-Up storefront (Source:
project-pop-up.com)
Project: Pop-Up (www.project-pop-up.com) is a grant-
funded initiative created in Newton and Needham,
Massachusetts as a direct economic recovery responses
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its goal is to be a business
incubator enabling entrepreneurs to test their proofs of
concept in a brick-and-mortar retail environment without
significant investment.
For this incubator program, a dozen emerging
establishments, including entrepreneurs, artists, and
restaurants, were selected from 75 proposals. Upnext
is the organization that acts as a matchmaker between
would-be entrepreneurs and spaces. In the case of
Project: Pop-Up, the spaces were empty storefronts
and the duration was two to three months. Support for
space activators included signage, marketing and online
platforms.
The project was funded by Massachusetts Office of
Business Development’s Regional Pilot Project Grant
Program to aid in the State’s economic recovery from
COVID-19.
Website: www.poppingupnext.com
Newton Upper Falls - Newton Nexus Pop-Up (Source:
project-pop-up.com)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 100
Category Cultural/Arts
Location Downtown Northampton
Origin LRRP Stakeholder Interviews, May 2021
Budget
Low (Under $50,000)
Potential funding sources:
Mass Cultural Council
Commonwealth Places
MassDOT’s Shared Streets and Spaces
Timeframe Medium Term (5-10 years)
Risk Low Risk
Approval from private property owners
Long-term maintenance
Key Performance Indicators
Number of artists commissioned, and private properties
used as canvasses
Change in foot traffic on blocks hosting murals
Digital indicators such as social media posts and QR code
scans
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton Arts Council
City of Northampton Arts & Culture Department
City of Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability
Historic Northampton
Northampton Arts Council
Northampton Community Arts Trust
Create a public mural program for local artists
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 101
Description
A mural program holds the potential to help both beautify Northampton
and strengthen its creative economy. Foster collaboration between
government and non-government groups to help identify new canvases in
the downtown.
Diagnostic •
Seventy-eight percent of businesses surveyed had less on-site
customers in January and February of 2021 than before COVID. This
is a main driver in why 82% of businesses saw a decline in revenue
generation during the pandemic.¹
Seventy-seven percent of businesses surveyed believed the enacting
of more cultural events/activities was either an important (40%) or very
important (37%) to the Downtown’s economic recovery.¹
Business owners noted that murals near their businesses are engaged
with often, and that additional property owners would be interested in
such a program if it was effectively managed and there were incentives
to participate (Source: LRRP Focus Groups, June 2021).
More structured opportunities for graffiti art may help to decrease
unwarranted tagging in the public and private realm (Source: LRRP
Community Meeting, June 2021).
Source: LRRP Business Survey, April 2021
Action Item •
Create and maintain a database for tracking metrics related to mural
impact (impressions, foot traffic, ghost signs, etc.).
Engage a diverse range of creators throughout the enacting of the
mural program.
Work through hurdles related to the permissions of murals on private
property.
Mural in the Masonic Street parking lot (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 102
Process
Phase 1: Planning & Engagement (3-6 months)
Identify key stakeholders: Engage the artist
community, property owners, and permitting
and the City’s licensing departments to
facilitate coordination.
Database: Review and update the City’s
existing artist database, including fields for
the type of artwork they do and their style, as
well as a record of properties willing to be a
canvas.
An interactive map with projects and
artists from previous years is another tool
to increase engagement with artwork.
Interactive maps can be created on Google
MyMaps (free) or ArcGIS Online (paid).
Property owners and permission: Work
to properly incentivize property owners in
becoming a part of the mural program. Obtain
written permission from property owners
willing to participate in the mural program.
Application: Update Northampton Arts
Council’s online application process to include
a matching process for artists and physical
sites (www.northamptonartscouncil.org).
Application updates could include a
required question for artists and owners
to ask if they are requesting to create or
commission specific subject matter or
open to custom designs.
Create a guide for installing a public art
project with accompanying infographics
and the website QR code, to make
the information more accessible and
interesting.
Consider updating the Arts Council’s
website with a better user interface and
more graphically exciting elements that
reflect the artistic and cultural identity of
Northampton.
Mural in downtown Northampton
Process, continued
Phase 2: Mural Program Development
3-6 months)
Funding: There are several funding and grant
opportunities, such as Mass Cultural Council
and Commonwealth Places. Previous murals
have been funded by the MassDOT’s Shared
Streets and Spaces grant program.
Website: Utilize QR codes to collect data to
track the number of site visits. Metrics can be
tracked by an external agency, or by City staff
using Google Analytics which is free.
Phase 3: Design & Implementation (3-6 months)
Identify selection process: Create a protocol
for how the artist and the mural location are
matched.
Artwork and approval: Concept artwork
should be submitted at the time of application,
and the Northampton Arts Council should
coordinate design changes, if necessary.
The artwork should be reviewed by the
Arts Council and receive approval from
relevant City departments to ensure content
appropriateness and operational viability.
Contracting: Form and execute contracts
which outline the terms and conditions of
the scope of work between the artist and
the property owner. The contract should
include who determines the content of
the mural, how much and when payment
will be made, insurance responsibilities,
timeline expectations, maintenance and
repairs, copyright, and acknowledgments.
Insurance: Commercial general liability
insurance is the most common type of
insurance for public artwork, and cost is
variable based on the size, duration, and
risk associated with the installation.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 103
Mural at LimeRed
Mural at LimeRed (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
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LEGEND
EXISTING POTENTIAL MURALS AND
PUBLIC ART Rapid Recovery Plan City of
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 105
Process, continued
Phase 3, continued
Plan implementation: Once an artist is
matched with a location to work and artwork
is finalized, the mural program will help
facilitate the dates, times, personnel, and
process of the installation.
Implementation oversite: A mural program
facilitator will oversee the installation to
ensure the proper steps are being taken for
safety measures and mural longevity.
Phase 4: Maintenance, Operations, and
Evaluation (Ongoing)
Maintenance: Ideally, an art or mural program
facilitator will assess the murals in downtown
on a regular basis to ensure they are in good
condition.
Operations: It is recommended the Director
of Arts and Culture oversee maintenance
requests.
Evaluation: Capture metrics listed in the ‘Key
Performance Indicators’ section on an annual
basis.
Cracker Barrel Alley street mural “Oasis” by Kim Carlino
Mural along Cracker Barrel Alley
City of Northampton 106
Location Lynn, MA
Beyond Walls Murals
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan
Engineering Department, The City of Lynn,
Atlantic Toyota, RAW Art Works, East Coast
International Church, Salem State University, and
Volunteer Committee. The International Union
of Painter’s and Allied Trades DC 35 preps and
primes all the walls as canvases for the artists.
Website: www.beyond-walls.org/annual-street-
art-festivals
Beyond Walls is a non-profit placemaking agency
that has done a number of community activation
projects promoting walkability and public art in
Lynn. Over the past three years, Beyond Walls has
held mural festivals to highlight the 46 murals
and counting that have been created through
the program. The mural program is funded
by the Barr Foundation, MassDevelopment
Commonwealth Places, Patronicity, and The
Boston Foundation.
The artist selection process includes a public
call to artists on their social media platforms,
as well as posting on artists forums. The Beyond
Walls committee and team review submissions
for complete applications, their style of artwork,
and their cultural background. Beyond Walls aims
to reflect and celebrate the cultural diversity
of Lynn, and highlights artists that have been
historically underrepresented.
Their community partners include International
Union of Painter’s and Allied Trades DC 35,
The Office of Community Development & Lynn
Map of Beyond Walls murals and installations (Image source: www.beyond-walls.org/mural-map)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 107
Implement a new lighting installations
Category Cultural/Arts
Location Downtown Northampton
Origin • LRRP Community Meeting (April, 2021)
LRRP Focus group (June, 2021)
Budget Medium ($50,000-$200,000)
Timeframe Short Term (Less than 5 years)
Risk
Low Risk
Compliance with municipal Dark Sky zoning standards
Ongoing maintenance and operations
Key Performance Indicators
Change in the number of visitors or customers to areas with
the new lighting during the holiday season and over the
duration of the project.
Compliance with municipal Dark Sky zoning standards.
Perceptive data reflecting a reduction in safety concerns at
night.
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton Mayor’s Office
City of Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability
Northampton Arts Council
Downtown Northampton Association (DNA)
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Historic Northampton
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 108
Description
There is great interest in additional downtown lighting installations that
involve a partnership and collaboration between the City, Downtown
Northampton Association (DNA), the Chamber of Commerce, the
Northampton Arts Commission, and Historic Northampton. Currently, there
are holiday lights on the trees in downtown. New lighting projects could
include expanded holiday lighting, artistic lighting, and improved parking
lot lighting.
Diagnostic •
Seventy-one percent of business owners identified improvements to
safety and/or cleanliness in the downtown as “important” (31%) or “very
important” (40%) to physical environment, atmosphere and access in
the downtown.¹
Seventy-seven percent of business owners who responded to the
business survey identified the development of more cultural events/
activities as “important” (40%) or “very important” (37%) for the
attraction and retention of customers and businesses in downtown
Northampton.¹
Projection art and seasonal light displays were identified as projects
of interest during interviews conducted around public art installations
Stakeholder interviews, April 2021).
Source: LRRP Business Survey, May 2021
Action Item •
Foster a sense of cultural identity and creativity in the community when
highlighting artwork or holidays.
Support an increase in foot traffic and revenue for small businesses to
meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels.
Support perceptions of public safety and visibility at night with
improved lighting and more feet on the street.
Process
Several different types of lighting improvements were identified
throughout the LRRP process, that include the following.
Lights in trees
Lights year-round
Improved parking lot lighting
Lights to outline the tops of buildings (winter)
Lighting projections onto buildings (winter, events, or art)
Lights under the bike path bridge (see Underpass Improvements Project
Rubric)
Northampton bike path between Hampton Lot and Union Station
Sections of the Northampton bike path
These ideas are outlined in Phase 1 as different light options.
Phase 1: Planning & Design (3-6 months)
There are several types of lighting installations that garnered enthusiasm
at the LRRP community meeting and focus group, such as expanded
seasonal lighting, artistic lighting, and improved parking lot lighting.
Defining the project scope: Project stakeholders such as the City, DNA,
the Chamber of Commerce, the Northampton Arts Council, and Historic
Northampton should continue conversations to define priorities for
lighting and the project’s scope. The priority of lighting projects might
depend on the funding available or a grant opportunity.
Site evaluation: Look at different sites’ conditions to evaluate the
feasibility of a lighting installation. Proximity to power sources should
be a key consideration.
Engage additional stakeholders: Discuss the lighting project concept
with business owners, building owners, and other community partners
as the project details begin to solidify, in an effort to solicit feedback
and identify new potential stakeholders.
Create concept design and renderings: Hire a lighting designer or
contractor to develop the lighting design that includes renderings, site
plan, budget, installation, and management plan.
Considerations: Below are a few considerations.
Location of power sources and outlets.
National Grid light poles should have a meter and a permit.
Coordination between property owners.
Assess any potential damage to trees.
Northampton “Dark Skies” zoning standards to reduce light
pollution.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 109
Insert picture)
Insert picture)
Option C: Parking Lots,
Northampton Bikeway, Alley
Ways and City Street Lights
Parking lots: There is an opportunity
to improve quality of lighting in several
parking lots, including the Masonic
Street Lot and Gothic Streets.•
Northampton bikeway: Lighting could
be improved on the bike path between
Hampton Lot and Union Station. This
could be implemented with streetlights
or an artistic lighting display. The
railings on the bike path’s bridge could
also be lit up. •
Alley way: String lights, similar to those
installed at Pulaski Park, have been
used to transform alleys into pop-up
event spaces or indicate that it is a safe
pedestrian route.
Different types of lighting installations
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 110
Holiday lighting at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, St. Louis, MO
Source: www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/well/family/coronavirus-quarantine-christmas-lights.html)
Option A:
Expanded Seasonal Lighting
Lighting projections: Project winter
light display onto City Hall. •
Building outlines: Outline the tops of
the buildings in Downtown with string
lights.
Option B:
Artistic Lighting
Bridge underpass lighting: Install
artistic bridge underpass project. See
Bridge Underpass Project Rubric for
additional details. •
Lighting projections: Project artistic
lighting displays or historic photos on
City Hall and Historic, Northampton’s
building.
Projection display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC
Source: www.smwllc.com/projects/national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture)
Upfield Bike Path, in Victoria, Australia (Source: https://
kliksystems.com.au/portfolio/civic/upfield-bike-path)
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 111
Process, continued Phase 2: Fundraising and Funding
Identify project implementation and ongoing operations funding for a new
lighting installation.
Existing funding sources
City of Northampton (current installation costs estimated at
30,000-40,000.
DNA (labor to assist with installation oversight and fiscal
administration).
Funding sources: A few funding sources could include:
MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces
Mass Tourism
Mass Cultural Council
New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)
Commonwealth Places through MassDevelopment
Look into opportunities for collective purchasing while sourcing materials.
Phase 3: Implementation
Timeline: Identify timeline for lighting placement, maintenance,
removal, and storage.
Programming: Identify any event programming partners and coordinate
the lighting installation to the event.
Installation and maintenance: Define project partner(s) responsible for
installing and maintaining lights throughout the display season.
Phase 4: Evaluation, Removal, and Storage
Seasonal lighting installations require removing and storing the lights.
Evaluate: Conduct an analysis of measures listed in the ‘Key
Performance Indicators’ section.
Removal and storage: During project concept development, begin
discussion around removal and storage responsibilities and locations.
Both should be included in all budget planning.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 112
String lights at Pulaski Park create a welcoming evening space (Photo credit: Camilla Elizeu)
Best Practice
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 113
Projecting Our Holiday Spirit was a lighting projection
mapping project implemented in JP’s Centre and South
business corridor in 2019. JP Centre/South Main Streets
partnered with crowdfunding platform Patronicity, raising
a total of $32,000, with more than $15,000 in crowdfunding
and the remaining portion funded by a grant from Boston
Main Streets Foundation, and a match from Boston Main
Streets.
Website: https://jpcentresouth.com/jp-light-show/
Other US examples:
Sacramento: www.sactownmag.com/staging-
sacramento/
Fort Worth, TX: https://fwtx.com/culture/new-stories-
new-futures-exhibit-to-light-up-pioneer-tower-wi/
Projecting Our Holiday Spirit
Jamaica Plain, MALocation
Holiday Projection in Jamaica Plain
Image source: https://www.patronicity.com/project/
projecting_our_holiday_spirit_in_jamaica_plain#!/)
Rapid Recovery Plan Name of Community 114
Next Steps
Next Steps
As with any plan, it will be critical for a body of key stakeholders to convene in an effort to review
the Rapid Recovery Plan and identify the best ways to advance the project recommendations toward
implementation.
When convening the project leaders and partners, it is recommended to consider the following.
Selecting projects that vary in timeline, budget, and risk.
Convening additional project partners who can plan, fundraise, and implement projects to support
their next steps to advance projects recommendation.
Assessing potential funding sources to determine if they are a good match for the project and
deadlines. Many programs, especially those funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) have
windows for application that close by the end of March 2022.
Determining bandwidth needed for each project, and potential conflicts of bandwidth created by their
implementation.
Projects that will respond to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 Delta variant, compared to projects
that will aid recovery once the virus is reduced in its impact.
With effective leadership and engagement, key challenges revealed by COVID-19 hold the potential to be
translated into opportunities for building back better.
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 115
View of Main Street, south of Cracker Barrel Alley View of Main Street, north of Cracker Barrel Alley
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton
Appendix
Business Survey
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 1
This report provides the results of a business survey conducted during March and April of 2021. The survey is part of a program
launched by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Developmentto help communities develop Rapid
Recovery Plans for downtowns and commercial districts. The survey was directed to owners or other appropriate
representatives of business establishments located in the targeted commercial areas. (For Data Tables, see page 10.)
Northampton
Downtown Northampton Responses: 82
Impacts of COVID-19
Decline in Business Revenue
82% of businesses generated less revenue in 2020 than they did in 2019. For 65% of
businesses, revenue declined by 25% or more.
Less Foot Traffic in Commercial Area
78% of businesses had less on-site customers in January and February of 2021 than before COVID. 68% of businesses
reported a reduction in on-site customers of 25% or more.
Impacts of COVID-19 (cont'd)
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 2
Reported Impacts
96% of businesses reported being impacted by COVID.
Operating Status
At the time of the survey, 79% of businesses reported they were operating at reduced hours/capacity or closed
Business Satisfaction with Commercial District
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 3
The charts below illustrate the average satisfaction rating among respondents regarding various elements.
Business Satisfaction with Commercial District (cont'd)
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 4
Regulatory Environment
53% of businesses indicated that the regulatory environment poses an obstacle to business operation.
Business Input Related to Possible Strategies
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 5
Renovation of Storefronts/ BuildingFacades
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Improvements in Safety and/or
Cleanliness
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Improvement/Development of Public Spaces &
Seating Areas
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Changes in Public Parking Availability,
Management or Policies
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Improvement of Streetscape &
Sidewalks
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Amenity Improvements for Public
Transit/Bike Users
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Physical Environment, Atmosphere and Access
The charts below illustrate the average rating among respondents regarding importance of various strategies.
Business Input Related to Possible Strategies (cont'd)
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 6
More Cultural Events/Activities toBring
People into the District
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Recruitment Programs to Attract
Additional Businesses
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
More Opportunities for OutdoorDining &
Selling
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Changes to Zoning or Other
Local Regulations
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Implementing Marketing Strategies for the
Commercial District
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Creation of a District Management Entity
Unimportant/ Not
Needed
Very
Important
Attraction/Retention of Customers and Businesses
The charts below illustrate the average rating among respondents regarding importance of various strategies.
Business Input Related to Possible Strategies (cont'd)
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 7
Businesses Support
65% of businesses expressed interest receiving some kind of assistance.
Business Characteristics
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 8
Business Size Business Tenure
38% of businesses are microenterprises ( 5 employees). 75% of businesses rent their space.
Revenue Trend Prior to COVID
63% of businesses reported increase in revenue during the 3 years prior to COVID.
Business Characteristics
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 9
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 10
82Northampton
Business Survey Results - Data Tables
Community Where Targeted Downtown or Commercial District is Located
1.Please select the community where your business is located.
Business Characteristics & Satisfaction with Commercial Area
2.Including yourself, how many people did your business employ prior to COVID (February 2020),
including both full-time and part-time?
1 9 11%
2 to 5 22 27%
6 to 10 23 28%
11 to 20 10 12%
21 to 50 9 11%
More than 50 9 11%
Total 82 100%
3.Does your business own or rent the space where it operates?
Own 20 25%
Rent 61 75%
Total 81 100%
4.During the 3 years prior to COVID, had your business revenue . . .?
Increased 52 63%
Decreased 4 5%
Stayed about the Same 24 29%
Don't Know/Not Applicable 2 2%
Total 82 100%
5.Please select the category that best fits your business.
Retail (NAICS 44-45)29 35%
Food Service (restaurants, bars), Accommodation (NAICS 72) 22 27%
Personal Service (hair, skin, nails, dry cleaning) (NAICS 81) 8 10%
Professional Scientific, Technical, Legal (NAICS 54) 3 4%
Finance, Insurance (NAICS 52) 4 5%
Healthcare (medical, dental, other health practitioners) (NAICS 62) 7 9%
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Fitness (NAICS 71) 5 6%
Non-Profit, Community Services 4 5%
Other 0 0%
Total 82 100%
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 11
6. Please rate your satisfaction with the following aspects of the Downtown or Commercial
District where your business is located.
Condition of public spaces, streets, sidewalks
Very Dissatisfied 10 12%
Dissatisfied 25 30%
Neutral 17 21%
Satisfied 24 29%
Very Satisfied 6 7%
Total 82 100%
Condition of Private Buildings, Facades, Storefronts, Signage
Very Dissatisfied 4 5%
Dissatisfied 16 20%
Neutral 27 33%
Satisfied 31 38%
Very Satisfied 4 5%
Total 82 100%
Access for Customers & Employees
Very Dissatisfied 6 7%
Dissatisfied 8 10%
Neutral 23 28%
Satisfied 34 42%
Very Satisfied 10 12%
Total 81 100%
Safety and Comfort of Customers & Employees
Very Dissatisfied 8 10%
Dissatisfied 21 26%
Neutral 16 20%
Satisfied 27 33%
Very Satisfied 10 12%
Total 82 100%
Proximity to Complementary Businesses or Uses
Very Dissatisfied 1 1%
Dissatisfied 10 12%
Neutral 20 24%
Satisfied 41 50%
Very Satisfied 10 12%
Total 82 100%
7. Do any local regulations (not related to COVID) pose an obstacle to your business operation?
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 12
Licensing or permitting regulations 8 10%
Signage regulations 14 17%
Parking regulations 27 33%
Outdoor dining or selling regulations 15 19%
Allowed uses, change of use or other zoning
regulations
6 7%
Historic District regulations 2 2%
Other regulations (not related to COVID) 7 9%
None - No Issues with regulations 38 47%
Impacts of COVID
8. Did your business experience any of the following due to COVID? Select All that apply.
Decline in revenue 69 84%
Employee layoff 52 63%
Reduced operating hours/capacity 72 88%
Business closure (temporary or permanent) 56 68%
Stopped/deferred rent or mortgage payments 33 40%
Incurred expense to implement safety measures 62 76%
Established alternative mode to sell and deliver
products (on-line platforms, delivery, etc.)
60 73%
None of the Above 3 4%
9. How did your 2020 business revenue compare to your 2019 revenue?
Increased compared to 2019 8 10%
Stayed about the same as 2019 5 6%
Decreased 1 – 24% compared to 2019 14 17%
Decreased 25 – 49% compared to 2019 18 22%
Decreased 75 - 100% compared to 2019 8 10%
Decreased 50 – 74% compared to 2019 27 33%
Don't Know/Not Applicable 2 2%
Total 82 100%
10. Please estimate how the number of customers that physically came to your business in January
and February 2021 compares to before COVID.
More customers than before COVID 4 5%
About the same number as before COVID 7 9%
1 – 24% less customers than before COVID 8 10%
25 – 49% less customers than before COVID 20 24%
50 – 74% less customers than before COVID 23 28%
75 – 100% less customers than before COVID 13 16%
Don't Know/Not Applicable 7 9%
Total 82 100%
11. At the current time, what is the status of your business operation?
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 13
Operating at full capacity 17 21%
Operating at reduced hours/capacity due to COVID 61 74%
Temporarily closed due to COVID 4 5%
Permanently closed due to COVID 0 0%
Total 82 100%
Strategies for Supporting Businesses and Improving the Commercial District
12. A few approaches to address Physical Environment, Atmosphere and Access in commercial
districtsare listed below. Considering the conditions in your commercial area, in your opinion, how
important are each of the following strategies?
Renovation of Storefronts/Building Facades
Unimportant/Not Needed 8 10%
Of Little Importance or Need 18 23%
Moderately Important 24 30%
Important 25 31%
Very Important 5 6%
Total 80 100%
Improvement/Development of Public Spaces & Seating Areas
Unimportant/Not Needed 3 4%
Of Little Importance or Need 13 16%
Moderately Important 19 23%
Important 30 37%
Very Important 17 21%
Total 82 100%
Improvement of Streetscape & Sidewalks
Unimportant/Not Needed 1 1%
Of Little Importance or Need 12 15%
Moderately Important 16 20%
Important 22 28%
Very Important 29 36%
Total 80 100%
Improvements in Safety and/or Cleanliness
Unimportant/Not Needed 3 4%
Of Little Importance or Need 8 10%
Moderately Important 13 16%
Important 25 31%
Very Important 32 40%
Total 81 100%
Changes in Public Parking Availability, Management or
P li i
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 14
Unimportant/Not Needed 2 2%
Of Little Importance or Need 15 18%
Moderately Important 16 20%
Important 19 23%
Very Important 30 37%
Total 82 100%
Amenity Improvements for Public Transit Users and/or Bike Riders
Unimportant/Not Needed 10 12%
Of Little Importance or Need 18 22%
Moderately Important 19 23%
Important 15 19%
Very Important 19 23%
Total 81 100%
13. A few approaches to address Attraction and Retention of Customers and Businesses in
commercial districts are listed below. Considering the conditions in your commercial area, in your
opinion, how important are each of the following strategies?
More Cultural Events/Activities to Bring People into the District
Unimportant/Not Needed 0 0%
Of Little Importance or Need 5 6%
Moderately Important 14 17%
Important 33 40%
Very Important 30 37%
Total 82 100%
More Opportunities for Outdoor Dining and Selling
Unimportant/Not Needed 2 2%
Of Little Importance or Need 6 7%
Moderately Important 15 18%
Important 28 34%
Very Important 31 38%
Total 82 100%
Implementing Marketing Strategies for the Commercial District
Unimportant/Not Needed 0 0%
Of Little Importance or Need 10 12%
Moderately Important 11 13%
Important 28 34%
Very Important 33 40%
Total 82 100%
Recruitment Programs to Attract Additional
Bi
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 15
Unimportant/Not Needed 1 1%
Of Little Importance or Need 7 9%
Moderately Important 12 15%
Important 32 39%
Very Important 30 37%
Total 82 100%
Changes to Zoning or Other Local Regulations (not related to COVID)
Unimportant/Not Needed 6 8%
Of Little Importance or Need 28 35%
Moderately Important 27 34%
Important 9 11%
Very Important 9 11%
Total 79 100%
Creation of a District Management Entity (Business Improvement District or other organization)
Unimportant/Not Needed 12 15%
Of Little Importance or Need 12 15%
Moderately Important 21 27%
Important 21 27%
Very Important 13 16%
Total 79 100%
14. Are you interested in receiving assistance for your business in any of the following areas? Select
Allthat Apply.
Setting up an online store or other online selling
channel
7 9%
Creating new services such as delivery 9 11%
Participating in shared marketing/advertising 36 44%
Low-cost financing for storefront/façade
improvements
22 27%
Low-cost financing for purchasing property in the
commercial district
16 20%
Training on the use of social media 18 22%
None of the above 29 35%
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 16
15. Please list any specific suggestions or ideas for possible projects, programs or actions that could
help support businesses and improve the commercial district. (Optional)
Comments
Northampton Center for the Arts, Inc.
I think the town needs to do something about Monopoly owner Eric Suher, he is destroying the town with empty spaces
and high rents
More support for the unhoused and more officers on foot patrol so as to direct panhandlers to social services and
otherwise dissuade them from hassling pedestrians and making our downtown feel unsafe
Problem with homeless people who ask for money. Don’t have a solution.
Jake’s Restaurant
A.P.E.
Better parking
Eastside Grill
Too much loitering and no plan to deal with it. People with addiction and mental health issues should not be self
medicating" on our sidewalks.
Just keep listening to the business.
Fitzwilly's Restaurant
Attact non dispensary, entertainment and food business. Seek out interesting and necessary retail businesses. No
one
needs downtown services right now. All the useful businesses are gone.
Signage/Large outdoor maps to direct tourists to shops/restaurants *Eliminate metered parking tickets *Utilize
empty
storefronts for public art projects and/or teaming up with local schools
Everywhere I go, people tell me that they no longer come to Northampton because of the panhandlers and how unsafe
and unrespected they feel walking around Northampton.
Keep Main St wide as present
close the center of town from Thornes to Sweeties to traffic, increase outdoor arts, entertainment and dining, add
public
parking to police/courthouse facilities
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 17
1. Safer access for bicycle riders on Main St. 2. Create alternatives for homeless people so that they are less of a
presence downtown.
City attorney should be replaced. Board of Health unresponsive. Building Department not responsive. City
Government
often unresponsive.
Need to clear up the graffiti around downtown. Ban smoking downtown
Improve parking- visible bike racks - better street signage for parking options
Open chamber of commerce, support mask wearing
Bring back to downtown practical businesses, eg family clothing, hardware, practical home needs - things for citizens,
not
just visitors/tourists
Brits R U.S
Great Specs
I loved the refit of downtown last year: the bike lane, the parallel parking, offering businesses more space for outdoor
usage - fresh & forward thinking. Bring it back!
City wide marketing campaign, help getthe music venues open, help the homeless find homes, drug addiction
outreach
Deal with unrented empty storefronts on the first floor level. Specifically implement a fee or fine for leaving ground
level
storefronts empty for a long period of time.
How to deal with panhandlers and loitering which deter customers from coming downtown to do business in our shops.
free/reduced fee legal work to help small business owners negotiate leases, free/reduced fee
accounting/bookkeeping
help for businesses who have reopened and had to pivot their business model
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 18
Moshi Moshi Japanese restaurant
Shared st space & st closures. Events directed to lower main and not just upper main. City beautification (flowering
trees)
trash mngmnt, clean alleys, graffiti clean up. Address houselessness.
Additional tourism marketing to draw visitors. Policies to encourage vacant properties to be rented; eg. tax penalty on
downtown property vacancies of longer than 2 years
Better snow clearing in winter
support "Picture Main Street"
Aid to new businesses to encourage startups. Incentive for filling long-term vacant storefronts. Lift ban on food trucks
in
the downtown area. Anything to get people to the area is good.
More collaboration with the University and 5 Colleges
Make Main Street less of an eyesore and tripping hazard
Sarah's Pet Services
improved parking limits, street cleaning/trash removal and higher business occupancy rate
Please keep parking in main st & improve bike trail for bikers - keep bikers going around town as opposed to thru
I believe that free parking would help encourage folks to spend more time downtown
I want to maintain two lanes of traffic in either direction on Main Street. I want to maintain current parking spaces and
angled parking.
Prepared by FinePoint Associates MA DHCD RRP Program, Page 19
Citywide bounce back coupon using the Chamber gift card. Spend $X at any area business and get a $10 Chamber gift
card to use at any other area business.
Salon Herdis Inc.
Changes Salon
Social services to help the mentally ill and homeless that hang out downtown
Urban Outfitters
Rapid Recovery Plan
Appendix
Field Work Summary
City of Northampton
1
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Memo
Phase 1 : Baseline Data
Field Work Data Collection
Northampton
April 6, 2021
Project: Local Rapid Recovery Program
Prepared by: Civic Space Collaborative
This summary is of the Field Work data collected as part of Diagnostic Phase 1 of the Local Rapid Recovery
Program (LRRP) in Downtown Northampton (the “Study Area”). Collecting baseline data will help the
Commonwealth analyze the overall program impact, as well as support future funding and resource
allocations that may be used to implement final projects.
On April 6, Civic Space Collaborative (CSC) collected baseline data in the Downtown Northampton study area
and gave the individual blocks final grade for the following elements:
public realm: sidewalks, street trees and benches, lighting, wayfinding/signage, and roadbed and
crosswalks,
private realm: window, outdoor display/dining, signage, awning, façade, and lighting
These public and private realm categories were part of a standardized Public Realm Grading Rubric that was
provided by the state (see appendix for the standardized evaluation criteria).
This field work analysis focused on key streets along the business corridors in the study area. These streets
segments will be referred to as “Upper” and “Lower” Main Street, and Pleasant Street, as described below.
Upper” Main Street is from the Main Street/Pleasant Street intersection to the Post Office bus stop.
o Study Area Map Segments: B6, B7, B9, C1, C3
Lower” Main Street is from the Main Street/Pleasant Street intersection to New South Street.
o Study Area Map Segments: A7, A10, A11, A12, D3, D8, D9, D12
Pleasant Street is included from Hotel Northampton down to the rotary.
o Study Area Map Segments: A13, A14, A15, B2, B5, D2
For each of the public and private realm elements, strengths and weaknesses were identified. There are
number of public realm elements were noted as weakness that are being looked into as part of the Picture
Main Street project process that is underway.
Methodology
The field work methodology included the following steps:
1.Field Work & Study Area Scoring
Each street in the Downtown Study area were surveyed.
Data across the public realm and private realm were assessed and graded in the following
categories (please refer to the appendix for definitions).
Public realm: sidewalks, street trees and benches, lighting, wayfinding/signage, and
roadbed and crosswalks
Private realm: window, outdoor display/dining, signage, awning, façade, and lighting
2.Data Entry & Grade Calculation
The field work streets segments scores were added in the spreadsheet, and a tally of each
score (e.g. There were three “A” scores; six “B” scores, etc.) was calculated
The median of each element’s grades were calculated for a final district score.
2
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Figure 1: Study area map with segment codes for field work and representative streets highlighted
3
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Results
Physical Environment Scoring & Qualitative Assessment
Overall Downtown Score
PUBLIC REALM PRIVATE REALM
SIDEWALK A WINDOW B
STREET TREES & BENCHES B OUTDOOR DISPLAY / DINING B
LIGHTING B SIGNAGE A
WAYFINDING / SIGNAGE B AWNING B
ROADBED / CROSSWALK B FAÇADE A
LIGHTING A
Strengths
Sidewalks were wide and in good repair and typically received an A grade
Roadbed/crosswalk received a fairly consistent B grade, which indicates the prioritization of motor
vehicle safety over pedestrian safety. Main Street is a notable corridor to flag for improvement.
Signage in the private realm was strong
Lighting was stronger in the Private realm than the Public realm
Areas for Improvement
Street trees and benches was the category that received the most “Fail” grades, which means that
they were not present.
Wayfinding received a B grade, however could use improvement for pedestrian wayfinding
Outdoor display was inconsistent, with over half of the grades being B, C or Fail
Example of a high scoring section of main street
with a strong public and private realm, which include
a clean wide sidewalk, street trees, strong window
display, and retail presence on the on Main Street.
Outdoor dining on Main Street during the during
pandemic
4
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
5
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Main Street – “Upper “
PUBLIC REALM PRIVATE REALM
SIDEWALK A WINDOW B
STREET TREES & BENCHES A OUTDOOR DISPLAY / DINING A
LIGHTING B SIGNAGE B
WAYFINDING / SIGNAGE B AWNING B
ROADBED / CROSSWALK B FAÇADE B
LIGHTING C
QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT
STRENGTHS
Sidewalks are wide and in overall good
condition
Streets were located along this segment, but
there could use more benches
Outdoor display/dining were strong
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Lighting under the bridge
Windows and signage had more than half B
and C scores
Awnings and façades could be improved
View of Main Street looking west from the Rail
Trail Bridge
Sidewalk and bike share under the Rail Trail
bridge on Main Street
6
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Main Street – “Lower”
PUBLIC REALM PRIVATE REALM
SIDEWALK A WINDOW A
STREET TREES & BENCHES A OUTDOOR DISPLAY / DINING A
LIGHTING A SIGNAGE A
WAYFINDING / SIGNAGE B AWNING B
ROADBED / CROSSWALK B FAÇADE A
LIGHTING A
QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT
STRENGTHS
Street trees and benches were located
throughout
Signage, outdoor display and dining, and
windows in the private realm were strong
One of the most well lit areas for both public
and private realm
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Crosswalk receives a B- they exist but are too
long
Inconsistent awnings- around 50% of
storefronts have one
Wayfinding for pedestrians is inconsistent
Pulaski Park Wide sidewalks on lower Main Street in front of
Pulaski Park
7
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
King Street – Pleasant Street
PUBLIC REALM PRIVATE REALM
SIDEWALK A WINDOW B
STREET TREES & BENCHES A* OUTDOOR DISPLAY / DINING B
LIGHTING A SIGNAGE A
WAYFINDING / SIGNAGE B AWNING B
ROADBED / CROSSWALK A FAÇADE A
LIGHTING A
QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT
STRENGTHS
Street trees and benches are present but are
less consistent to the north along King St. and
along southern extents of Pleasant St.
Sidewalk, roadbed, and crosswalk consistent
with the rest of the study area
Strong façades and lighting
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Wayfinding and signage for pedestrians
could be improved
Windows and outdoor display and dining
could be improved
There exist opportunities to tie the bike path into
more physical elements of the downtown
Windows and outdoor display and dining could
be improved along King Street
8
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Next Steps
The results of the Field Data Summary are meant to serve two critical functions.
First, as they relate to the LRRP process, the results serve as one “input” datasets that will comprise our Phase
1 results. The Phase 1 results will be tabulated along with other inputs, such as baseline data, existing plans &
resources, stakeholder interviews and community partner feedback, to offer guidance on areas of focus for
project recommendations during Phase 2.
Second, as they relate to the Downtown Northampton Study Area, the results provide a block-by-block
qualitative assessment of the public and private realm. From a district level, this can help to understand
prioritization for certain categories for capital improvement, as well as offer potential categories for which to
obtain external funding for improvement. From a block level, this information can be shared with local
businesses and property owners to help understand ways they can improve the physical features of their
brick-and-mortar, as well as for how the City can do the same in the public right-of-way.
9
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Public Realm Grading Rubric
Created by streetsense for the Rapid Recovery Plan Program (2021)
10
LRRP Phase 1: Baseline Data – Field Work Data Collection Memo
Private Realm Grading Rubric
Created by streetsense for the Rapid Recovery Plan Program (2021)
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LEGEND
A B
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Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 120
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LEGEND
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Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 121
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50.
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LEGEND
A B C
Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 122
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LEGEND
A B
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Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 123
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50.
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Legend
A B
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Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 124
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LEGEND
A B
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Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 125
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LEGEND
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Rapid Recovery Plan City of Northampton 126
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LEGEND
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Rapid Recovery Plan
Appendix
Baseline Data
City of Northampton
LRRP Baseline Data Collection - Northampton Spring 2021
Data Point (*Denotes Required)Input Type of Data Source
Average Annual Daily Vehicular Traffic (2019 or earlier) - Primary Street*11,928 Innovative Data, LLC. (Nov 2019)
Average Annual Daily Vehicular Traffic (2019 or earlier) - Secondary Street*21,724
Average Annual Daily Vehicular Traffic (2020 or more recent) - Primary Street 9,900
Average Annual Daily Vehicular Traffic (2020 or more recent) - Secondary Street 18,828
Total No. of Parking Spaces (On-Street and Off-street)2,096 City of Northampton (May 2021)
Average Annual Daily Pedestrian Traffic (2019 or earlier) - Primary Street 1,964 City of Northampton (5/1/19-3/14/20)
Average Annual Daily Pedestrian Traffic (2020 or more recent) - Primary Street 797 City of Northampton (5/1/20-3/14/21)
Average Annual Daily Pedestrian Traffic (2019) - Secondary Street N/A
Average Annual Daily Pedestrian Traffic (2020 or more recent) - Secondary Street N/A
Total Open/Public Space Area— parks + plazas 564,976 Sq. Footage City of Northampton (April 2021)
Sidewalk Grade*A
Street Trees and Benches Grade*B
Lighting Grade*B
Wayfinding/Signage Grade*B
Roadbed and Crosswalks Grade*B
Total No. of Storefronts 316 Whole number
Total Ground Floor Retail Space 738,122
Total Ground Floor Office Space 379,264
Total Ground Floor Manufacturing Space 43,059
Window Grade*B
Outdoor Display/Dining Grade*B
Signage Grade*A
Awning Grade*B
Façade Grade*A
Lighting Grade*A
Total Resident Population (Current/2021 estimates)*28,801 City of Northampton (2020)
Median Household Income (Current/2021 estimates)*66,522
Median Age (Current/2021 estimates)*40.0
Average Household Size (Current/2021 estimates)*2.2
Population by Educational Attainment (Current/2021 estimates)*
Less than High School 1,213
High School Graduate (or GED 3,063
Some College, No Degree 2,258
Associate Degree 1,214
Bachelor’s Degree 5,080
Masters/Professional School/ Doctorate Degree 6,588
Population by Age Distribution (Current/2021 estimates)*
Age 0–17 4,445
Age 18–20 2,480
Age 21–24 2,175
Age 25–34 3,529
Age 35–44 3,296
Age 45–54 3,310
Age 55–64 4,155
Age 65–74 3,330
Age 75–84 1,047
Age 85+749
Population by Race/Ethnicity (Current/2021 estimates)*
White Alone 25,236
Black or African American Alone 615
American Indian and Alaska Native Alone 43
Asian Alone 948
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone 10
Some Other Race Alone 476
Two or More Races 1,188
Hispanic or Latino 2,490
Not Hispanic or Latino 26,026
Total Workforce/Employees (2018 or more recent)*15,526
Total Secondary/Post Secondary Student Population (2019 or more recent)5,549
Total Annual Visitors (2019 or more recent)892,951
Academy of Music; Historic
Northampton; Hotel Northampton;
Fairfield Inn; Thornes Market; Smith
College Museum of Art
Terry Masterson; Laurie Sanders &
Elizabeth Sharpe; Mansour Ghalibaf;
Rich Madowitz; Lauren Shea-Warner
Total No. of Businesses (March 2020) – by NAICS categories*
11 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting -
21 Mining -
22 Utilities 4
23 Construction 3
Civic Space Collaborative (May 2021)
US Census Bureau (2019)
US Census Bureau (2019)
US Census Bureau (2019)
City of Northampton (May 2021)
Whole number
Whole number
Whole number
Whole number
MassDOT Traffic Volume (2019)
Civic Space Collaborative (April 2021)
US Census Bureau (2019) Decimal
Whole number
A, B, C, or Fail
Sq. Footage
A,B,C or Fail
Whole Number
LRRP Baseline Data Collection - Northampton Spring 2021
Data Point (*Denotes Required)Input Type of Data Source
31-33 Manufacturing 3
3113 Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing -
3114 Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing -
3115 Dairy Product Manufacturing -
3118 Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 1
3119 Other Food Manufacturing 2
3121 Beverage Manufacturing -
42 Wholesale Trade 1
44-45 Retail Trade 124
4421 Home Furniture and Furnishings 5
4431 Electronics and Appliances 6
4441 Building Materials, Garden Equipment and Supply 1
4442 Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies -
4451 Grocery Stores 2
4452 Specialty Food 9
4453 Beer, Wine and Liquor 2
4461 Health and Personal Care 53
4481 Clothing and Accessories 13
4511 Sporting Goods, Hobby, Books and Music 7
4522 Department Store -
4523 General Merchandise 3
4531 Florists 3
4532 Office supplies, Stationery and Gift Stores 4
4533 Used Merchandise Stores 9
4539 Other Miscellaneous Stores 7
48-49 Transportation and Warehousing 1
51 Information 7
52 Finance and Insurance 6
53 Real Estate Rental and Leasing 7
54 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 34
55 Management of Companies and Enterprises 4
56 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 2
61 Educational Services 9
62 Health Care and Social Assistance 39
71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreation 22
72 Accommodation and Food Services 36
7211 Accommodation -
7224 Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)2
7225 Restaurants and Other Eating Places 34
81 Other Services (except Public Administration)14
92 Public Administration -
Total No. of Businesses (Current/2021) – by NAICS categories*
11 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting -
21 Mining -
22 Utilities 4
23 Construction 3
31-33 Manufacturing 2
3113 Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing -
3114 Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing -
3115 Dairy Product Manufacturing -
3118 Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing -
3119 Other Food Manufacturing 2
3121 Beverage Manufacturing -
42 Wholesale Trade 1
44-45 Retail Trade 132
4421 Home Furniture and Furnishings 4
4431 Electronics and Appliances 6
4441 Building Materials, Garden Equipment and Supply 1
4442 Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies -
4451 Grocery Stores 1
4452 Specialty Food 8
4453 Beer, Wine and Liquor 2
4461 Health and Personal Care 59
4481 Clothing and Accessories 14
4511 Sporting Goods, Hobby, Books and Music 9
4522 Department Store -
4523 General Merchandise 3
4531 Florists 3
4532 Office supplies, Stationery and Gift Stores 4
City of Northampton (May 2021)
Whole number City of Northampton (May 2021)
Whole number
LRRP Baseline Data Collection - Northampton Spring 2021
Data Point (*Denotes Required)Input Type of Data Source
4533 Used Merchandise Stores 10
4539 Other Miscellaneous Stores 8
48-49 Transportation and Warehousing 1
51 Information 6
52 Finance and Insurance 6
53 Real Estate Rental and Leasing 7
54 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 29
55 Management of Companies and Enterprises 4
56 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 1
61 Educational Services 9
62 Health Care and Social Assistance 40
71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreation 20
72 Accommodation and Food Services 38
7211 Accommodation -
7224 Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)2
7225 Restaurants and Other Eating Places 36
81 Other Services (except Public Administration)14
92 Public Administration -
Total No. of Business Closures (Since March 2020) – by NAICS categories*
11 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting -
21 Mining -
22 Utilities -
23 Construction -
31-33 Manufacturing 1
3113 Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing -
3114 Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing -
3115 Dairy Product Manufacturing -
3118 Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing 1
3119 Other Food Manufacturing -
3121 Beverage Manufacturing -
42 Wholesale Trade -
44-45 Retail Trade 15
4421 Home Furniture and Furnishings 1
4431 Electronics and Appliances -
4441 Building Materials, Garden Equipment and Supply -
4442 Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies -
4451 Grocery Stores 1
4452 Specialty Food 1
4453 Beer, Wine and Liquor -
4461 Health and Personal Care 4
4481 Clothing and Accessories 2
4511 Sporting Goods, Hobby, Books and Music 2
4522 Department Store -
4523 General Merchandise -
4531 Florists -
4532 Office supplies, Stationery and Gift Stores 1
4533 Used Merchandise Stores -
4539 Other Miscellaneous Stores 3
48-49 Transportation and Warehousing -
51 Information 1
52 Finance and Insurance -
53 Real Estate Rental and Leasing -
54 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 6
55 Management of Companies and Enterprises -
56 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services -
61 Educational Services -
62 Health Care and Social Assistance 1
71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreation 3
72 Accommodation and Food Services 1
7211 Accommodation -
7224 Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)-
7225 Restaurants and Other Eating Places 1
81 Other Services (except Public Administration)1
92 Public Administration -
Total No. of Vacant Storefronts (Current/2021)*25 Whole number
Total Ground Floor Commercial Vacant Space (Current/2021) - including office, retail, and manufacturing 103,144 Sq. Footage
Average Asking Rent for Ground Floor Retail Space (Current/2021)*25
Average Asking Rent for Ground Floor Office Space (Current/2021)*20
Is there a viable organization* acting as a steward for the study area?*Yes Short Answer
Annual Budget of District Management Organization 100,000 Whole number
City of Northampton (May 2021)Whole number
City of Northampton (May 2021)Whole number
Per Sq. Foot
Civic Space Collaborative (May 2021)
Downtown Northampton Association
April 2021)
LRRP
Northampton Baseline Data (Spring 2021)
Demographics
Rapid Recovery Plan Northampton
LRRP
Northampton Baseline Data (Spring 2021)
Traffic & Parking
Rapid Recovery Plan Northampton
LRRP
Northampton Baseline Data (Spring 2021)
Businesses
Rapid Recovery Plan Northampton
Rapid Recovery Plan
Appendix
List of Project Ideas
City of Northampton
LRRP List of project ideas collected during Phase 1 - Northampton Spring 2021
Project Category#Project DescriptionProject Theme# of MentionsExisting
Plans & DocumentsBusiness
SurveyBaseline Data (exc. Field)Field
DataStakeholder InterviewsFocus
GroupPublic InputPicture Main StreetWalk/
Bike Northampton Resilience & Regeneration
PlanNorthampton
Community Resilience
HubParking Study Justice Center StudyChamber
of
Commerce
PresentationPanhandling StudyCity -
Office of Planning & SustainabilityCity - Mayor'
s OfficeSmith
CollegeDowntown
Northampton AssociationGreater
Northampton ChamberAcademy of MusicArts TrustHistoric
NorthamptonFirst
ChurchesHotel
NorthamptonDaily Hampshire
GazetteThornes Market and HPMGValley CDCNorthampton Housing
Authority1 Bike
Lanes
on Main
Street
Transportation & Infrastructure 5 2
Main Street Redesign Transportation &
Infrastructure 4
3
Redefine vehicular
travel
lanes on Main Street
Transportation & Infrastructure 3 4
Shorter
crosswalks
on Main
Street
Transportation & Infrastructure 3
5 Flexible loading
spaces on Main
Street
Transportation & Infrastructure
1
6 Raised crosswalk
on Main Street
Transportation & Infrastructure 3
7
Improved drainage
at the rail trail crossing Transportation &
Infrastructure 1 8 Improved
link
between
Rail Trail
anddowntownwithtrafficcalmingTransportation &
Infrastructure 3
LRRP List of project ideas collected during Phase 1 - Northampton Spring 2021
14 Railtrail ADA access at North
Street
Transportation &
Infrastructure 3
15 Wayfinding signage from lots
to downtown
Placemaking &
Public Space
Activation 3
16 Public messaging campaign
around resources
Safety &
Resources 2
17
Giving fund to increse
resources for entities serving
at-risk populations
Safety &
Resources 2
18 De-escalation Team Safety &
Resources 2
19
Community HUB / Resilience
Hub (keep in mind
surrounding neighbors and
impacts related to their
spaces)
Safety &
Resources
3
20
Educational attainment
opportunities for at-risk
populations
Safety &
Resources 2
21
Address technology and
information gap emerging
among homeless population
Safety &
Resources 1
22
Downtown storage units for
people experencing
homelessness
Safety &
Resources 3
23 Create flexible/day
labor/flash job program
Safety &
Resources 2
24 Vending machines for
personal hygiene items/food
Safety &
Resources 2
25 Improvements to
safety/cleanliness
Safety &
Resources 2
26 improvement to public
spaces/seating areas
Landscaping &
Open Space 1
27 Add public parking for
police/courthouse facilities
Transportation &
Infrastructure 1
28 Shared streets and outdoor
dining
Landscaping &
Open Space 3
29 Curb Use/Car share/pick-ups Transportation &
Infrastructure 1
30 Murals Placemaking &
Public Space 1
31 integrate history into new
prejects
Placemaking &
Public Space
Activation 1
StakeholderInterviewsProjectsCumulativeInputsExistingPlans & Documents
LRRP List of project ideas collected during Phase 1 - Northampton Spring 2021
32 Improve Main Street
connection under bridge
Landscaping &
Open Space 2
33 Improve Pop’s (Bridge Street)
Parking lot
Landscaping &
Open Space 1
34
Covered seating areas with
charging ports to allow for
homeless populations to
charge devices without using
private spaces
Safety &
Resources
1
34 Purchase of permenant, easy-
to-maintain planters
Landscaping &
Open Space 1
34 Open up tunnel to get to 33
Hawley Street
Landscaping &
Open Space 1
1 Creative use of underutilized
private parking lots Redevelopment 1
2 Storefront Improvements
Program Façade (Exterior)1
3 Signage Improvement
Program
Displays &
Signage 1
4 Outdoor Display Improvement
Program
Displays &
Signage 1
5 Surplus properties
redevlopoment Redevelopment 1
6 33 King St Redvelopment Redevelopment 1
7 Pleasant St Redelopment Redevelopment 1
8 Adaptive reuse funding
sources
Regulations,
Zoning &
Permitting 1
9
Northampton Academy of
Music renovate the inner
lobby, salon, and hallways to
bathrooms - in progress
Redevelopment
1
Private RealmStakeholderInterviewsPublicRealmProjectsCumulativeInputsExisting
Plans & Documents
LRRP List of project ideas collected during Phase 1 - Northampton Spring 2021
1
Increase marketing around
Northampton gift card
program
Marketing for
Businesses 2
2
2nd round of fundraising for
Community Revitalization
fund for small business grants
Business
Technical
Support
1
3
Strategize tourism attraction
with Hampshire County
Tourism Advirsory Board
District Branding
Identity
2
4
Implementing marketing
strategies for the commercial
district
Marketing for
Businesses 1
5 Participation in shared
marketing/advertising
Business
Technical
Support 1
6 Social media training
Business
Technical
Support 1
7 Attact new tourists/residents Marketing for
Businesses 1
8 Northampton Live: Long-term
site owner
District Branding
Identity
1
9
Addressing bottom-line
impacts to small biz's due to
costs related to
unemployment, PFML, raises
to minimum wages
Business
Technical
Support
1
10
Maintain direct avenues for
small business technical
support for accessing grants,
loans, permits, and licenses
multilingual)
Business
Technical
Support
1
11
Employee Development
opportunities to help rebuild
service sector workforce
Business
Technical
Support 1
CumulativeInputsProjects Existing Plans & Documents Stakeholder Interviews
Revenue & SalesRevenue &
LRRP List of project ideas collected during Phase 1 - Northampton Spring 2021
12
Continue to grow online retail
presence with services such
as 413 Takout and
Northampton Live
Marketing for
Businesses
1
13
Build out support services and
training opportunities for
entrepeneurs and budding
retail
Business
Technical
Support 1
14
Continue to make an
affirmative effort in including
makers of color and
supporting a diverse
community during downtown
events
Business
Technical
Support
1
15 Bike, excerise and/or art
tourism
Marketing for
Businesses 1
1
improvement to public
parking
availability/management/poli
cies
Regulations &
Permitting
2
2 Recruitment additional
businesses
Stewardship &
District Entities 1
3
Incentives and temporary
solutions for filling vacant
storefronts
Stewardship &
District Entities 3
4 Housing Zoning - 2 unit by
right, etc (passed)Zoning 1
5 Work with state to improve
liquor licensing
Regulations &
Permitting 1
6 Automated permit system Regulations &
Permitting 1
7 Stormwater regulations + off-
site mitigation
Regulations &
Permitting 1
8 Emergency operations task
force
Stakeholder
Engagement/Acti
vation
1
9
Continue posting resources
online to comply with Open
Meeting Law
Stakeholder
Engagement/Acti
vation 1
Administrative Capacity
Projects Revenue & SalesAdministrative CapacityCumulative Inputs Existing Plans & Documents
LRRP List of project ideas collected during Phase 1 - Northampton Spring 2021
10
Continued structures for
interorganizational
communications which grew
as a result of the pandemic,
especially City <> Businesses
Stakeholder
Engagement/Acti
vation
1
11
Utilize non-profits and
academic institutions as a
resource in matters of
downtown development
Stakeholder
Engagement/Acti
vation 1
12
Incorporate best practices for
public health in new
development, such as outdoor
space and ventilation
Zoning
1
13
Enhance organizational
support for DNA ambassador
program
Stewardship &
District Entities 1
14
Develop consistent revenue
streams for Downtown
Northampton Association, not
necessarily from pay-in dues
Stewardship &
District Entities
1
1 Encouraging other types of
vendors for visitor clientele Retail 1
2
Initiative to recruit additional
businesses to Downtown
Northampton, with an
emphasis on diversity, equity
inclusion
Stewardship &
District Entities 1
3
Attact high end retail and
others to kick-start visitor
economy
Retail
1
4 Understand opportunities for
new manufacturing spaces Manufacturing 1
5
Create more new spaces for
start-up retail and small
business owners
Retail
1
6 Increase/Improve/Expand
Social Services
Community
Development 1
Projects
Tenant Mix
Tenant MixAdministrative CapacityCumulative Inputs Existing Plans & Documents
LRRP List of project ideas collected during Phase 1 - Northampton Spring 2021
1 More cultural
activities/events
Events &
Performance Arts 2
2
Storefront Activation + utilize
empty storefronts for public
art projects
Visual Art &
Installations 2
3 Promote arts and theater as
destinatons
Events &
Performance Arts 1
4 Educational classes at t+
Youth programs
Events &
Performance Arts 1
5 Smith Library - architect Maya
Lin
Visual Art &
Installations 1
6 Broaden reach to Latinx
community
Events &
Performance Arts 1
7 Block off a street doing a big
flash dance
Events &
Performance Arts 1
8 Drop in music areas Events &
Performance Arts 1
9 Story booth for Recovery Visual Art &
Installations 1
10
Downtown Lighting
Installation (decorative,
festive, basic
Visual Art &
Installations 1
Projects
Cultural/Arts
Stakeholder InterviewsCultural/ArtsCumulative Inputs Existing Plans &
Rapid Recovery Plan
Appendix
Subject Matter Experts (SME) Memos
City of Northampton
Outdoor Dining/Retail
Community Toolkit
A guide for communities seeking to assist business owners
in creating outdoor dining and retail options
September 2021
Rapid Recovery Plan
Rapid RecoveryPlan2
Brookline, MA
This Toolkit has been made possible through
technical assistance provided by the Baker-
Polito Administration’s Local Rapid Recovery
Planning program.
The Local Rapid Recovery Planning (RRP) program is a key part of
the Baker-Polito Administration’s Partnerships for Recovery Plan,
the strategy established to help communities stabilize and grow the
Massachusetts economy as a result of the economic impacts brought
on by COVID-19. The plan invests $774 million in efforts to get people
back to work, support small businesses, foster innovation, revitalize
downtowns, and keep people in stable housing.
In addition to the planning program, recovery efforts include a Small
Business Relief Program administered by the Massachusetts Growth
Capital Corporation. This program, which concluded in May 2021,
provided more than $687.2 million to over 15,000 businesses across the
Commonwealth, with a focus on businesses located in Gateway Cities,
among demographic priorities, or operating in sectors most impacted
by the Pandemic. Cities, towns, and non-profit entities are using
Regional Pilot Project Grant Program funding for recovery solutions
that seek to activate vacant storefronts, support regional supply chain
resiliency, and create small business support networks. To promote
recovery in the tourism industry and support the ongoing My Local
MA marketing initiative encouraging residents to support their local
economies by shopping, dining and staying local, another $1.6 million
in grants were awarded through the new Travel and Tourism Recovery
Grant Pilot Program. Through April 2021, MassDOT’s Shared Streets and
Spaces Grant Program has invested $26.4 million in municipal Shared
Streets projects to support public health, safe mobility, and renewed
commerce.
In support of the overall recovery strategy, the Administration made
9.5 million in awards for 125 communities to create Local Rapid
Recovery Plans, through the MA Downtown Initiative Program. These
plans address the impacts of COVID-19 on local downtowns and small
businesses by partnering with Plan Facilitators and Subject Matter
Experts to pursue locally-driven, actionable strategies.
For more information, contact DHCD:
100 Cambridge St, Suite 300
Boston, MA 02114
617-573-1100
mass.gov/DHCD
Toolkit prepared by:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 3
Getting Started
Toolkit Checklist
Part 1: Guidelines for Communities
We want to streamline the process for businesses to create
outdoor dining/retail under existing state regulations
We want to make our temporary/emergency outdoor dining/
retail regulations permanent
We want to provide design and materials guidelines to
businesses
We are interested in facilitating bulk purchasing of materials
and equipment to help businesses.
We want to consider clustered public spaces for outdoor dining
We are concerned about costs and impacts, including loss of
public parking and/or parking revenue, and noise
We want to encourage winter outdoor dining
We want to enable outdoor dining in parks
We want suggestions for gaining public and political support
We want help identifying funding for implementing a business
toolkit and for helping a business toolkit and for helping
businesses in other ways
We want a template for our own complete outdoor dining/
retail Toolkit
Part 2: Putting It Together
Suggested Outline for a Toolkit/Resource Guide for Businesses
Example Design Guidilines
A: Parallel Parklet
B: Angled Parklet
C: Large Sidewalk Patio
D: Small Sidewalk Patio
E: Full Closure Street Plaza
F: Street Plaza with a Fire Lane
State Outdoor Dining/Seating Fact Sheet for Accessibility
Requirements
p. 4
p. 6
p. 8
p. 9
p. 21
p. 24
p. 36
p. 39
p. 44
p. 48
p. 50
p. 51
p. 53
p. 55
p. 56
p. 57
p. 59
p. 63
p. 67
p. 71
p. 76
p. 78
p. 83
p.85
Table of Contents
Rapid RecoveryPlan4
Getting Started...
Why this Toolkit
Outdoor dining and retail options in local commercial districts blossomed during the early days
of the COVID-19 Pandemic as towns and cities made a quick pivot to respond to the needs of
businesses and residents. Understanding potential benefits to long-term community and economic
development, many businesses and communities now seek to make permanent the temporary
outdoor dining and retail options that have sprouted up in their commercial areas.
This Toolkit responds to this need. In the Local Rapid Recovery Program, questions of outdoor
dining and retail – enacting permanent ordinances, providing clear design guidelines, offering
assistance on use of materials and perhaps even bulk purchasing, compliance with ADA, and
navigating local and state regulations – have been among the most common issues raised during
the planning process. Businesses want certainty before investing capital in furniture, construction,
and equipment. Communities want to ensure outdoor dining and retail options are created with
some semblance of aesthetic order and that they meet safety standards. This Toolkit presents the
most common questions in the LRRP and provides a guide for each community to move forward in
creating its own set of guidelines for businesses and internal streamlining of requirements.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 5
How to use this Toolkit
Think of this LRRP Toolkit as a guide for your own local government outdoor dining and retail
decisions, regulations, and assistance to businesses. Every community is different, and some are
further along than others in thinking through their outdoor dining and retail process. This Toolkit
responds to the need for each community to take it’s own unique approach by offering suggestions
for design guidelines, asking a series of questions for municipalities, and providing examples from
other communities. It’s all about offering you flexibility and multiple options.
To this end, this Toolkit can be used by communities in three ways:
YOU NEED HELP ON A FEW INDIVIDUAL ITEMS FROM
THE MUNICIPAL SIDE - things such as writing and
passing bylaws and ordinances to make outdoor dining
and/or retail permanent; streamlining permitting/
licensing; creating design and material standards, etc.
YOU WISH TO PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION
AND ASSISTANCE TO BUSINESSES - things such as
space guidelines for setting up socially distanced
dining in a standard parking space; information on
ADA requirements; suggestions or requirements on
materials to be used, etc.
YOU WANT TO CREATE A FULL OUTDOOR DINING/
RETAIL STEP-BY-STEP TOOLKIT FOR BUSINESSES -
a pdf/packet and perhaps online, with all the
information a business needs to create an outdoor
space, including municipal requirements and
guidelines, as well as suggestions for space, materials,
aesthetics, and more.
1
2
3
Rapid RecoveryPlan6
Part 1: Guidelines for Communities
You will find a list of topics that your community may want to address
regarding outdoor dining/retail. Each topic includes possible solutions
and, in some cases, examples from other communities (in the
understanding that you don’t necessarily want to reinvent the wheel
but you do want to tailor it for your needs).
We want to streamline the process for
businesses to create outdoor dining/retail under
existing State regulations.
We want to make our temporary/emergency
outdoor dining/retail regulations permanent.
We want to provide design and materials
guidelines to businesses.
We are interested in facilitating bulk purchasing
of materials and equipment to help businesses
and to get better prices for them.
We want to consider clustered public spaces for
outdoor dining
We are concerned about costs and impacts,
including loss of public parking and/or parking
revenue, and noise.
We want to encourage winter outdoor dining.
We want to enable outdoor dining in parks.
p. 9
p. 21
p. 24
p. 36
p. 39
p. 44
p. 48
p. 50
Use this checklist to understand what you need and how this Toolkit can be most useful to you.
Toolkit Checklist
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 7
Part 2: Putting It Together
Part 2 of this Toolkit provides an outline for your very own community
outdoor dining/retail Toolkit and offers ready-to-use design guidelines
to insert in any document or online resources you offer businesses.
Suggested Outline for a Toolkit/Resource
Guide for Businesses
Sample Design Guidelines
State Outdoor Dining/Seating Fact Sheet
for Accessibility Requirements
p. 57
p. 59
p. 85
We would like guidance to conduct a robust
public process to get community feedback on
outdoor dining/retail ordinances.
We want help identifying funding for
implementing a Business Toolkit and for
providing help to businesses in other ways.
We want a template for our own complete
outdoor dining/retail Toolkit. – See Part 2 for
this information!
p. 51
p. 53
p. 55
Part 1: Guideline for Communities (continued)
Rapid RecoveryPlan8
Choose the critical sections to get started! To do this, we recommend that you
gather all the relevant Town or City staff to discuss how to ease the process
for businesses to extend their dining and retail to outdoor spaces. You might
give staff a copy of this Toolkit and then discuss what elements you want to
provide. Collaboration and cooperation are key here. Those communities that
acted quickly during the early days of the Pandemic and made the process
work best for staff and businesses where those that brought municipal
departments and staff together to problem-solve and communicate constantly.
That same spirit of cooperation and collaboration applies here…
Part 1:
Guideline for
Communities
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 9
When we say “streamline the process,” it can include all or some of the following goals:
Offer a single application for businesses to apply for permits and licenses to provide outdoor
dining and retail.
Offer an online application to help businesses save time.
Provide a checklist of all requirements.
Provide a liaison at City or Town Hall to guide businesses
through the outdoor dining and retail rules and
requirements.
Create a short-track or
condensed timeline for
permitting and approvals
by coordinating Town or City
inspections and reviews.
Provide clear design guidelines
and other requirements that take the
guesswork out of providing outdoor
dining and retail.
Offer bulk purchasing of common items
needed for outdoor dining and retail to
get better prices for businesses and
standardize select items that may be
hard or confusing to source.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
STREAMLINE THE PROCESS FOR
BUSINESSES TO CREATE OUTDOOR
DINING/RETAIL UNDER EXISTING
STATE REGULATIONS.
We want to...
Rapid RecoveryPlan10
The choices on the previous page aren’t mutually exclusive and you may choose to combine
various methods of streamlining applications. For instance, some communities will offer a
single, online application and also provide a short-tracked permitting and inspections process.
If they offer design guidelines and a complete Toolkit for businesses (using this Toolkit as a
guide, of course!), that’s one more way to streamline the entire process for businesses. We
cover these scenarios in various places in this Toolkit.
Offer a single application for businesses to apply for permits
and licenses to provide outdoor dining and retail.
Creating a single application makes a simple process for businesses and municipal staff. A
single application replaces all other permit and license forms that would typically be required
for outdoor dining or retail. One required application also gives assurances to businesses that
they are not missing any key steps.
Elements to include in a
single application:
Offer application by seating
type/location/space ownership
Offer an online option
Provide a checklist of all
requirements
List any separate permits that
may be required
Provide design guidelines
Offer guidance regarding
alcohol sales and service
Provide key dates and timeline
for review and approvals
A
Information about each of these
elements is provided on the
following pages.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 11
Application by seating type/location/space ownership
Some municipalities opt to incorporate all types of outdoor seating into a single application
and others have a different application depending on the type. For example, Brookline, MA
has a single application on which the applicant selects their proposed outdoor dining type
classified by location. As illustrated in Part 2 of this Toolkit, categorizing applications by the
proposed location or by ownership of the space (public or private) makes good sense as
different considerations (and different municipal permits and review) come into play if seating
is proposed for the street or a sidewalk.
Information that is typically required as
part of an outdoor extension application
includes:
Business name and contact information
Business manager and property owner
ABCC license # (if applicable)
Proposed hours of operation
Location of outdoor seating (parking lot,
sidewalk, etc.)
Proposed number of tables and chairs and
seating capacity
Site plan and materials list
Proof of Occupancy/Control of Premises” -
usually a lease or a deed or written permission
from property owner if not the licensee.
Rapid RecoveryPlan12
How others are doing it...
How others are doing it...
Two applications, one for seating on private property and one for seating on
public property.
A general application that all applicants must fill out for outdoor dining,
plus a supplemental application for use of a public sidewalk, which is in lieu
of the Sidewalk Use permit that would typically be require
Three separate applications for proposals on private property, public
sidewalk, and public parking. Applications can be submitted for both
outdoor dining and outdoor retail.
Northampton, MA
Worcester, MA
Saco, ME
Separate applications — private and public property
Single application requiring outdoor dining type bylocationBrookline, MA
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 13
Separateapplications — privateandpublicproperty
What’s happening at the State…
Per An Act relative to extending certain COVID-19 measures adopted during the state of
emergency, a municipality’s local licensing authority (LLA) can approve applications for an
extension of outdoor table service until April 1, 2022 without the need to provide advance
notice to abutters or hold a public hearing on the application. The State has not explicitly
allowed this bypass for other forms of outdoor business, such as retail, other than table
service.
Provide a checklist of allrequirementsB
At present, businesses that have been granted an
outdoor extension of their premises through this
expedited process will revert to their pre-approval
status after April 1, 2022.
To help businesses organize all of the materials
and information they will need to successfully
apply for an outdoor dining or retail permit, it is
useful to provide a checklist of required items. A
clearly defined checklist will decrease chances for
confusion and enable the applicant to organize the
proper materials in advance, rather than having to
start and stop the application to seek out necessary
documentation. The checklist should be as succinct
and easy to understand as possible.
Rapid RecoveryPlan14
How others are doing it...
The City of Boston has a good example of an applicationchecklistBoston, MA
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LoOFKnBwFAyn7LwhymFI-eCY25Dtlvkf2J3ZYarzkWA/edit
2021 Outdoor Dining Program: Application Checklist
Before you submit your application, please review the following checklist. This checklist provides
an overview of the documents that you will need to prepare and upload with your application.
Please reach out to 2021outdoordining@boston.gov if you have any questions after reviewing.
Documents required from every applicant:
Copy of Licensing Board License:Please have ready a copy of your Licensing Board License
example here) to upload. You will also be required to enter your license number.
Site Plan:A site plan drawing of the proposed outdoor dining extension will be required.
This may be hand drawn. It will need to include square footage, access to and from the
licensed premise, and location and number of tables and chairs. See the 2021 Guidance
document for more information on site plan and site set-up requirements.
Recent Photo(s) of Proposed Location:You will be required to upload at least one and up to
three recent photos of the proposed location of the outdoor dining extension. These
photos will be used to give reviewers a better understanding of the location, so please
upload clear photos from several angles to assist with review.
Photo of Proposed Barrier(s):You will be required to upload a cut sheet, diagram or image
of the proposed type of barrier to be used to create separation from traffic (e.g. planters,
water filled barriers, wooden barriers). Please note: Barriers are needed for both sidewalk
seating and on-street seating.
Legal Right to Occupy:If you are applying for an extension on private property, you are
required to submit a letter from the landlord granting the right to utilize the space. If you
are applying for an extension on public property, legal right to occupy will be granted if
your application is approved through the 2021 program application. See the 2021 Guidance
document for more information
Certificate of Inspection:Please have ready a copy of your most recent Certificate of
Inspection (example here), whether current or expired.
Health, Safety and Operation Plan:Please have ready a Health, Safety and Occupation Plan
that adheres to the information outlined here. These plans should include the following:
Description of proposed service
including staffing levels, days of the
week, hours of operation)
Overview of how the extension will be
separated from the non-licensed area
supervised
COVID-19 precautions for
employees and patrons & a social
distancing plan
Structures separating patrons from
traffic
ADA accessibility
Maintenance and storage plan (will tables
and chairs be removed when not in
operation)
Safety plan (what steps are being taken to
ensure materials do not enter the travel
path
1
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 15
List any separate permits that may be required
It is important to explicitly identify any required or optional elements that need a separate
permit application from the business. It is up to the discretion of the municipality to decide which
elements to include as part of the primary application and which require separate permitting.
When possible, streamline the process by designating pre-approval for certain equipment and
models that have been vetted to remove uncertainty on the part of the businesses. Common
examples of things that may require separate municipal approval/permitting include:
Tents/Canopies
Shrewsbury: All tents need a permit from
the Building Dept.
Brookline: Tents or canopies exceeding
120 sq. ft. need a permit from the
Building Dept.
Boston: Tents and canopies are not
permitted in public outdoor dining spaces
umbrellas allowed). Tents on private
property need approval from the Fire
Dept. and Inspectional Services Dept.
Outdoor Heaters
Northampton: Provides guidance for
use of heaters and requires inspection
by the Fire Rescue Dept. and Building
Dept. before operation.
Brookline: Temporary use of propane
heaters must be approved by the
Fire Dept. Electric heaters must be
permitted by the Town’s Electrical
Inspector.
Platforms (for parklets)
Boston: For a parklet-style deck, a photo
of the proposed deck location and sketch
of the proposed deck, including materials,
dimensions, and drainage clearance, are
required.
Worcester: Decks, platforms, and other
structures may require a building permit.
Sidewalk Use/Obstruction
Worcester: Supplemental
application for sidewalk dining
required in lieu of normal Sidewalk
Use permit
Rapid RecoveryPlan16
How others are doing it...
Offer an online application
Online applications help ease the process for businesses and can be done two ways:
If your municipality already has an online form center or portal for submitting permit
applications, this is a streamlined way to allow applicants to attach any necessary uploads
directly to their application and submit all in one place.
If you don’t have a public portal for applications and other submittals., an alternative
option is to provide fillable PDFs that applicants can submit by email along with any other
necessary attachments.
Hard copy applications should also be available upon request for applicants who may lack internet
access or proficiency.
Provide a liaison at City or Town Hall
Designating someone as the single point person at City or Town Hall can help ease the process for
businesses that have questions about outdoor dining permitting and provide one stop shopping.
This liaison can also serve as the coordinator of staff and department requirements…providing
a consistent presence and source of information. The liaison can also report back on barriers or
challenges in the permitting process and initiative changes in response to real time feedback from
businesses and public sector collaborators.
Online portal and form center for business applications.Northampton, MA
Fillable PDFs that are emailed by applicants with required attachments.Worcester, MA
C
D
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 17
Create a short-track or condensed timeline for permitting and
approvals
By coordinating Town or City inspections and reviews, and possibly eliminating or shortening some
public review processes,* the overall timeline from application to permit approval can be shortened,
helping restaurants make quick pivots to retain customers and staff.
In addition, providing clear timelines for permitting…from application
submittal through inspections and approvals, helps businesses stay on
track and prevents misunderstandings and missed deadlines. Time
is money for businesses; important information to include in the
timeline includes:
Date the application process opens (if applications are
seasonal)
Overall estimated time from submission to municipal
decision
Outline any public review periods that are required*
The application deadline and any intermediary deadlines,
such as site inspections, municipal grants, or materials for
loan (if applicable)
When the outdoor dining/retail season begins and ends (if
applicable)
Your community may wish to eliminate or shorten public review periods for
outdoor dining and retail applications in instances where all design guidelines and
other criteria are met by the applicant with no requested waivers.
E
Rapid RecoveryPlan18
How others are doing it...
An example of a timeline of key dates from Boston’s 2021 Outdoor
Dining Pilot ProgramwebsiteBoston, MA
Key Dates as shown on the City of Boston’s Website,
Source: https://www.boston.gov/departments/licensing-board/2021-outdoor-dining
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 19
What’s happening at the State…
The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) has the following
general regulations for licensed established to serve alcohol on patio and outdoor areas:
i. Alcoholic beverages cannot be served outside of a licensed establishment unless and
until an application to extend the licensed premises has been approved.
ii. An application to extend the premises must describe the area in detail, including
dimensions, seating capacity, and maximum occupancy.
iii. The premises must be enclosed by a fence, rope, or other means to prevent access
from a public walkway.
iv. The outdoor area must be contiguous to the licensed premises with either (a) a
clear view of the area from inside the premises, or, alternatively (b) the licensee may
commit to providing management personnel dedicated to the area.
v. The applicant must have a lease or documents for the right to occupy the proposed
area.
vi. The licensing authorities should consider the
type of neighborhood and the potential for
noise in the environs.
vii. Preferred are outdoor areas where alcohol
is served to patrons who are seated at the
tables and where food is also available.
Provide clear design guidelines and other requirements including
alcohol licensing checklist of all requirements
Businesses have expertise in menus, food, dining experiences for customers, service, and in the case
of outdoor retail, displays and signage. The design and construction of outdoor dining and retail can
stymie the most sophisticated business owner…it’s just not part of their expertise and experience.
Guidelines can help! If you wish to provide guidelines for businesses, see the separate section on
this topic below and actual guidelines in Part 2.
F
Rapid RecoveryPlan20
Previously, an application to extend the licensed premises to serve alcohol in a new outdoor area
had to be approved by both a municipality’s local licensing authority (LLA) and the ABCC. However,
per Bill S.2475, An Act relative to extending certain COVID-19 measures adopted during the state
of emergency, LLA’s have been granted the authority to approve the extension of licensed premises
until April 1, 2022 without the need for ABCC approval. This means allowing alcohol service in a
public outdoor space, including a space across the sidewalk, is fully at the discretion of the LLA.
After approval, the LLA must notify the ABCC of the amended license.
As with outdoor dining in general, businesses that have been granted an outdoor extension of their
premises for alcohol service through this expedited process are presently scheduled to revert to
their pre-approval status after April 1, 2022. If a business is seeking to extend their premises for
outdoor alcohol service beyond April 1, 2022, they must follow the ABCC’s usual regulations for
Alteration of Premises/Change of Location. This consists of submitting an application to the LLA for
approval, which then gets forwarded to the ABCC for approval.
Businesses that wish to serve alcohol in an outdoor space that does not fit the regulations above,
such as in a non-adjacent space or without table service, can apply for a One-Day Special Permit
through their LLA. Restrictions on the type of alcohol that can be sold vary depending on the type
of business and the nature of the event. For-profit events may only sell wine and/or malt beverages
under the One-Day Special Permit. This permit can only be utilized for a single day, but there is
no limit to the number of permits a business can apply for, only that they cannot be granted to an
individual person more than 30 times in one calendar year.
Offer bulk purchasing of common items needed for outdoor dining
and retail
Some equipment or materials may be specialized and also need to meet safety requirements. Items
such as outdoor heaters have to meet fire safety or electrical codes, and the storage of propane fuel,
if used, can be complicated. Additionally, items such as platforms to raise on-street parking spaces
to sidewalk height are fairly standardized but require construction knowledge and structural design.
To get better prices for businesses and standardize select items that may be hard or confusing to
source, towns and cities may choose to bulk purchase items on behalf of businesses. If you are
interested in doing this, see page 36 for additional information.
G
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 21
Communities are now considering the next steps to shift from temporary/emergency outdoor
dining and retail measures to permanent zoning and bylaw changes. The cost of a small outdoor
seating area in a public parking space can be well over $25,000, including materials, construction
costs, and new furniture and equipment. For many small businesses, this size of capital investment
is a challenge, and even more so if there is no certainty regarding the ability to continue outdoor
operations post-Pandemic. Instituting permanent zoning and bylaw changes provides certainty for
everyone involved.
Zoning Code Changes
Zoning code and bylaw changes can make outdoor dining and retail options permanent throughout a
municipality or in selected geographic areas or zones. Some considerations should be:
What boards and committees must review any proposed changes, and what time is needed to
do that? Examples can include: economic development committee; business district committee;
planning board; city council or town selectboard, etc.
Allow enough time to enact permanent changes before any municipal emergency/COVID-19
outdoor dining and retail programs expire. We recommend six months, if possible. Your community
may have to extend its emergency COVID-19 program in order to keep something in place until a
permanent program can be adopted.
Consider any limitations you currently have on the length of time outdoor seating is allowed at any
one time. Some communities limited outdoor seating to six months, or to actual dates. Should these
be lifted? Do you wish to encourage year-round dining? See the section on winter outdoor dining
below for additional information.
Which temporary outdoor dining/retail measures or program elements do you wish to retain?
What additional guidelines or elements do you wish to add to a permanent program? We hope this
Toolkit provides useful information to answer these questions.
What are the benefits and costs for a permanent program? See the separate section below for
information on what to consider.
MAKE OUR TEMPORARY/
EMERGENCY OUTDOOR DINING/
RETAIL REGULATIONS PERMANENT
We want to...
Rapid RecoveryPlan22
The Importance of Local Voices
Some key temporary changes that were made to streamline the outdoor dining permitting process
in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic were done at the state level. This included eliminating
some public process requirements that can slow implementation, such as holding a public hearing
and giving advance notice to all abutters, and forgoing the need for the ABCC to approve outdoor
extensions of premises to serve alcohol.
While individual municipalities may not have the power to make permanent changes to these state
laws, they can be influential voices to advocate for permanent adoption of temporary changes that
have proven beneficial to their business communities. Local business organizations, chambers
of commerce, and municipal leaders and staff should make their preferences known and provide
stories of the positive benefits they have seen from COVID-19 temporary changes to their state
Representatives.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 23
How others are doing it...
Haverhill, MA In 2004, the City of Haverhill, MA enacted an Outdoor Dining Permit
Ordinance that defined and streamlined the outdoor dining process
within their Commercial Center zoning district. In response to
higher demand during the COVID-19 Pandemic, they streamlined the
permit approval process further by moving initial permit application
review from the License Commission to Inspectional Services. Using
OpenGov, after Inspectional Services gives approval, it automatically
triggers the application to be sent to the City’s other regulatory
bodies that need to review.
Brookline, MA is seeking to adopt new General and Zoning Bylaws to
create permanent outdoor dining in the town by:
Extending the outdoor dining season from a 6-month maximum to
year-round
Allowing outdoor seating in parking space parklets and
privately-owned areas adjacent to restaurants
Streamline the application process by replacing Planning
Board review with Planning and Community Development
Department staff review
At 2021 Spring Town Meeting the Brookline Select Board voted
in favor of these changes, following a presentation of rationale
delivered by the Department of Planning and Community
Development.
New York City is working on a permanent Open Restaurants program
that would change zoning text to remove geographic restrictions on
where in the city sidewalk cafes can be located and consolidate all
applications under one agency.
Brookline, MA
New York, NY
Rapid RecoveryPlan24
Design Guidelines
Perhaps the greatest positive impact a municipality can provide to businesses is to offer design
guidelines for outdoor dining and retail spaces. These guidelines can save time – for research,
design, codes compliance, ADA requirements, etc. Strong guidelines can also be critical to convince
municipalities that they can allow uses by right, if the guidelines are met, and eliminate or reduce
discretionary review.
Part 2 of this Toolkit contains sample design guidelines for a variety of outdoor dining and retail
situations. Municipalities may distribute relevant samples to businesses in their communities
as guides or use these samples as a resource to create their own guidelines. All outdoor dining
and retail must meet state accessibility requirements; Outdoor Dining/Seating Fact Sheet for
Accessibility Requirements is attached to this Toolkit at the end of Part 2.
When establishing guidelines for outdoor spaces adjacent to the curb, whether on the sidewalk or in
on-street parking, it is important to identify existing curbside uses that prohibit the implementation
of outdoor dining or retail.
WEWANTTOPROVIDEDESIGN
ANDMATERIALSGUIDELINESTO
BUSINESSES
Materials Guidelines
Materials guidelines can help provide an overall aesthetic framework while allowing businesses to
express their individual brand/style and meet any code or other municipal requirements. There are
several categories of materials that must be considered for an outdoor dining or retail space:
Barriers Furniture Heating Parklets
PROVIDE DESIGN AND MATERIALS
GUIDELINES TO BUSINESSES
We want to...
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 25
There are two categories of barriers that a business may need to use: protective barriers and
separation barriers.
Protective Barriers are used when an outdoor space overlaps/abuts with motor vehicle space,
with the most typical scenario being the use of a parking space in the street or in an active parking
lot. Protective barriers are sturdy and heavy and must meet any requirements of local Department
of Public Works or Transportation Department. A common practice is for the municipality to
provide and install these barriers and remove them at the end of the outdoor dining/retail season,
if applicable. Examples include concrete and water-filled jersey barriers and heavy planters, such
How others are doing it...
Boston, MA
In its outdoor dining guidance document, the City of Boston has
identified the following curbside uses where conflicting outdoor
dining requests will not be approved:
10’ clearance on either side of
a fire hydrant
Handicap accessible parking
No stopping
Travel lane
Bike lane
Bus lane
Crosswalk
Fire access lane
Bus stop
Bike share station
Car share space
Barriers
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Jersey barriers and water-filled barriers lack aesthetic appeal, and various strategies exist to
beautify these enclosures, including treating the jersey barriers as a canvas for paint (see example
below). We suggest another strategy which could benefit from municipal coordination: at 24” wide,
jersey barriers take up considerable room and restaurants often then add another material or
screen on the dining side of the barrier for aesthetic reasons and to support planter boxes, lattice,
etc. Combining the aesthetic treatment with the barrier itself could reduce the space needed and
provide a good solution to beautifying the barriers. A standard enclosure for this barrier consisting
of a box, constructed of marine-grade plywood, with a planter space built in at the top could improve
aesthetic appeal and regularity while allowing for individualization for each outdoor dining or retail
area through the paint and details used.
How others are doing it...
Beverly, MA
Salem, MA
Some businesses are paying artists directly to paint jersey barriers
around their outdoor dining spaces. In other cases, cities and nonprofits
are covering costs and providing a framework for a larger beautification
effort around outdoor dining and retail barriers. In downtown Beverly
and Salem, the Creative Collective’s “Jersey Barrier Beautification
Project” has used $35,000 to pay approximately two dozen artists to
paint jersey barriers. Artists’ payments run $200 per barrier and up.
Colorfully painted protective barriers outside of Bambolina Restaurant in Salem, MA.
Source: Karl Alexander
as those weighted with sandbags. Protective barrier height minimums and maximums vary by
municipality, though these are typically at least 30” high. The required extent of protective barriers
varies by municipality, but at a minimum they should be placed where there are potential conflicts
with forward-moving traffic.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 27
Separation Barriers are not intended to provide protection but are used to demark outdoor
dining or retail space from pedestrian or public space. Planters, fencing, and lattice are commonly-
used separation barriers. For spaces in parking areas, separation barriers are used where
protective barriers are not present to create a full enclosure with no gaps leading to vehicular
circulation areas.
Wood and screens are used to create separation barriers for a sidewalk café outside of a New York City restaurant.
In most cases the appearance and maintenance of barriers is the responsibility of the business
using them, and allowing businesses to paint or decorate barriers can create a more inviting and
visually pleasing space or streetscape. An optional program add-on could be a public art project
through competition or general matches of artists with businesses. Municipalities might consider
providing grants to pay artists to paint jersey barriers and other protective barriers along the public
street or right-of-way.
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Regardless of the type of barriers used, they should not be bolted down
or fastened to the ground or other objects without municipal approval.
The outside of barriers in a parking area may also need reflective strips
if they do not already have reflective surfaces.
It should be noted that while the use of jersey barriers and other
protective barriers has been implemented as standard operating
procedure for outdoor dining in communities across Massachusetts,
this standard was designed as part of rapidly rolled out programs
using available equipment and is not based on universal best practices.
In other parts of the country and the world, outdoor dining has been
implemented with minimal or no protective barriers, which has certain
benefits including sleeker and more attractive design and easier setup
and removal, particularly in preparation for snow storms in areas
where outdoor dining operates year-round. As municipalities are
formulating permanent regulations to allow outdoor dining, additional
research is needed on the value of protective barriers, including
providing real safety benefits as well as customer perception of safety.
State Regulation
Per ABCC state regulations, any outdoor space where alcohol is being served, whether
public or private, must also be enclosed by barriers to prevent access from a public
walkway. For outdoor spaces not in a parking area and without alcohol service, separation
barriers are not universally required, and it is up to the discretion of
the municipality to decide when they are needed.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 29
How others are doing it...
New York, NY
Protective barriers at least 18” wide are required on the side of
the outdoor dining enclosure facing forward-moving traffic. As an
alternative to jersey barriers, businesses are allowed to use barriers
that are completely filled with soil or sand. The City has standardized
the enclosure required for all outdoor dining in public parking spaces
on the roadway to include planter boxes which, while having set
dimensions, can be decorated and filled as each business desires. This
is an effective approach to creating some visual order while allowing
individual creativity at each business.
How others are doing it...
Portland, OR Outdoor dining areas in parking spaces on streets with speed
limits of 25 MPH or less do not require protective barriers
separation barriers are required). On streets with speed limits
higher than 25 MPH, a traffic control plan is created in coordination
with the City’s transportation department.
Source: Open Restaurants, New York City Department of Transportation
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For outdoor dining spaces, furniture typically consists of tables, chairs, benches, and bike parking,
and perhaps a type of overhead covering, such as umbrellas, tents, or awnings. Outdoor retail
furniture can include racks, tables, merchandise stands, and shelving. Access within the space and
access to, and use of, the furniture must comply with the state accessibility requirements, included
in Part 2. Individual municipalities may have additional accessibility requirements or guidelines
that affect furniture placement and considerations. If this is the case, we strongly recommend your
municipality specify that your requirements are inclusive of state requirements OR combine your
local requirements and the state requirements into one document…including the most stringent, as
applicable, so that businesses do not have the confusion of comparing and choosing between the
two.
When not in use, furniture should be brought inside or secured and locked together to prevent any
possible obstruction of the public right-of-way. Furniture should not be stacked outside or secured
to any other objects, such as trees, streetlights, or barriers. As with barriers, businesses are
responsible for maintenance, and furniture should be easily movable and not bolted or fastened to
the ground.
Per the Governor’s COVID-19 Order No. 35, overhead covering must have at least
50% of the perimeter open and unobstructed by siding at all times. For example, if
a tent is used, at least two sides must be open to the air without walls or siding. As
mentioned earlier in Part 1, tents or canopies often require separate permitting to
ensure they are set up and secured properly, that they are not fire hazards, and that
they don’t obstruct sightlines for road users. Umbrellas are normally
allowed without separate permitting granted they meet the same
conditions.
Furniture
State Regulation
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 31
How others are doing it...
Heaters are an important consideration for outdoor dining, especially to extend the outdoor dining
season or when allowing all-season outdoor dining. Like canopies, separate permitting is often
required for heaters to ensure they are in compliance with regulations and not fire or safety hazards.
The two types of commonly used heaters are propane heaters and electric heaters. Municipalities
are encouraged to continue adhering to their existing permitting and regulations for heaters.
While portable heaters are often less expensive than installing electric heaters (which require
building permits and a licensed electrician), a particular obstacle for the use of propane heaters is
the requirement for storage of propane tanks, which should not be stored inside buildings but only
in approved structures or cages.
Accessibility of Spaces – Ramps and Parklets
The common scenario of outdoor dining in an on-street parking space presents a challenge for
accessibility. The difference in grade level between the sidewalk and street is typically a 6” curb
height. To meet accessibility requirements, a ramp to access the lower street level from the sidewalk
or a full platform (also known as a parklet) to bring the street level space up to sidewalk level must
be constructed.
Brookline, MA As a resource, the Town of Brookline, MA established a pilot
program for permitting portable propane patio heating equipment
to support businesses in establishing outdoor dining.
Heaters
Parklets
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Ramp
Accessible ramps must have a maximum slope of 1:12
which means for every 1” in grade difference the ramp
must be 12” long. This requires a 6’ long ramp for a 6”
curb height. Ramps should be a minimum of 4’ wide and
must have 4’ of clear space at the bottom and top. The size
requirements for a ramp cuts into usable outdoor dining
and retail space and while less expensive to construct than
a full platform, may be impractical for smaller outdoor
areas. Part 2 has more information about ramps.
Platform/Parklet
A parklet is an extension of the sidewalk into an on-
street parking space made from temporary materials; the
platform brings the street space level with the sidewalk.
The construction of parklets to create new outdoor dining
spaces became a popular and important tool during
the COVID-19 Pandemic for restaurants that otherwise
would not have had access to outdoor seating. A platform
eliminates the need to provide a ramp to the dining or
retail space and can also provide a level surface over a
street that may have an uneven surface (cobblestones) or
be sloped. The platform used for a parklet also allows the
adjacent sidewalk to be an extension of the outdoor dining
or retail space, if there is sufficient room.
The disadvantage of parklets is that they can be expensive
and challenging for a business to build on its own, as even
simple parklets can cost thousands or tens of thousands of
dollars when factoring in the expense of design, materials,
labor, and permitting. The change in level from the
platform to the street requires a continuous barrier and
railing around the space and also requires posts at corners
to make this platform visible to vehicles. This Toolkit
provides the basics for design and construction in Part 2,
and any funding resources the municipality can provide
will make this process easier for businesses.
Diners eat on a parklet in New York City.
Platform dining, Portland, Maine
Platform parklet with a ramp, Portland, Maine
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 33
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has created a short design guide
for parklets, including the critical, recommended, and optional elements to consider. Among the
most important things to keep in mind is that parklets must not interfere with the water drainage
in the street, and they must be consistent with the state’s outdoor dining/seating accessibility
requirements. Another useful resource is Parkade’s parklet guide, which includes design tips and
options, materials options, and suggestions for constructing an affordable parklet.
Source: NACTO Parklet Design
Guidelines. Source: National
Association of City Transportation
Officials
Rapid RecoveryPlan34
All in all, the design, permitting, and construction of outdoor dining and retail is expensive.
Materials, design drawings, construction, and purchasing tables, chairs and other equipment are
not insignificant capital investments. Municipalities and businesses associations can play a role in
making parklet construction more affordable (see the next section on bulk purchasing). The state
also offers several funding opportunities that municipalities and businesses can take advantage of to
support parklet construction, such as:
Complete Streets Funding Program
Commonwealth Places
Community One Stop for Growth
Shared Streets and Spaces Program
Massachusetts Growth Capital Grants and Loans
Parkade’s guide includes a diagram of how to construct an affordable wooden parklet. Source: Parkade Complete
Guide to Parklet and Streeteries. https://parkade.com/parklet-guide-and-how-to-build-a-parklet.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 35
How others are doing it...
Haverhill MA In 2018, the City of Haverhill adopted a parklet ordinance into its
General Bylaws.
The Town of Arlington launched a Parklet Program
and installed three public parklets in 2020 with the
support of a state Shared Streets and Spaces grant.
Following the success of these parklets, the Town
took advantage of another Shared Streets and Spaces
grant to improve upon its Parklet Program in 2021.
Arlington, MA
Rapid RecoveryPlan36
The costs for buying materials and constructing and maintaining outdoor dining can be
prohibitive for a small business. Municipalities may consider instituting a bulk purchase
policy for reimbursement by businesses to get better prices and to help assure businesses
that equipment such as heaters meet code and requirements. In addition, municipalities can
offer delivery, pick-up, and provision of other materials, if desired.
Bulk Purchase Program
This process should start with an in-house assessment of resources and capabilities, as
well as mechanisms for repayment of equipment costs by businesses (or grants to cover
costs, if applicable). Municipalities should also consider coordinating efforts with multiple
businesses through a business association or a Business Improvement District (BID)
to investigate the most viable option for a bulk purchasing program. The most feasible
items for bulk purchasing include equipment that must meet stringent code or permitting
requirements, such as:
Portable heating equipment
Fuel (propane) storage equipment
Outdoor communal storage for inclement weather
Umbrellas
Parklet platforms (constructed to building code and available in modular
components the size of a standard on-street parking space)
FACILITATING BULK PURCHASING
OF MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
TO HELP BUSINESSES.
We are interested in...
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 37
Recommended steps to institute a bulk
purchasing program:
What are the resources and capabilities of your
municipality?
Is there a staff member who can oversee a bulk purchase
program?
What department can best do this (DPW, Parks, Planning,
Transportation, Facilities)?
What are the mechanisms for payment by the businesses
for equipment procured by the municipality? Can this be
incorporated into an existing online fee payment structure
used by building department, tax clerk, etc.)?
Can your municipality apply for a grant(s) to cover the
cost of the program?
Is there a business association, chamber of commerce,
or BID with whom you can partner? Can they take on
oversight of the program with collaboration from your
municipality?
Take a survey of businesses to assess interest and
develop a list of needed furniture and/or equipment that
would be good candidates for bulk purchasing.
Get prices for bulk purchase based on the items identified
in the business survey.
Arrange for payment for items/payment commitment
from businesses
Rapid RecoveryPlan38
Resources
There are a host of restaurant supply companies that offer a range of heating products.
Municipalities interested in bulk purchasing should investigate online sources for outdoor heating
equipment and tables/chairs as well as talk to business owners who have made equipment
purchases to identify possible bulk purchase options. We also encourage contacting area trade
schools and trade unions about contracting for construction of platforms for parklets. Finally, using
portable storage pods and placing them in a common area in a remote section of a public parking lot
or extra alley space could help solve winter storage of equipment for multiple businesses if outdoor
dining is seasonal.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 39
Clustering outdoor dining spaces on public property may be a desirable option. If several
businesses along a stretch of commercial area are interested in creating outdoor dining, it may be
more space- and cost-effective to coordinate these efforts together. Creating a larger coordinated
outdoor dining zone could also be an effective strategy to activate a public space and attract
more visitors. Clustered outdoor dining can be operated in two ways: business-managed and
municipality-managed.
Business-managed
In this scenario, your municipality would provide a general outdoor dining area that can be used by
adjacent restaurants only (this would allow liquor service as per current State regulations).
Space is used by multiple designated adjacent restaurants. Each restaurant is allocated a
specific space.
Municipality provides overall protective barriers for the entire space, if needed by local
regulations.
Restaurants are responsible for providing tables and chairs and for sectioning off their
designated area.
Cleaning of tables, maintenance, and movement of furniture, if required, is the responsibility
of individual restaurants.
Adjacency of space allows restaurants to serve alcohol.
CONSIDER CLUSTERED PUBLIC
SPACES FOR OUTDOOR DINING
We want to...
Rapid RecoveryPlan40
How others are doing it...
Cambridge, MA The City of Cambridge, MA has provided a number of these
larger dining areas in business districts including in Central
Square, Harvard Square, Kendall Square, and Inman Square.
These flexible spaces have offered increased opportunities for
outdoor dining where adjacent sidewalk or parking areas aren’t
available for every business. On a section of Cambridge Street
in Inman Square, the City has temporarily closed vehicular
traffic in one direction to allow outdoor dining to expand into the
street.
From the City of Cambridge website: “At permitted locations
across the city, restaurants will be responsible for providing
tables and chairs according to social distancing guidelines and
sectioning off their outdoor dining areas each day. Due to liquor
license requirements and to ensure that the tables are cleaned
between each use, these new outdoor dining areas will be
designated for use by the adjacent restaurants. Where possible,
the outdoor dining areas may be used for loading or parking
when they are not being used for dining.”
A business-managed outdoor dining cluster in Cambridge’s Central Square. Source: CivicMoxie
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 41
How others are doing it...
Northampton, MA Northampton, MA temporarily closed Strong Avenue in its
downtown to implement “Summer on Strong,” a collaboration
between the City and businesses on the street to offer
expanded outdoor seating and musical performances during
the summer. Funding for the effort largely came from
sponsors, including some local businesses1.
Summer on Strong” outdoor dining. Source: Karl Alexander
1: Feldman, Luis. “‘A little alfresco’: Strong Avenue makeover provides new outdoor dining experience
in Northampton.” Daily Hampshire Gazette. May 26, 2021. https://www.gazettenet.com/StrongAvenue-
hg-05252021-40642962.
Rapid RecoveryPlan42
Municipality-managed
In this scenario, your municipality would provide a general outdoor dining area that can be used by
anyone who is bringing their own food or who purchases takeout from a nearby restaurant, similar
to a food court.
Space is used by anyone. There are no allocated spaces for individual restaurants.
Space can be as small as one table with benches or chairs, or larger.
Municipality provides overall protective barriers for the entire space, and all tables and
chairs.
Municipality provides overall maintenance and upkeep of space (furniture, signage, major
sweeping and trash removal) if needed by local regulations.
Table cleaning can be accomplished three ways:
1. Municipality provides cleaning/sanitizer stations
2. Nearby restaurants provide general cleaning (understanding that the space
benefits their takeout business)
3. Signage indicating that users of tables are responsible for own cleaning/
sanitizing
No alcohol is allowed in the space.
It is recommended that your municipality look at an overall plan for providing seating and tables
throughout your commercial district to ensure you are making the best use of public space and
offering the most support possible to local businesses.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 43
How others are doing it...
Brookline, MA During the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, the Town of Brookline sought
opportunities to provide as much seating and table space in the
Coolidge Corner commercial district to help businesses that had
no adjacent usable public space for outdoor dining and retail or
that didn’t have the resources for quick buildout of outdoor dining.
By identifying all possible locations for different opportunities for
resting locations, seating, and eating spots, the Town was able to
have a larger plan about which public spaces should be prioritized
for seating and dining locations. These spaces were meant to
supplement any business efforts to provide outdoor dining.
Source: Town of Brookline and CivicMoxie, LLC.
Rapid RecoveryPlan44
There are municipal costs involved in permitting outdoor dining and retail, as well as community
benefits. Being clear about the costs and benefits, as well as potential negative impacts, can help
your community make educated decisions and tailor an outdoor dining and/or retail program to fit
your needs and resources.
Loss of parking spaces
Enabling expanded outdoor dining or retail often involves the conversion of parking, both on-
street and surface lots, into dining and retail spaces. The loss of these spaces is a concern, both
for merchants and the customers who frequent these business districts. This concern is especially
pertinent if the business area is not easily accessible by walking or public transit, so vehicle trips
cannot be replaced. While loss of street parking to parklets can contribute to a parking shortage,
this is more likely to result from the conversion of private business parking lots into larger outdoor
dining or retail spaces. Without parking alternatives, such as a garage or public lot, an unintended
consequence could be the use of nearby residential streets as overflow parking, especially if there
are no parking restrictions in those neighborhoods. It is important for planners and those granting
permits for outdoor dining and retail to consider the transportation options and capacities of their
business areas and neighborhoods when making permitting decisions.
When possible, advance notice of the planned removal of parking spaces should be posted both
physically at the parking spaces and online. It is also important to emphasize that decisions
to remove parking were made in collaboration with and with the support of the local business
community.
Loss of parking revenue
Loss of metered on-street parking or parking spaces in municipal pay lots translates to a loss of
revenue for the municipality. Quantifying this expected loss is an important first step in addressing
concerns (see example below from Brookline, MA). Support of the entire business district is a public
good and benefits residents by helping retain local businesses and services. A robust commercial
district also contributes to property tax revenue and the jobs base. The loss of parking revenue is
COSTS AND IMPACTS, INCLUDING LOSS
OF PUBLIC PARKING AND/OR PARKING
REVENUE, AND NOISE
We are concerned about...
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 45
often more than offset by higher property, meals, and rooms taxes.
However, if a municipality wants to make up expected lost revenue from the conversion of a metered
space to a parklet, there are several possible strategies that can be employed:
Replace lost meters by converting existing free parking spaces
to new metered spaces.
Increase the fees at the remaining parking meters to cover
expected losses.
Charge a fee to the business that will be using the metered space. One way to determine this
fee is to calculate the expected lost revenue from the loss of the parking space.
Implement or increase a local meals tax to generate new revenue.
Administrative and material costs
Administering an outdoor dining and retail program takes staff time from a number of departments
and costs should be considered for:
Permit application review
Assistance to businesses (and staff to aid in streamlined processes)
Materials such as jersey barriers (cost of materials and delivery/pick-up/re-positioning)
Noise
Another common concern of municipalities about expanded outdoor dining and retail is an
increase in ambient noise, particularly in the evening, that disrupts residents. Despite the concern,
investigation into this issue suggests that most communities who have implemented temporary
outdoor dining have received few noise complaints, if any at all. This is likely because outdoor
dining tends to be located in more commercial or dense areas where there are fewer residents, and
residents living in those areas are accustomed to ambient noise into the early evening.
Since the most likely source of complaint is disturbance in the later evening, one solution is to
set an earlier cut-off for hours of operation for outdoor dining or retail. For example, the Cities of
Boston and Haverhill have restricted hours of operation for outdoor dining to 10 PM Sunday through
Thursday and 11 PM Friday and Saturday, though restaurants may stay open later than this for
indoor dining. If a city or town wishes to set more restrictive hours of operation for businesses in
more residential zoning districts, this can be built directly into an outdoor dining or retail ordinance.
Rapid RecoveryPlan46
How others are doing it...
Another potential source of noise concern is from outdoor entertainment, such as music or
televisions, as this is often louder and travels farther than patron conversations. If this is a major
concern in the short-term, one option is to ban outdoor entertainment, as the City of Boston did
for their 2021temporary outdoor dining season. However, this is likely not a good solution for
communities that are seeking to create permanent outdoor dining regulations. If your municipality
has a permitting process for outdoor entertainment licenses, it may be desirable to keep this
separate from the outdoor dining or retail permitting process to streamline approval for dining or
retail, while maintaining the ability to look more closely at outdoor entertainment on a case-by-
case basis.
Northampton, MA One of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic is
that municipalities, businesses, and residents must be willing
to be creative and adapt to new situations. In response to
noise complaints from neighbors regarding loud music at one
restaurant, the Northampton License Commission voted to
add pertinent restrictions to the restaurant’s entertainment
permit, including ending outdoor performances one hour earlier
and banning the use of amplifiers. This solution allowed the
restaurant to continue to offer outdoor entertainment while
addressing the neighbors’ needs.
It is good practice to be explicit in your materials to businesses that they should be considerate
of neighbors regarding noise, and to provide information about reporting concerns (noise and
otherwise) in a logical and accessible location. For example, the City of Worcester has contact
information and instructions for reporting concerns on their Temporary Outdoor Dining
Program webpage, shown below.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 47
How others are doing it...
Brookline, MA In its efforts to extend temporary outdoor dining to a permanent
zoning bylaw change, the Town of Brookline quantified the
estimated costs of the program for a typical outdoor dining
space using on-street parking. This information allowed Town
Meeting, the Planning Board, Selectboard, and others, to weight
the benefits and costs when making decisions.
Source: Warrant Articles 29 & 30 May 21, 2021 Town Meeting presentation by Meredith Mooney, Economic
Development Planner, Town of Brookline Planning and Community Development Department.
Rapid RecoveryPlan48
Extending the outdoor dining season can provide significant support for restaurants, enabling them
to operate throughout the year. While snow removal on public streets is often cited as the major
barrier to winter outdoor dining, there are other considerations as well. Your community should
consider the following when deciding how to support winter outdoor dining:
Snow removal
In the case of snow, street plowing and sidewalk clearance are the major concerns in allowing
businesses to operate outdoor dining in on-street parking spaces in the winter months. Sidewalk
clearance is generally the responsibility of the business. In the case of street plowing and winter
weather precautions, there are a few possibilities that you should consider when crafting a policy
about all-season dining:
Allow winter outdoor dining only where there are continuous strips of dining or where there
is sufficient gap between dining spaces to allow for plowing.
Allow winter outdoor dining for all outdoor dining spots and create a system of requirements
depending on storm severity:
Advisory: light snow (under 1” or 2”), ice, or sleet – restaurants may continue
operations but must clear sidewalks and hydrants of all snow and ice.
Alert: over 2” of snow – outdoor dining suspended during storm event. Municipality
may require removal of overhead elements including roofs, awnings, etc.
Snow removal need not block outdoor dining options. Some municipalities, including NYC, have
smaller snow removal plows and blowers that are used in denser areas that can maneuver between
spaces to clear parking and pathways. If you are considering permanent changes in your zoning
bylaws to allow outdoor dining, you should consider year-round options and ways your DPW
purchases and equipment can accommodate the new “normal.” Additional research and insight into
the value of protective barriers could also affect snow removal procedures and influence all-season
outdoor dining rules; if fewer or no heavy barriers are used in the future, this would make it easier
to disassemble outdoor dining materials in advance of heavy snow events.
ENCOURAGE WINTER OUTDOOR DINING
We want to...
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 49
How others are doing it...
Furniture and equipment storage
In inclement weather, some equipment and furniture may need to go into storage. For an operating
restaurant, storage inside may be impractical. One consideration may be that municipalities provide
common storage for restaurants (which may also be needed if no winter outdoor dining is allowed).
Purchase and installation of pod-type storage containers for use by area businesses can help solve
storage issues. These pods might be placed in public parking areas or other common areas with
easy business access.
Heating and comfort
Clarity on heating equipment and where they may or may not be used is important.
Resources needed to “winterize” dining spaces
In addition to the costs for building outdoor dining spaces, businesses face additional expenses to
winterize spaces for use all year. Those additional costs include:
Heaters and fuel/electricity
Storage for inclement weather
Municipalities might consider grants for businesses to help them winterize their outdoor dining
spaces.
Boston, MA The City of Boston created a Reopen Boston Fund in the
Fall of 2020 to provide financial assistance to restaurants to
provide winter outdoor dining. Grants of up to $3,000 helped
restaurants cover the costs of equipment needed for cold
weather operations. Businesses were required to provide
receipts for purchases of things such as heaters, fuel, and
outdoor storage, as well as any additional purchases for winter
seating and tables.
For winter 2020-2021, the Towns of Brookline and Falmouth
launched temporary winter outdoor dining programs that can
serve as references
Brookline, MA
Falmouth, MA
How others are doing it...
Boston, MA The City of Boston created a Reopen Boston Fund in the
Fall of 2020 to provide financial assistance to restaurants to
provide winter outdoor dining. Grants of up to $3,000 helped
restaurants cover the costs of equipment needed for cold
weather operations. Businesses were required to provide
receipts for purchases of things such as heaters, fuel, and
outdoor storage, as well as any additional purchases for winter
seating and tables.
For winter 2020- 2021, the Towns of Brookline and Falmouth
launched temporary winter outdoor dining programs that can
serve as references
Brookline, MA
Falmouth, MA
Rapid RecoveryPlan50
In addition to public sidewalks and streets, outdoor dining can be located in public parks. The
process will likely be similar in many ways, although parks typically fall under the jurisdiction of
a different department than roadways and require a different permitting process to reserve. If a
municipality anticipates a number of requests to use park space for outdoor dining from individual
businesses, they may want to coordinate with the parks department to build this option into the
streamlined permitting application and review process. If requests to use park space will be minimal
or will be restricted to larger efforts coordinated with multiple businesses, it may be simpler to
treat these requests on a case-by-case basis. Either way, there are several things that should be
considered when planning outdoor dining in public parks:
What are the other uses of the park? If the park is well-used by the community for other purposes,
such as by families and children, exercise, or leisure, it is important to determine how much of the
park space to preserve and if it is appropriate to use any of the space for outdoor dining.
Are there additional restrictions? A municipality may have stricter local regulations for parks than
other public spaces, including alcohol service or live music, that require supplemental policies to
allow desired uses.
How should the space be laid out? Dining on the sidewalk or in parking spaces is directly adjacent
to transportation facilities, and so must have specific design guidelines to make sure accessibility is
not impeded. Accessibility in parks is much less defined, other than not blocking formal pedestrian
pathways. Therefore, it may be most useful to use the design guidelines for a full street closure
provided in Part 2 when thinking about park spaces.
Is the outdoor dining space itself accessible? Outdoor dining areas in parks must still abide by the
state’s outdoor dining accessibility regulations, provided at the end of this Toolkit. This includes
having an accessible route and a level, flat surface. Because parks are typically grass surfaces,
temporary pathways and/or platforms may need to be used to meet accessibility requirements.
Is the park under municipal or state jurisdiction? If the park is under state jurisdiction, use for
outdoor dining cannot be permitted through the local permitting system and would have to be done
in coordination with the Massachusetts agency responsible for oversight.
ENABLE OUTDOOR DINING IN PARKS
We want to...
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 51
ENABLEOUTDOORDININGINPARKS
How others are doing it...
Needham, MA The Town of Needham, MA created several outdoor dining
spaces on Town-owned property, including the Town Common,
for restaurant-goers to enjoy takeout from local restaurants.
Needham also adopted a temporary policy allowing to-go
alcohol to be consumed in the designated public outdoor
spaces.
Implementing outdoor dining and retail is not just about designing a robust and streamlined
program; municipalities need the support of residents and local political leaders to turn proposals
into actions, especially if the goal is to make these changes permanent once the State’s temporary
orders expire. While there will always be opponents, especially surrounding already controversial
topics like the removal of parking, there a few positions advocates can focus on to help garner
general support.
Outdoor dining has quickly revitalized restaurants and business districts. Outdoor dining was a
major financial lifeline for restaurants during shutdowns and the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic
in Massachusetts. There is still much uncertainty surrounding the timeline of the Pandemic and
emergence of variants, as well as cautioning from the scientific community about being indoors
without face coverings, even for vaccinated individuals. Even when the Pandemic eventually
subsides, there is uncertainty about the level of comfort much of the population will have about
returning to indoor public settings. Outdoor dining and retail can continue to be a revenue boost
for businesses, while removal of outdoor dining could be a large financial burden for those who are
currently benefiting from it. Additionally, research has shown that investment in placemaking and
public spaces, like outdoor dining or retail zones, indirectly benefits local businesses by increasing
foot traffic to the surrounding area.
GAINING PUBLIC AND
POLITICAL SUPPORT
We want suggestions for...
Rapid RecoveryPlan52
IDENTIFYING FUNDING FOR IMPLEMENTING
A BUSINESS TOOLKIT AND FOR HELPING
BUSINESSES IN OTHER WAYS
Outdoor dining has changed the way we think about public spaces. In addition to benefits for
businesses, outdoor dining positively activated public spaces during a time when anti-urban and
anti-density sentiments were spiking. Activated public spaces generate activity and opportunities
for arts and culture that make commercial areas more vibrant, attractive, and economically
healthy.
There are strategies for making up lost parking revenue. As discussed above, loss of metered
parking revenue may be a concern for some municipalities, but there are strategies to replace
much or all of the projected lost revenue. These include raising the price of other free or metered
parking spaces, or charging a fee to business utilizing parking spaces, though this may be a
less attractive option if the goal is to encourage outdoor dining. The Town of Brookline has also
broached the idea of offsetting lost parking revenue with additional meals tax revenue.
Outdoor dining and retail is generally supported by the business community. Perhaps most
importantly and influential, outdoor dining programs and process for making implementation
easier have largely been supported by the business community. Local businesses play an
important role in fostering the culture, activity, and sense of community in downtowns and
neighborhoods, and can be influential advocates for outdoor dining and retail.
How others are doing it...
Outdoor dining and retail zones can enhance downtown spaces to attract new
visitors and economic activity. Research by the Brookings Institution on downtown
revitalization and recovery found that investment in public spaces and placemaking
supported the development and success of local small businesses. This happens both
directly by providing physical spaces for businesses to operate, and indirectly, by
increasing foot traffic to the surrounding areas.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 53
In addition to the funding resources provided above for parklet construction, the Massachusetts
Rapid Recovery Plan (RRP) Program has compiled a crowdsourced list of funding resources,
many of which are applicable to the implementation of outdoor dining and retail. These
include a mix of municipal, for-profit, and non-profit funding opportunities related to thepublic
realm, private realm, revenue and sales, and arts and culture, as well as grants that support
administrative capacity to help municipalities and non-profits fund the creation and roll-out of
their own Toolkit.
Other non-grant strategies include pursuing sponsorship from local businesses and larger
companies and collaborating with local non-profits and business associations to conduct
community fundraising.
IDENTIFYING FUNDING FOR IMPLEMENTING
A BUSINESS TOOLKIT AND FOR HELPING
BUSINESSES IN OTHER WAYS
We want help...
Rapid RecoveryPlan54
How others are doing it...
New York, NY Assembly for Chinatown, launched by New York City non-profit
Think!Chinatown and design studio A+A+A Studio, is an initiative
to build outdoor dining spaces for Chinatown businesses at no
cost. Buildouts are 100% funded by donations from individual
contributors and organizations, and designs and materials are
sourced from local vendors. Artists beautify the spaces with the
help of volunteers. As of 2021, they’ve been able to create nine
outdoor dining sites that serve 13 businesses.
Source: Assembly for Chinatown led by Think!Chinatown and A+A+A Studio. Design: A+A+A
Studio, Contractor: Chaos Built, Art: Channel Miller, Photography: Trudy Giordano.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 55
In Part 2, we provide a suggested Table of Contents for your own community outdoor dining/retail
Toolkit and also offer design guidelines to take the guesswork out of the design and construction of
spaces and furniture quantities needed.
A TEMPLATE FOR OUR OWN COMPLETE
OUTDOOR DINING/RETAIL TOOLKIT
We want...
Rapid RecoveryPlan56
Part 2:
Building Your Own
Toolkit or Resource Guide
This Toolkit is primarily intended to be a resource for municipalities in their
outdoor dining and retail decision-making and implementation. However,
once your municipality designs your outdoor dining or retail program, you
may want to assemble the regulations, resources, and instructions specific
to your community in a guide for your businesses. This could take the form
of a webpage or a community-specific business Toolkit in the form of a
downloadable and paper-copy pdf. In this Part 2 of the Toolkit, we provide
some resources to help structure such a resource guide for your businesses.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 57
2.1 Suggested Outline for a Toolkit/Resource Guide for
Businesses
Below is a suggested outline for your resource guide, along with some questions to
help you think about how to build it out.
i. Introduction
a. What is the purpose of this resource guide?
b. How will the guide help businesses establish outdoor
dining or retail?
ii. Eligibility
a. Who is eligible to apply? Restaurants? Retailers?
Others?
iii. Types of outdoor dining or retail permitted
a. Private space?
b. Public space?
c. Curbside uses not allowed?
iv. How to apply
a. Where/how are applications submitted?
b. What steps need to be taken to complete an
application?
c. What documents are necessary?
v. Key dates/timeline
a. When does the application open and close? Any
intermediary deadlines?
b. When does outdoor dining/retail season begin and
end? Or is it year-round?
c. Estimated time for application review and approval?
Rapid RecoveryPlan58
vi. List of additional permits needed
a. Separate permit needed for tents? Heaters?
Entertainment? Others?
vii. Materials guidance
a. What will the municipality provide?
b. What is the business responsible for?
c. Are there any resources for acquiring materials
including municipal bulk purchase programs?
viii. Accessibility requirements
a. What are the minimum state requirements?
b. Are there any additional accessibility requirements
specific to your municipality?
ix. Site plan/design guidelines for different types of
dining/retail spaces
a. What are sample layouts for the types of outdoor
dining or retail permitted in your municipality?
x. Alcohol guidelines
a. What are the ABCC requirements?
b. What does a business need to do to get an extension
of premises from your Local Licensing Authority?
xi. Contact/support available
a. Who should a business reach out to if they have
questions or are having difficulty with the
application process?
b. What types of issues can you help a business work
through?
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 59
2.2 Sample Design Guidelines
The types of outdoor dining and retail offered will vary from community to community,
depending on street layouts, space availability and requirements, other individual regulations.
Below are a number of potential design scenarios; municipalities may take relevant scenarios
to include in their resources to the businesses in their community.
Fire Lane
E
F
C
AlleyAlleyAlleySide Street
SideStreetMain
StreetSidewalkA
B
D
TRAFFIC SPEED NOTICE
It is advised that outdoor dining in
parking spaces and roadways be
implemented only on streets with
speeds under 25-30mph.
PATIO EXTENT
Proposed patio spaces should not
extend beyond the host frontage /
lateral property line without written
permission from neighboring
business except for multi-business
shared parklets and street plazas.
CONVERTIBLE SPACES:
A. Parallel Parklet
B. Angled Parklet
C. Large Sidewalk Patio
D. Small Sidewalk Patio
E. Full Closure Street Plaza
F. Street Plaza with Fire Lane
A
B
C
D
E
F
Site Selection and Set up Options
Rapid RecoveryPlan60
Pedestrian Clear Path
Building Frontage
Curb
A
Pedestrian Clear Path
Building FrontageBuildingFrontage
Curb
AA
CORNER
Corner setback:
On-street dining areas should be
setback from intersection corners
and stop signs by 20ft or one
parking spot.
ACTIVE DRIVEWAY AND CURB CUT
Driveway setback:
On-street dining areas should be
setback from active driveways and
curb cuts by 2ft.
Source: CivicMoxie
Source: CivicMoxie
Source: CivicMoxie
Brookline, MA
Cambridge, MA
A
A
Site Selection and Set up Options
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 61
Pedestrian Clear Path
Building Frontage
Curb
AA
Pedestrian Clear Path
Building Frontage
Curb
AA
Safety and Access Setbacks
BUS STOP
Bus Stop setback:
On-street dining areas should be
setback from active bus stops and
other similar public transportation
access points by 15ft on both sides.
FIRE HYDRANT
Fire Hydrant setback:
On-street dining areas should be
setback from fire hydrants by 5ft to
15ft depending on local fire code.
Source: CivicMoxie
Source: CivicMoxie
Brookline, MA
Brookline, MA
A
A
Rapid RecoveryPlan62
B
Pedestrian Clear Path
Building Frontage
Curb
A
Pedestrian Clear Path
Building Frontage
Curb
A A A
Safety and Access Setbacks
UTILITIES ACCESS POINTS
Utilities setback:
All outdoor dining areas should be
setback from utility access points
and connections by 2ft on both sides
to allow unobstructed access from
the street.
TREES AND STREET LIGHTING
Tree and Street Lighting setback:
All outdoor dining and retail areas
should be setback from trees and
street lighting by 1ft-2ft on all sides.
Tree buffer for heating elements:
A separate 5ft buffer applies to
outdoor heating elements such
as heaters and open flames (such
as candles), if such elements are
approved.
Source: CivicMoxie
Cambridge, MA
Source: CivicMoxie
Brookline, MA
A
B
A
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 63
Source: CivicMoxie
A. Parallel Parklet
Rapid RecoveryPlan64
CB D
SidewalkParkingSpace
Pedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding
Frontage
A
H
E
G
ADA Ramp F Barrier
Typical
Parallel Parklet Layout Dining)Parklets can occupy one
or more parking spots. Parklet width on
the sidewalk edge should not exceed the lateral property
line of the
host business without
permission. Typical Parklet Size A typical parallel
parklet size is
about 8ft
x 22ft.Roadside Buffer Buffer (0ft -
2ft) between outdoor dining areas and
adjacent roadways and/or
bicycle lanes
for safety.Parklet Width Parklet width is typically
6ft - 8 ft. The parklet should not
exceed the width
of the parking
space.Pedestrian Path Buffer Buffer (0.5ft -
4ft) between Parklet
and Pedestrian
Clear Path ADA Access Where the parklet is
not level with the sidewalk, an ADA
Ramp (width 3ft - 5ft and maximum slope of
1:12)
is required. Separation Barrier Non-
protective separation
barriers 12in
18in wide. Table Separation Under COVID-
19 guidelines, diners at different tables
should be spaced at least 6ft
apart. Under normal operation, provide 1.5ft - 3ft
of separation
or
follow
local
guidelines.
A
B
C
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 65
CB D
SidewalkParkingSpace
Pedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding Frontage
A
G
E
ADA Ramp F Barrier
Merchandise
AreaTypical Parallel Parklet Layout Retail)Parklets can occupy
one or more parking spots. Parklet width on
the sidewalk edge should not to exceed the lateral
property line of
the host business
without permission. Typical Parklet Size A
typical parallel parklet size
is about
8ft x 22ft.Roadside Buffer
Buffer (0ft - 2ft) between
outdoor dining areas and adjacent
roadways and/
or bicycle
lanes for safety.Parklet Width Parklet
width is typically 6ft - 8 ft.
The parklet should not exceed the
width of the
parking space.Pedestrian Path Buffer
Buffer (0.5ft - 4ft)
between
Parklet and
Pedestrian Clear Path.ADA Access Where
the parklet is not level with
the sidewalk, an ADA Ramp width
3ft - 5ft and a maximum slope
of 1:
12) is required.
Separation Barrier Non-protective
separation
barriers
12in -
18in
wide.
A
Rapid RecoveryPlan66
A
A
C
C
D D
B
B
Front Protective Barriers
A protective barrier at the traffic
facing corner if adjacent to an
active parking spot.
Back Protective Barriers
A protective barrier at the end
of the parklet if adjacent to an
active parking spot.
Reflective Surface
A safe-hit post at the corner or
reflective tape on the barrier on
traffic facing edge.
Wheel Stop
Wheel stops if adjacent to an
active parking spot.
Brookline, MA
Source: CivicMoxie
A
B
C
D
Protective Barriers and Equipment
Below are examples of different protective barriers
equipment that can be used for parklets. Requirements
for protective barriers will vary by municipality.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 67
B. Angled Parklet
Source: www.propelstudio.com/project/wine30-parklet
Rapid RecoveryPlan68
B C
SidewalkParkingSpace
Pedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding Frontage
CurbA
F
D
ADA
Ramp
G G BarrierBarrier E
Typical Angled Parklet Size A typical
angled parklet size varies depending
on angle and depth. However, using
two or more spots
is
recommended for
material efficiency.Roadside Buffer Buffer (
0ft - 2ft) between outdoor dining
areas and adjacent roadways and/or
bicycle lanes for
safety.Pedestrian Path Buffer Buffer (0.
5ft - 4ft) between Parklet
and Pedestrian
Clear Path.ADA Access Where the parklet
is not level with the sidewalk,
an ADA Ramp (width 3ft - 5ft and maximum
slope of
1:12)
is required.Separation Barrier
Non-protective separation
barriers 12in -
18in wide. Table Separation Under
COVID-19 guidelines, diners at
different tables should be spaced at
least 6ft apart. Under normal
operation, provide 1.5ft - 3ft of
separation
or follow local guidelines.
Typical
Angled Parklet Layout Dining)Angled parklets typically
occupy two or more parking spots. Parklet
width on the sidewalk edge should not exceed
the lateral property line of the
host
business
without
permission.
A
B
C D
EF
B
C
SidewalkParking Space
Pedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding
Frontage
CurbA
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 69
B C
SidewalkParkingSpace
Pedestrian
Clear PathBuilding
Frontage
CurbA
D
ADA
Ramp F F BarrierE
Merchandise AreaMerchandise AreaMerchandise Area Typical
Angled Parklet Size A typical
angled parklet size varies depending
on angle and depth.
However, using two
or more
spots is recommended for
material efficiency.Roadside Buffer
Buffer (0ft - 2ft) between
outdoor dining areas and
adjacent roadways and/
or bicycle lanes for safety.
Pedestrian Path Buffer Buffer (
0.
5ft - 4ft)
between Parklet and Pedestrian Clear Path.
ADA Access Where the parklet
is not level with the
sidewalk, an ADA Ramp (width 3ft -
5ft
and maximum
slope of 1:
12) is required. Separation
Barrier Non-protective separation
barriers
12in - 18in wide. Typical Angled Parklet Layout Retail)
Parklets can occupy two or more parking
spots. Parklet width on the sidewalk edge should not
exceed the lateral
property
line
of
the
host
business without
permission. B
A
C
D E
B
C
SidewalkParking
Space
Pedestrian
Rapid RecoveryPlan70
A
B
Typical Angled Parklet
Barrier and Safety.
Front Protective Barriers
A protective barrier at the
traffic facing corner if adjacent
to an active parking spot.
Reflective Surface
A safe-hit post at the corner or
reflective tape on the barrier on
traffic facing edge.
A
B
Walla Walla, WA
Source: Facebook
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 71
C. Large Sidewalk Patio
Source: CivicMoxie
Rapid RecoveryPlan72
A
CBPedestrianClear
PathBuilding
Frontage
D F E
Pedestrian Clear Path Sidewalk
patio feasibility is contingent on the
preservation of a Pedestrian Clear Path
of 5ft - 10ft depending on
districts
and visitor volume.
Pedestrian Path Buffer Buffer (2ft)
between Patio and
Pedestrian Clear Path.
Service and Access Provide a clear
path 2ft - 3ft
depending on accessibility requirements for
service and access. If
sufficient dedicated accessible tables are
available near entrance, path need
not be
accessible.Table Separation Under COVID-
19 guidelines, diners at different tables
should be spaced at least 6ft
apart. Under normal operation, provide 1.
5ft - 3ft of separation or
follow local guidelines.Verticle
Separation and Boundary A clearly indicated
enclosure in the form of a fence,
or cordoned area allows for the
service of alcohol.
Entrance Clear Path Entrance to the
premises must not be obstructed
by enclosures, tables,
seating, or patrons. Typical Large
Sidewalk
Patio Layout Contiguous)Large sidewalk patio width should
not exceed the lateral property line of the
host
business
without
permission.
B
A
C
D
EF
A
C
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 73
A
CBPedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding
Frontage E D
Merchandise Area Pedestrian Clear
Path Sidewalk patio feasibility
is contingent on the preservation of a
Pedestrian Clear Path of 5ft
10ft depending
on districts and
visitor volume.Pedestrian Path Buffer
Buffer (2ft) between
Patio and Pedestrian
Clear Path.Service and Access Provide
a clear path
2ft - 3ft depending on
accessibility
requirements for service and
access. Verticle Separation and Boundary
A clearly indicated enclosure in the form
of
a fence, or
cordoned area.Entrance Clear Path
Entrance to the premises must
not be obstructed
by enclosures, merchandise, or patrons.
Typical
Large Sidewalk Patio Layout Retail)Large sidewalk patio width
should not to exceed the lateral property line
of
the
host
business
without
permission.
Rapid RecoveryPlan74
AD
E
CB
Pedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding
Frontage F H
G Pedestrian Clear Path Sidewalk
patio feasibility is contingent on the
preservation of a Pedestrian Clear Path of
5ft - 10ft depending on
districts and
visitor volume.Roadside Buffer Provide an
18in buffer between curb
and sidewalk dining
area.Pedestrian Path Buffer Buffer (
2ft) between Patio
and
Pedestrian Clear Path Width Non-
contiguous large sidewalk patio width
contingent on providing a service and access
path per
E. Service and
Access.Service and Access Provide a clear
path 2ft - 3ft depending
on accessibility requirements for service
and access. If sufficient
dedicated accessible tables are available near
entrance, path
need not
be accessible.Table Separation Under
COVID-19 guidelines, diners at different
tables should be spaced at least
6ft apart. Under normal operation,
provide1.5ft - 3ft of separation
or follow local guidelines.
Verticle Separation and Boundary A clearly
indicated enclosure in the form of a
fence, or cordoned area, allows for
the service of
alcohol.Entrance Clear Path Entrance to
the premises must not be
obstructed by enclosures,
tables, seating, or patrons. Typical
Large Sidewalk
Patio Layout Non-Contiguous)Large sidewalk patio width
should not exceed the lateral property line of
the
host
business
without
permission.
AD
E
CB
Pedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding
Frontage
G
FMerchandise
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 75
AD
E
CB
Pedestrian
Clear
PathBuilding Frontage G FMerchandise AreaTypical
Large
Sidewalk Patio Layout Retail)Large sidewalk patio width
should not exceed the lateral property line of
the
host business without
permission.Pedestrian Clear Path
Sidewalk patio feasibility is
contingent on the preservation of a Pedestrian
Clear Path of 5ft 10ft
depending on
districts and
visitor volume.Roadside Buffer Provide
an 18in buffer between curb
and sidewalk dining
area.Pedestrian Path Buffer Buffer (
2ft) between Patio
and
Pedestrian Clear Path.Width
Non-contiguous large sidewalk
patio width contingent on providing
a service and access path per
E. Service and
Access.Service and Access Provide a
clear path 2ft -
3ft depending on accessibility
requirements
for service and access.
Verticle Separation and Boundary A
clearly indicated enclosure in the form of
a
fence, or cordoned
area.Entrance Clear Path Entrance
to the premises must not
be obstructed by enclosures,
tables,
seating,
or
patrons.
A
B
C
Rapid RecoveryPlan76
D. Small Sidewalk Patio
Source: CivicMoxie
ABPedestrianClear
PathBuilding
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 77
Source: CivicMoxie
ABPedestrianClear
PathBuilding
Frontage C D Typical Small
Sidewalk Patio Layout Small sidewalk patio width should
not exceed the lateral property line of the
host
business without permission.
Pedestrian Clear Path Sidewalk
patio feasibility is contingent
on the preservation of a Pedestrian Clear
Path of 5ft 10ft depending
on districts
and visitor volume.
Pedestrian Path Buffer Buffer (
2ft) between Patio and Pedestrian
Clear Path to
accommodate moving patrons,
chairs, and
services.Table Separation Under COVID-
19 guidelines, diners at different
tables should be spaced at least
6ft apart. Under normal operation,
provide 1.5ft - 3ft of separation
or
follow local guidelines.
Entrance Clear Path Entrance to
the premises must not be
obstructed by enclosures, tables,
seating,
or
patrons.
A
Rapid RecoveryPlan78
E. Full Closure Street Plaza
Source: Karl Alexander
B
C
Pedestrian
Clear
Path
Patron
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 79
Source: KarlAlexander
B
C
Pedestrian
Clear
Path
Patron
Clear PathBuilding Frontage Pedestrian Clear
PathBuilding Frontage A D E F Typical Full
Closure Street Plaza Street Plaza outdoor
seating may
be
hosted by individual businesses or
shared amongst multiple participating businesses.Barriers Protective
barriers (filled with sand or water,
or as directed by local guidelines) should
be placed in front of
the
outdoor dining plaza
on both ends. Suggested barrier
width: 12in 18in Pedestrian Clear Path
Provide
a Pedestrian
Clear Path of 5ft - 10ft
depending on visitor volume.ADA Access Provide
an ADA Ramp (width 3ft -
5ft) on both sides of
the
plaza unless
existing curb cuts into designated
dining area are available.Table
Separation Under COVID-19 guidelines, diners
at different tables should be
spaced at least 6ft apart. Under
normal
operation, provide 1.5ft -
3ft of separation or follow
local guidelines.Hosted Outdoor Dining
Area Certain areas may be
privately hosted by adjacent businesses and
reserved for their patrons.
These areas must be clearly
indicated and separated
with verticle separators such as
fences and cordons. Service and
Access A direct, straight service
path should be provided between the
host business and outdoor dining area.
An additional access should
be
provided
at
road
level
for
Rapid RecoveryPlan80
B
C
Pedestrian
Clear
Path
Patron
Clear
PathBuilding
Frontage
Pedestrian Clear PathBuilding Frontage A
D E F MerchandiseMerchandise Merchandise Merchandise MerchandiseTypical Full Closure
Street Plaza Street Plaza outdoor seating
may
be
hosted by individual businesses
or shared amongst multiple participating businesses.Barriers
Protective barriers (filled with sand
or water, or as directed by local
guidelines) should
be placed in front
of
outdoor retail plaza
on both ends.Suggested barrier
width: 12in - 18in Pedestrian Clear Path
Provide
a Pedestrian
Clear Path of 5ft - 10ft
depending on visitor volume.ADA Access Provide
an ADA Ramp (width 3ft -
5ft) on both sides of
the
plaza unless
existing curb cuts into designated
retail area are available.Table
Separation Under COVID-19 guidelines, diners
at different tables should be
spaced at least 6ft apart. Under
normal
operation, provide 1.5ft -
3ft of separation or follow
local guidelines.Hosted Outdoor
Retail Area Certain areas may
be privately hosted by adjacent
businesses and reserved for
their patrons. These areas must
be clearly
indicated and separated
with verticle separators such as
fences and cordons. Service and
Access A direct, straight service
path be provided between the
host business and outdoor retail area.
An additional access should
be
provided
at
road
level
for
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 81
SidewalkParkingSpaceStreet
Building
Frontage
A B
C D Typical Full Closure
Street Plaza Street Plaza outdoor seating may be hosted
by individual businesses or shared amongst
multiple
participating
businesses.Barriers Barriers
and vegetation should be limited to
a total height
of 36”.
Overhead Clearance Provide a min.
7ft - 8ft clearance
of overhead
coverings, including umbrellas,
trellises etc.
Roadside Clearance Overhead coverings
may not extend beyond
the barriers into
the road.
Sidewalk Clearance Overhead
coverings may extend beyond
the barriers into the
sidewalk, providing the overhead clearance
of 7ft 8ft
is
maintained.
A
B
Rapid RecoveryPlan82
A
D
BB
Pedestrian Clear
PathFire LaneBuilding
Frontage
Pedestrian
Clear PathBuilding Frontage Moveable Barrier Moveable
Barrier C
E Typical Partial Closure Street Plaza with Fire Lane
Street Plaza outdoor seating may be
hosted
by individual
businesses or shared
amongst multiple participating businesses.Fire
Lane Partial closure
plazas must maintain a
20ft clear emergency fire
lane. Outdoor Dining Area Width Remaining area (
approx. 3ft 5ft on both
sides on a two-lane road)
may host outdoor dining set ups that
may not enter into the
fire lane. Set up
may spill over onto sidewalk given
that
a
Pedestrian Clear Path of
5ft - 10ft be maintained.Barriers Protective
barriers (filled with sand or
water, or as directed by local
guidelines) should be placed in
front of the outdoor
dining strip on both ends.Moveable
barriers to
block off Fire Lane,
to
be removed
as necessary.Suggested barrier width:
12in 18in ADA Access Provide an ADA
Ramp (width 3ft - 5ft)
on both sides of
the plaza unless
existing curb
cuts into designated dining
area are available.Table
Separation Under COVID-19 guidelines,
diners at different tables
should be spaced at least
6ft apart. Under normal operation,
provide
1.
5ft -
3ft
of
separation
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 83
F. Street Plaza with a Fire Lane
Source: City of Waltham
Rapid RecoveryPlan84
A
D
BB
Pedestrian Clear
PathFire LaneBuilding
Frontage
Pedestrian Clear PathBuilding Frontage Moveable Barrier
Moveable Barrier
C Merchandise AreaMerchandise AreaTypical Partial Closure Street Plaza with
Fire Lane Street Plaza outdoor seating
may
be hosted
by individual businesses
or shared amongst multiple participating
businesses.Fire Lane
Partial closure plazas
must
maintain a 20ft
clear emergency fire lane. Outdoor Merchandise Area
Width Remaining area (approx. 3ft -
5ft on both sides on
a two-lane road) may host
outdoor retail set ups that may
not enter into the fire
lane. Set up may
spill over onto sidewalk
given
that a Pedestrian
Clear Path of 5ft - 10ft
be maintained.Barriers Protective
barriers (filled with
sand or water, or as
directed by local guidelines) should
be placed in
front of outdoor retail strip on
both ends.Moveable
barriers to block
off Fire
Lane, to
be removed as necessary.
Suggested barrier width: 12in - 18in
ADA Access Provide an ADA
Ramp width 3ft - 5ft)
on both sides of
the
plaza
unless
existing
curb
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 85
2.3 State Outdoor Dining/Seating Fact Sheet for
Accessibility Requirements
On the following pages are the minimum accessibility requirements for outdoor dining as
designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They can also serve as guidance for
minimum space requirements for outdoor retail. This document can be shared with businesses
or used as a resource for designing accessibility documentation for your municipality.
While these are the minimum requirements, some municipalities may have additional local
accessibility requirements, which should also be made explicit in your materials to businesses.
Rapid RecoveryPlan86
OUTDOOR DINING/SEATING
FACT SHEET FOR ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS (COVID-19 EDITION)
The primary focus of this guidance is to provide eating establishments with an understanding of the requirements of the
rules and regulations of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB), Massachusetts’ state building code 521
CMR, that addresses architectural accessibility in the built environment. It will also reference anti-discrimination
obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its associated Architectural Design Standards (ADADS).
As Massachusetts begins to re-open and restaurants and cafes are establishing outdoor seating areas for customers,
entities must consider accessibility obligations that ensure a safe, equitable, and accessible experience for all visitors.
Accessible Route
An accessible route must be provided on site that coincides with the route the general public uses from arrival
destination points to the receiving area such as the host station. An accessible route must also connect to accessible
seating, restrooms/portable toilets, and to other unique amenities such as a bar, firepit, fans, or heat lamps. The
additional listed amenities may also have their own obligations.
Components of an Accessible Route
Width of the Accessible Route:
The minimum width of an accessible route is 36 inches (MAAB 20.4). The use of separation devices such as,
bollards, cones, planters, chairs, or chains attached to stands intended to delineate the dining area must not be
placed in a way that reduces the width of the accessible route.
Surface:
The surface of the accessible route must provide a running slope measuring between 0%-5% to remain a
walkway. If the slope reaches 5.1% the route will be classified as a ramp and be required to stay under 8.33%
MAAB 20.9). The surface must also be stable, firm, slip resistant (MAAB 20.9), free from changes in level
exceeding ½ inch and unbeveled (MAAB 29.2), and free from protruding objects that extend into the accessible
route (MAAB 20.6).
Please Note
If you would like to increase the level of accessibility being provided along an accessible route, we suggest increasing the width to
48 inches, allowing for additional maneuvering space.
Additionally, although landscaping is commonly used to be aesthetically pleasing, grass is not considered an accessible route
under the regulations. Surfaces such as rocks, sand, and loose gravel are similarly not considered accessible. Businesses are
welcome to include these surfaces on their property; however, these must not be used on the accessible route.
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 87
Accessible Tables and Seating
As restaurant seating is added or created compliance with MAAB Section 17.0 is required. Routes to all dining areas
must be accessible, including outdoor seating areas (MAAB 17.5). A specific number of accessible seating must be
provided on an accessible route, must be distributed based on size and location, and must follow detailed dimensions
regarding clear floor space and table and counter heights.
Components of Accessible Tables and Seating
Seating:
At least 5%, but not less than one of the tables provided shall be accessible and be on an accessible route (MAAB
Section 17.2). Seating at the accessible tables must be movable and not be fixed to the table like a picnic bench
or school cafeteria table (MAAB Section 35.1).
Example:
A restaurant provides 45 tables outside in a park and are all similar in their location and seating capacity. Two tables, out of the 45
would need to be accessible and located along an accessible route.
Distribution:
Accessible tables must be distributed by the size and locations of the space being offered. Tables that are
provided for large or small groups, in different locations, or for different services would all be required to meet
the 5% obligation (MAAB Section 17.2).
Accessible Aisle Between Accessible Tables:
A 36-inch clearance (access aisle) is required between accessible tables. No seating or any other obstruction
shall overlap the access aisle. (MAAB Section 17.2.2).
Clear Floor Space at Accessible Tables:
At each accessible table, a clear floor space measuring 36-inches by 48-inches should be provided to allow for an
individual to easily set themselves at the table. This space should not overlap with the knee space depth under
the table by more than 19-inches (MAAB Section 17.2.3). See graphic below.
Knee Clearances at Accessible Tables:
Knee space of at least 27-inches high, 30-inches wide, and 19-inches deep must be provided to allow for an
individual using a mobility device to maneuver and use the table (MAAB Section 17.2.4).
Remember, in this scenario someone may need to transition from the sidewalk to the street, so ensuring the accessible route is critical.
Example:
A restaurant has 62 tables. 10 of the tables offer light dining on the sidewalk while the remaining 52 tables are reserved for fine dining and
are located on a closed street. In this scenario, 3 accessible tables would need to be provided. One accessible table would be in the light dining
area and one accessible table would need to be provided in the fine dining area. The third accessible table could be provided in either area.
Rapid RecoveryPlan88
Height of Tables and Counters:
The tops of the accessible tables shall be from 28-inches to 34-inches above the floor or ground (MAAB Section
17.2.5).
Note on Accessible Routes and Utilizing Parklets or On-Street Parking for Dining:
If a restaurant decides to offer outdoor dining using a parklet or on-street parking space, it is important to note that all of the
aforementioned laws and regulations continue to apply even though technically the parklet may be in the vehicular lane. Parklets
tend to be the size of an on-street parking space and often do not provide sufficient clear width between seating areas and the
barrier that protects customers from vehicles. Since these types of areas are typically located on the street, consider how a
customer with a disability can access the street from the curb. If no curb cut is provided, it could be extremely difficult for one to
get to that location without a mechanism to either reduce or eliminate the change in level. Often businesses will use a temporary
or portable ramp; however, in order to use such device, the building owner must apply for and be granted a variance from the
MAAB. One cannot install a portable and/or temporary ramp without seeking permission from the MAAB. Since these types of
spaces can quickly become a complicated subject, we strongly suggest reaching out to our office directly if you have additional
questions or concerns regarding the use of parklets or on-street parking spaces.
Other Access Considerations
There are additional “dining” requirements under the MAAB that involve dining counters without service, counters
and bars with service, and food service lines. These additional requirements can be found under MAAB Section 17 –
Restaurants.
If outdoor dining is occurring on a sidewalk, a 36-inch path of travel is required to allow for pedestrians to pass
by or access an entrance.
If portable toilets are provided in multiple locations on the same site, an accessible portable toilet (5%, but not
less than 1) should be provided in each location. If portable toilets are all provided in one single location, the 5%,
but not less than 1 must be provided (MAAB 30.1.2).
If parking is affected by the provision of outdoor dining, it is important to remember that accessible parking is
based on the number of parking spaces within a particular parking lot. If all parking is removed entirely then
there would be no requirement to provide accessible parking. If parking is reduced, modified, or re-located there
would be an obligation to provide the appropriate number of accessible parking spaces as required
ADADS 208.2 and/or MAAB 23.2.1).
Ensure the accessible route is free from Protruding Objects, such as lights, umbrellas, signs, or other fixtures
provided (MAAB 20.6)
If any of the above requirements cannot be met as prescribed by the MAAB rules and regulations, a variance would
be required from the MAAB. Further information related to that process can be found on the Massachusetts
Architectural Access Board’s website1.
1 https://www.mass.gov/orgs/architectural-access-board
Outdoor Dining/Retail Toolkit 89
Effective Communication
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses that are open to the public, such as eating establishments, to
communicate effectively with people who have vision, hearing, or speech disabilities to ensure that they can
communicate with, receive information from, and convey information to the business.
A business is obligated to provide auxiliary aids and services when necessary to communicate with a person with a
disability unless doing so would create an undue burden, which is defined as significant difficulty or expense.
Examples of Auxiliary Aids and Services at a Restaurant:
Providing a menu in Braille or large print
Reading menu items to a customer
Communicating with pen and paper
Speaking slowly and clearly
We hope you find this fact sheet a useful tool as dining re-opens in Massachusetts. If there are any questions related
to this fact sheet, please contact MOD by reaching out to MOD’s Community Services Unit by email at either
Jeff.Dougan@mass.gov or Jakira.Rogers@mass.gov, or by phone at 617-979-7316.
Massachusetts Office on Disability
One Ashburton Place, Room 1305
Boston, MA 02108
Contact MOD
Phone: 617-727-7440
Toll Free: 800-322-2020
Fax: 617-727-0965
Send MOD a Question Online 2
Visit MOD on the Web 3
Twitter: @MassDisability 4
Blog: blog.mass.gov/mod 5
YouTube 6
2 https://www.mass.gov/forms/contact-the-massachusetts-office-on-disability
3 http://www.mass.gov/mod
4 https://twitter.com/massdisability
5 https://blog.mass.gov/mod
6 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoS5kUnBGto7NW-pK24MrDg/
LRRP SME Review: Aug 25, 2021, Laurie Zapalac, PhD
Northampton
Redevelopment Strategy
IRL Developers’ Tour
A half day event to expedite the redevelopment process. Helps potential developers efficiently
evaluate if the community and the building are a match for their interests. Key goals:
I. EXPERIENCE THE COMMUNITY / SEE MARKET POTENTIAL: Provides the why - community
vision - and excite them about possibilities. Tour with key knowledge holders + summary information.
Meet forward-thinkers in the community + potential team members (entrepreurers, lenders, etc.)
II. INTRODUCE THE OPPORTUNITIES / EXPECTATIONS: Clarify the what / where: present
pertinent information on a potential property, such as:
District / building history and relevant past reports or proposals
Building documentation (floor plans and elevations to scale > to 3-d scan of building)
Condition assessment report (appraisal > historic structures report, structural analysis, etc)
Site conditions and zoning, any known restrictions, covenants, limitations, etc.
Market research report for site, district or even region and context information
Preliminary cost estimate / assumption based feasibility analysis - could include preliminary tax credit
assessment and education session
Sets expectations on the how, the when, and the who:
Determine how specific you want to be on future building uses and design guidelines
Proposal review process: efficient, equitable ... participatory (?)
III. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS: With Town Staff, Potential Project Partners, Local Lenders, Key
Consultants, etc. Invite key consultants (tax credit specialist etc.) and/or developers to present!
Organizing: Town Staff + planning consultant support, if need be.
Funding: Ask local banks and/or MassDevelopment to sponsor. Rely on in-kind time of many.
Developers’ Tour / Interactive Program:
Experience Northampton / Educate about Northampton’s Long-Term Vision
Introduce Development Opportunities & Expectations / Aspirations
Build Relationships with Knowledge Holders & Potential Partners
EXPERIENCE
WHY)
OPPORTUNITIES
WHERE / WHAT/
WHEN)
EXPECTATIONS
BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS
HOW / WITH
WHOM)
What are you offering/why and
who are you aiming to attract?
Workshop / Charette (as pre-cursor / part of tour):
A way to make a developers’ day even more interactive: a “teams” based approach that mixes
developers with local knowledge holders (students, faculty, town staff, lenders, reps from non-profit
orgs, etc.)
Usually needs to be driven by a specific challenge or set of challenges: Net Zero Building Rehab, etc.
I. Clarify the what / where: more detailed review of pertinent information on a potential property
and market data as a primer
I. Provides the why: programming exercise to explicitly explore ways to realize the vision through
available buildings
II. Build Relationships:
Teams present preliminary concepts at end of day
Everyone gets a copy / synthesis of all ideas to take forward
Can preceed / inform an RFP for redevelopment
Organizing: Takes more people to organize! Great for collaborations between universities and towns.
Funding:
Ask local banks and/or Mass Development to sponsor the costs of day.
Special sponsorship opportunity based upon program (Net Zero, Studio/Music Production etc.)
Rely on in-kind time of many, including university faculty/students.
Examples / best practices: Lights on Chicopee (Vision)
with support from:
LIGHTS ON
CHICOPEE
A Historic
New England
Mill City
Defines
LIVE-WORK-PLAY
On its
Own Terms
43-57 Springfield Street
former Rivoli Theater Building)
Zoned: Business A
FOR RENT
PROPERTY OVERVIEW
20+ Spaces For Lease
Office, Retail and Restaurant
Ready Spaces
Downtown Location
Adjacent to City Hall
Very Walkable (85 Walk Score)
Daytime Foot raffic
High Ceilings
Refinished Wood Floors
Kitchen Facilities
Historic uilding
DESCRIPTION
SR Commercial Realty is pleased to offer this beautiful
mixed retail/office space for lease in the center of
downtown Chicopee. Available spaces include a fully built
and furnished first-floor cafe and 18 fully renovated
offices. Many of these offices have spectacular views of
the city. Located minutes from all major area highways
and Chicopee retail/dining establishments. Only ten
minutes from downtown Springfield. Call today to take a
look at this gorgeous building!
Chicopee - Property Profile
PROPERTY LOCATION
CONTACT
Jeremy Casey
413) 505-9010
jcasey@srcommercial.com
Six pages total; first person testimony
Shared at Lights on Arts & Culture (Winter Placemaking
multi-site event)
Created concurrently with assembled real estate cut
sheets as well as discrete info on OZ development
opportunity
Cut Sheet Example - note assembled by Chicopee
Town Planning Staff!
Examples / best practices: Make it In Fall River (Vision)
with support from:
Make It Here
DESTINATION DINING
NICHE MANUFACTURING
SPECIALTY RETAIL & THE BLUE ECONOMY:
MEET US ON MAIN STREET
TO SEE WHAT WE’RE MAKING
Seven pages total
Shared at Taste Fall River
Note range of people represented
Profile who is there already and show their impact.
5
Live-Work-Create
Fall River grew substantially during the late 19th and early 20th
century as a mill and factory town, with residential neighborhoods
a short distance from locations of work and production. In addition
to the numerous 19th century and early 20th century industrial
mill complexes still found throughout city, wealth and patronage
generated from its industrial success was invested in architecture
and landscape architecture. Noted architect Ralph Adams Cram
designed the Fall River Public Library, which opened in 1899
and was restored in 2001, and the city boasts three public parks
designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The unique topography
means that parts of the city share urban form characteristics with
San Francisco (beautiful houses on a hillside, looking across a
bay to a remarkable bridge), other parts embrace its working
waterfront, while still others serve as a gateway to the farmland
and nature preserves of the South Coast.
Main Street Revival
Looking back on its character in the middle of the 20th century,
journalist William Moniz refers to Fall River’s Main Street as an
elongated town square” and “the artery serving the heart of
the city” where all members of society crossed paths. It was a
densely populated promenade with theaters, schools, houses
of worship, department stores for every price point, hotels and
dining establishments, banks, and a center of local and county
government. Though transformed over time by catastrophic fires,
highway projects and the construction of a major government
center complex under urban renewal, Main Street maintains many
of its accrued assets and continues to be an important linkage
between north and south neighborhoods. The potential to revive
its mixed-use walkable and social urban characteristics -- both
by restoring its physical density and through the introduction
of more stores, businesses and cultural venues in existing
buildings -- is supported by three factors: the density of residential
neighborhoods such as Corky Row that abut it, its renewed
connection to the waterfront brought about by recent investment
in highway rerouting and waterfront beautification, and the
presence of key businesses, developers and institutions already
leading the way. Further, the central section of Main Street falls
within a designated opportunity zone, with two adjacent census
tracts also designated.
Transformation Underway
Alexandra’s Boutique personifies Main Street’s potential. Founded
by Fatima Rodrigues, the bridal boutique carries the largest
selection of custom designer wedding gowns in New England
and an extension collection of formal wear. A Fall River native,
Fatima’s entrepreneurial vision has led her to lease or acquire
five separate buildings on Main Street. The most recent is the
Capitol Theater, which opened in 1926 and was designed by
Maude Darling Parlin, the city’s first female architect and the first
female graduate of MIT. The building’s entry level now serves as
a dedicated showroom for the Jovani brand and the company
intends to revive the once elegant 1,500 seat theater as an iconic
event space.
From top: a historic photo of the Capitol Theater.
Founder Fatima Rodrigues and others gather as
Mayor Jasiel Correia undertakes the ribbon cutting
of the renovated theater building. The interior of
the new Alexandra’s Too/Jovani showroom, on the
restored entry level of the theater.
Examples / best practices: New Bedford Developer’s Tour
38 pages total
Intros from MassDevelopment and Mayor
Tour day program, property profiles and maps
New Bedford summary information - history, industries,
culture, momentum, contact info
Materials and tour organized by NBEDC and TDI Fellow,
Jim McKeag, in coordination with a graphic designer.
NEW BEDFORD
DEVELOPER’S
JUNE 13, 2017
TOUR
CITYOFNEWBEDFORD
Jonathan F. Mitchell,
Mayor
massdevelopment.com
MassDevelopment is committed to helping Massachusetts businesses grow and
prosper. We specialize in creating financial solutions that fit your needs and your
budget. Whether you’re a manufacturer, real estate developer, tech company or
nonprofit, our lower rates and flexible terms will help you stay competitive.
Your Partner For Creative
FINANCING SOLUTIONS.
The Home for Little Wanderers, Walpole
Pro Pel Plastech, Inc., South Deerfield Sturgis Charter Public School, Hyannis
Riverwalk Properties, Lawrence
NEW BEDFORD DEVELOPER’S DAY AND TOUR / 201730
The New Downtown
Throughout our history, New Bedford has always
been a creative and diverse community. During the
19th century, when the whaling industry fueled
New Bedford’s economy, acclaimed artists, such as
Albert Bierstadt, William Bradford, Albert Pinkham
Ryder, and Clifford Ashely lived and worked in this
cosmopolitan seaport.
Today, New Bedford’s downtown is the arts and culture center
of the SouthCoast of Massachusetts, boasting a wide array
of attractions and diverse venues that showcase the historic,
artistic, and cultural fabric of a community that is home to
hundreds of artists and performers contributing to our distinct
seaport identity.
Downtown is home to nearly 600 establishments, with over 6,500
employees, and $500 million in annual business sales. Regional
business clusters exist in printing and publishing, depository
institutions, real estate, legal services, accounting and consulting
services, and administration of human resource programs.
There is a strong potential to build clusters in health services,
educational services, and eating and drinking establishments.
Competitive advantages include developable space, the National
Park, existing business and arts and culture clusters, parking and
public transportation, proximity to the working waterfront, and
superior access to large regional consumer and business markets.
Since 2007, 60 Businesses have opened or expanded in downtown
New Bedford. We see that trend continuing with a new hotel, 4
additional establishments and residential projects scheduled to
break ground or open in the next year.
New Bedford is where the arts, history, culture and
commerce intersect in a pedestrian friendly downtown.
Come see why Richard Florida ranked New Bedford among
the best cities in America for artists to live and work.”
ADRIAN TIO, FORMER DEAN OF THE UMASS DARTMOUTH
COLLEGE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
Examples / best practices: Owen Nawn Factory, Roxbury
Full context and links to RFP and presentations: http://www.bostonplans.org/planning/plan-
ning-initiatives/plan-nubian-square
BPDA + Historic Boston Inc.
https://historicboston.org/portfolio_page/owen-nawn-factory/
Process involved the Roxbury Strategic Plan Oversight Committee
Two responses were evaluated
Historic Boston Inc. and The Wellness Collaborative propose to
transform the historic Owen Nawn Factory into a lively center
for community wellness and exploration.
The Wellness & History Center
at the Owen Nawn Factory
LRRP SME Review: Aug 25, 2021
Laurie Zapalac, PhD
Paradise City
Questions? Thank you!
Rev. 2015-11-16 Page 1 of 8
MEMORANDUM
33 WALDO STREET, WORCESTER, MA 01608 - www.bscgroup.com
TEL 508-792-4500 - 800- 288-8123
To: Michele Moon, Civic Space Collaborative Date: September 15, 2021
From: Jef Fasser, LRRP SME
Re: Northampton LRRP SME Assistance - Façade Improvement Program and Permitting
Through the Commonwealth’s Local Rapid Recovery Program (LRRP), BSC was tasked with providing subject
matter expertise for business and property owners who want to make façade improvements in downtown
Northampton. Specifically, the City wants to be able to provide information to property and business owners
regarding permitting and zoning regulations that must be adhered to when designing and constructing storefront
improvements.
Benefits of Storefront and Façade Improvements
Across the country, many cities and towns have encouraged property and business owners to make storefront
improvements. There are many economic and community benefits from successfully implemented storefront and
façade improvements, such as:
Strengthen locally owned businesses – Increase business sales and attract new business and customers
Contribute to area revitalization – Increase property values and higher tax base, improve marketability of
a space, motivate other property owners/businesses to make improvements, prevent building
deterioration
Contribute to a sense of community/Enhance character of a community – Improve the public realm,
increase in safety, accessibility, pedestrian comfort
Provide more attractive retail environment/commercial corridor and stimulate additional private
investment
Needs Identified by the City to Encourage Storefront and Façade Improvements
When a business or property owner wishes to make faced improvements, there are many issues to consider, from
planning and design to funding, permitting and construction. Specific issues identified by Northampton include:
Business and property owners need advice or a guide to help them understand what Zoning, Sign and
Central District Architectural Regulations allow and do not allow on storefronts.
Current process for obtaining permits and complying with building code is not easily understood by many
applicants which discourages some business and property owners to invest and expand
Improvements are desired along Main Street as well as commercial properties on side streets.
The City wants to encourage signage and storefront improvements that still allow individual expression
for businesses.
The City wants to encourage the owners of vacant property to make their storefronts attractive.
The City has the staffing and administrative capabilities to help with a grant or loan program.
Potential partners with the City include Downtown Northampton Association and Chamber of Commerce.
Page 2 of 8
MEMORANDUM
Guidance for Storefront and Façade Improvements
Many business and property owners are interested in making improvements that include but are not limited to
signage, lighting, windows, doors, entryways, roof, awning/canopy, and paint. The City wants to encourage such
improvements and needs to develop a manual or education tool that:
Explains what can and what cannot be done to a storefront relative to signage, ADA access, windows and
other items controlled by Zoning and Central District Architectural Regulations.
Provides visuals of what is allowed as well as explains how to take critical measurements and calculate
square footage and percentages for the items above.
Provides recommendations for how the City can guide a property or business owner through the process
to obtain approval for a storefront improvement.
Provides a list of potential funding sources, including City, state and federal funding, to support loans or
grants to businesses and property owners to upgrade their rental spaces or buildings.
Additional Considerations
COVID-19 Impacts – Improvements to help reduce the transmissibility of the virus should be considered as eligible
for funding. This flexibility could afford improvements such as replacement of doors or window systems, outdoor
seating structures, the installation of a walk-up service window, and additional signage, markings, or partitions as
needed for social distancing and directional purposes.
Community Support – The program proponents should seek to build relationship capital to gain credibility and
community support during the design and program development process. Stakeholders should be involved early
in the process and the program should take into consideration small business’ needs and identify specific ways
the program can help.
Creating an “Information Guide to Storefront and Façade Improvements in Downtown Northampton”
Following are a few ideas and examples of items the City can pull together in order to provide tools or a manual to
assist property and business owners in understanding the zoning and other permitting requirements associated with
façade improvements.
a. Municipal Façade Improvement Permitting Manual
To assist with the design and construction process, it may be beneficial for the city to provide a permitting
manual that is available online, as a hard copy, and in different languages. The following is an outline taken
from the Town of Franklin website that provides information online as well as an outline that Northampton
could use to start their hard copy manual.
What is the permit process? The process is generally the same for building, wiring, and plumbing. In
addition, fire prevention and sprinkler permits will also require the input and approval of the local fire
department.
When do you need a permit? Permits are typically required for the following, but remember to check with
the department as some towns require permits for other construction activity.
Additions
New Construction
Alarm Systems
Page 3 of 8
MEMORANDUM
Parking Areas
Decks/sheds
Plumbing/Electrical Systems
Demolitions
Prefabricated Structures
Fireplace/Wood Stoves
Roofing/Siding
Insulation
Swimming Pools
Mechanical Systems
Temporary Structures
Steps for applicants to take for efficient and successful project permitting
o Step One: Schedule a preliminary meeting with City officials to encourage discussion and review of what
you propose to do.
o Step Two: Submit the application and documentation to the appropriate department. You may need to
consult with other town departments and boards and committees for their approval.
o Step Three: City then reviews and considers applications, documents, and plans against all applicable
codes, rules, and regulations.
o Step Four: Decision from the City inspector. Your application may be approved or denied. There are
appeal processes that will be explained to you if denied.
o Step Five: Once the work starts, the City will Inspect the work in progress. Each phase must be inspected
for completeness and for compliance with the construction documents and State Building Code.
o Step Six: Final acceptance and/or the issuance of occupancy permit, if required.
Source: https://www.franklinma.gov/building-inspections-department/faq/when-do-you-need-permit-
and-what-permit-process#:~:text=When%20do%20you,is%20now%20complete
b. Code Compliance Manual
The following recommendations stem from the Western Planning Resources article Code Compliance:
Difficulties and Ideas for Small Towns, which describes these recommendations in more detail.
When pulling together a Zoning and Code Compliance Manual, the following items should be considered.
A key item is the inclusion of the “community”, which in the case for Northampton centers on business
and property owners. It is important that they are invited to review a draft manual to make sure that it is
providing the information they feel they need.
1. Have a positive view. Paint your enforcement measures in a positive light by focusing on compliance
rather than noncompliance) and the benefits community members receive as they come into compliance
and help their neighbors comply as well.
2. Involve the community. Make understanding and compliance a community effort through strategies that
incorporate the entire community where possible. Community education events, assistance programs for
business owners, and even small revolving loan funds can be available to large portions of the community.
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3. Take a measured approach. Don’t go too deep too fast. Community members and leaders will need to take
their time feeling out how education and compliance can and should happen within the community. Taking
small, incremental steps that slowly grow the zoning and code education program to the right size will
ensure the community can handle more difficult enforcement questions in the future.
4. Start the manual. Start writing your manual by building upon good examples from other communities that
answer the questions and issues most frequently raised by property and business owners. Does your
general plan accurately address the most common concerns and questions?
5. Verify code compliance. The manual needs to accurately answer the most common code questions to
comply with state laws. Since Building Codes and updated frequently, the manual should be updated on
a yearly basis and provide a link to the current building code (below).
6. Simply descriptions and definitions. If an important code requirement seems irrelevant and unmanageable,
or if no one within the community can understand or interpret the code, it’s a pretty good indicator that
there is an opportunity for simplification. If “Code too complicated for the leadership to understand is more
burden than blessing; it can make planning commissions and city councils ineffective at implementing
community goals at best and get the city tied up in legal battles at worst.”
7. Consistent Interpretation. Consistent understanding and interpretation is the most important aspect of
zoning and code enforcement over time. Before a manual is released for public use, City staff tasked with
zoning and code enforcement must be trained to provide consistent interpretation of requirements and
guidance to applicants.
Link to current Massachusetts State Building Code:
https://www.mass.gov/massachusetts-state-building-code-780-cmr
c. Successful Zoning and Code Compliance Education Tools for Storefront and Building Improvements
Brockton Storefront Design Guidelines
https://brockton.ma.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/ 10/brockton-storefront-guidelines-1-2.pdf
A User Guide to the City of Cambridge Zoning Ordinance
https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/CDD/ZoningDevel/zoningguide/zguide.pdf
LISC Storefront Improvement Design Guidelines
lisc.org/media/filer_public/storefrontdesignguidelines
Great Streets Akron Storefront Design Guidelines – good graphics and photos of façade
improvement elements
https://www.greatstreetsakron.com/sites/default/files/editor/Great%20Streets%20Akron%20D
esign%20Guide_2019-12-20.pdf
An example of a good graphic labeling façade elements
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MEMORANDUM
Example Storefront and Façade Programs with Good Graphics
Chicago, IL – The nonprofit North River Commission1 operates the Albany Park Chamber of Commerce and
administers the Facade Improvement Program, which is offered through the Albany Park & Irving Park Special
Service Area #60 (SSA#60) whose overall purpose is to: Support a vibrant, safe, clean, beautiful and welcoming
commercial district, filled with restaurants, attractive retail and service, entertainment and cultural options that
meet the needs of the local residents and attract visitors. The Facade Improvement Program is designed to help
property owners and tenants within the SSA#60 beautify the front of their buildings. The program provides a
rebate of 50% of costs, and the maximum rebate is $7,500 for 1 storefront or $15,000 for buildings with 2 or more
storefronts.
1 https://northrivercommission.org/facade-improvement-program/
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MEMORANDUM
To view additional before and after photos:
https://northrivercommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CompletedFacades-compressed.pdf
Example to Involve Local Artists in Storefront Improvements
Atlanta, GA – Formed in 2005, Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is a nonprofit organization charged with the
implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine Project. The Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) Business Façade pARTnership Grant
partners local artists and maker professionals with the local business community to complete capital
improvements to the façade of a business site. The program is designed to catalyze business growth within the
BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD) that spans the BeltLine corridor. Grants of up to $40,000 are available and
vary depending on the cost to implement the approved capital improvement design. Once business participants
are selected, a call for artist and maker professionals, featuring the façade improvement project opportunities, is
announced. Artist partners are invited to submit proposals that showcase the business’ proximity to the BeltLine
by providing a new BeltLine-facing façade, implementing a COVID-related adaptation to the storefront, or other
façade improvement resulting in the attraction of new tenants, investment, and customers to the districts. Artist
partner proposals are reviewed by subject-matter experts from ABI and receive input from the corresponding
business participant. 1
1 https://beltline.org/the-project/economic-development-commercial-real-estate/business-facade-partnership-grant-program/
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MEMORANDUM
Key elements from Northampton’s Zoning Bylaw and Design Guidelines
Attached to the memorandum is an outline of elements that should be included in a manual the City could develop
to guide property and business owners through the design and permitting process to meet local regulations. This
outline is intended to be an example, and pulls information from the City’s current Zoning Regulations. The City is
encouraged to review and add to this outline to create a manual they can provide to property and business owners
to guide them through the local approval process. The intent to provide an easily understood manual to encourage
owners to plan for and propose improvements that can be easily approved in accordance with zoning regulations
and building code.
Sources of Funding
In addition to the manual, it may be beneficial for the City to provide funding information and options for proposed
storefront and façade improvements. There are a variety of funding sources for the creation, administration, and
management of a storefront and façade improvement programs. Funding can be local, state, or federal. It can
come from a business management district, community development organization, chamber of commerce, or
even a bank, non-profit, or foundation. Specific examples include:
General Fund – Through an allocation from a municipality, this type of funding tends to offer the greatest flexibility
for program structure with the least amount of reporting restrictions.
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Local Municipal Funding (Set-Aside) – Municipal allocation set-aside from a special revenue stream for a set
amount of time (e.g. permit revenues, sales tax set-aside, special fees such as landfill tipping/disposal fees, etc.)
Special Taxing Bodies – Business district designation (creating an additional sales tax) or special service area
additional property tax), TIF districts
Federal American Rescue Plan Funding – Communities may use ARPA funding for small business assistance, such
as to enhance outdoor spaces for COVID-19 mitigation (e.g., restaurant patios) or to improve the built
environment of the neighborhood (e.g., façade improvements).
Federal CDBG – Applicants must meet and adhere to federal requirements and compliance issues. The
Massachusetts CDBG Program is a competitive program that is available to all municipalities that are not
Entitlement Communities and encourages joint or regional applications. Communities may apply for funds for
downtown or commercial district related projects including sign/facade programs.1
Private/Nonprofit/Foundation funding – Low-interest or no-interest loans or grants from private lenders, often
those with a community focus or a small, local bank or nonprofit organization with community interest.
Historic funding – Historic preservation and landmarks organizations such as Main Street America receive grant
funding from the National Park Service specifically for rural “Main Street” communities.
1 https://www.mass.gov/service-details/community-development-block-grant-cdbg
1
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Massachusetts Local Rapid Recovery Program
SME Consultation Report
To: Northampton
From: Revby LLC
Project: Initiative to recruit additional businesses to Downtown Northampton
Business owner survey respondents indicated that recruitment of additional businesses to downtown was
important or very important. There is a desire to recruit locally with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. A
balanced mix of business types is needed.
To help guide the development of your project, we suggest consideration of the following points and questions…
1. To create an environment that is conducive to opening and sustaining a small business
a. Address barriers to entry for new entrepreneurs and business owners seeking a new location.
b. Align benefits to landlords with downtown revitalization and DEI objectives. Create a forum to
communicate with landlords to gain buy-in on pop-up stores.
c. Attract new business owner candidates within the community, including entrepreneurship
departments at the Five College Consortium academic institutions.
d. Create technical assistance capacity for relevant small business management subject matter
2. To mitigate risks of existing small business closing
a. Case Study: The Working World
Programs that help small business owners who are close to retirement age sell their business to
employees
A local organization: https://icagroup.org/
b. Create technical assistance capacity for relevant small business management subject matter
2
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1. What is the current process to open a business in Northampton? How can we streamline the process
for long-term leases and short-term pop-up agreements?
One main barrier of entry for business creation such as retail stores, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants is the
obtention of license and permit (e.g., certificate of occupation, liquor license, health department, fire department
and so many more). This can be costly and takes time, slowing down the opening of businesses - many
restaurants go bankrupt even before opening, due to the hassle and cost of paperwork.
Suggestions
Cutting the red tape: Set up a package of “Ready to Use” spaces. This will include permit and license
according to each location. With an expedited process and cost at zero or reduced.
Offer free consulting to new businesses/startups: type of corporation, rules and regulations, feasibility
cash flow projection, business plan).
Provide financing or advise on possible financing (work with a local bank or CDFI).
List all available spaces and what kind of businesses each of them could host in agreement with the
landlord. This analysis should include square feet, map, location, rent cost, and all other available
specifications.
o How many of the vacant spaces are street -front?
o How many are second floor? Or higher floors?
o What is the possible use of each vacant space?
Coordinate communication with storefront landlords. Help the landlord to be compliant with regulations
such as environmental, energy, and more.
2. How can "clusters" of self-supporting retail entities be identified and supported to activate key blocks
and increase downtown revitalization?
Downtown revitalization is not only about attracting businesses but also about creating a mentality dedicated to
bringing back people. What goods and services do they need to bring them back not only to buy but also for
leisure activities?
Suggestions
3
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Select the right mix of businesses to ensure diversity in people and goods and services. Avoid having too
many businesses selling competitive products. Should there be more accommodations and leisure
business types in Northampton?
One of the vacant locations could be a city-run pop-up space, for art, tech, comics, photo, food, etc.
https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/business/2021/06/11/pop-up-retail-massachusetts-
temporary-space-events-music-food/7646069002/
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/16/can-food-halls-help-diversify-the-post-pandemic-restaurant-
industry-yes-if-done-right/
Use the Pop-Up strategy as a testing ground for business types to see which concepts thrive.
How to ensure business sustainability over time? Tax incentive reduction, property tax reduction, rent
control, job creation tax incentive.
o For example, think about Amazon opening in New York City and all the incentives offered to the
company to move in. Adapt this idea to small businesses in your local region.
Will the city consider creating a zone with no traffic, converting streets to pedestrians only? This has been
very successful in Europe to revitalize the center of cities.
Will the city authorize a terrace for restaurants, café, and bars and a front outdoor sales space for other
businesses?
4
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Work with businesses to help them enroll in a point of sales (POS) payment system, build an online
presence, and set up correct accounting and bookkeeping.
Consider Technical Assistance capacity for the following categories:
o Physical space and licensing aspects
Leasehold improvements and signage, utilities, security, licenses and regulation
o Digital Infrastructure aspects
Digital marketing, website development and management, digital presence on third party
platforms, hardware (including a POS system)
o General business management aspects
Business planning, funding, banking, bookkeeping, hiring, staff training
Set up a downtown dedicated website that will direct consumers to businesses.
Mini-grocery and higher end food markets – demand by locals and tourists.
https://www.wfft.com/content/news/New-mini-grocery-store-opening-in-Downtown-Fort-Wayne-slated-
for-end-of-2021-574020781.html
5
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Case Study:
Brookings Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking and the National Main Street Center
Emporia, KS, Wheeling, WV and Laramie, WY
Finding #1: Through connection to place governance organizations, downtown revitalization helps increase
small businesses’ and entrepreneurs’ access to capital, skills training, and capacity -building supports—
providing a critical foothold entering the COVID-19 recession.
Identify non-traditional sources of capital investment (including assisted crowdfunding events,
pitch contests)
In Emporia, the regional university downtown co-created a crowdfunding strategy to close the capital gap,
launching a membership-style investment program of interested residents who provided small businesses
with $5,000 loans to repay after five years, while participating businesses paid interest on the loan in the
form of monthly $25 gift cards. At the outset, these strategies were designed to raise capital for
underserved small businesses, but ultimately they created a built -in base of local supporters invested in
the success of these small businesses and provided a dedicated customer base and culture of supporting
small businesses entering into the COVID-19 recession.
Providing skills training and tailored capacity-building support
Emporia’s Main Street program partnered with Flint Hills Technical College and the Kansas Small Business
Development Center at Emporia State University to offer a formal “Start Your Own Business” class.
In Wheeling, the Main Street organization partnered with Co.Starters to offer nine-week entrepreneurship
training programs—an important outcome of which was to provide participants with lasting peer
networks of fellow entrepreneurs.
https://www.costarters.co/
6
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Boston, MA
www.revby.co | (617) 553-4343
7
Revby LLC
Boston, MA
www.revby.co | (617) 553-4343
Finding #2: Downtown revitalization helps connect small businesses with low cost, low barrier-to-entry
incubator spaces, and with the relationships needed to mitigate rent costs amid COVID -19.
In Wheeling, the Main Street program housed the Wheeling Artisan Center Shop within its office building, where
local entrepreneurs who did not have the funds for storefronts could sell their retail goods without the costs
associated with running a business.
In Laramie, the Wyoming Main Street launched a “Made on Main” program aimed at placing small manufacturers
in vacant downtown spaces to help them grow, access resources, and interact with other small business owners
through selling their products in the locally owned food coop or working with farmers market vendors. And as
small business owners struggle with rent payments amid the pandemic-induced recession, local Main Street
organizations have been working with landlords and property owners to identify potential solutions.
Figure 1: The Wheeling Artisan Center Shop. Photo courtesy of Wheeling Heritage Media.
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Case Study: Peabody, MA Pop-up
An example of a low-cost, tactical investment catalyzing private development.
10,000 MassDevelopment grant and support from the agency’s Vice President of Community
Development Eleni Varitimos resulted in a new permanent use for a formerly vacant downtown space.
https://www.massdevelopment.com/who-we-are/success-stories/peabody-pop-up
In 2015, the TDI Partnership, including the Peabody Chamber of Commerce and the Cit y of Peabody, identified a
desired new use for downtown: a coffee shop. The partnership had applied for and received a $3,200 TDI Places
grant for a pop-up parklet with outdoor seating, the success of which led to another $6,800 TDI Places grant for a
pop-up café. Jaho Coffee and Tea participated in the pop-up, occupying the space throughout the summer of
2016. And though Jaho did not permanently locate there, when Northeast Arc, an organization that offers job
training to people with disabilities, expressed interest in the space, Jaho acted as a resource and supported the
permanent tenant during its startup phase. The development of a pop-up-to-permanent café helped inspire a
culture in Peabody of regularly using pop-ups to test the market for new amenities.
Figure 2: Toolkit written by Wallplay, commissioned and co-developed by Side Walk Labs
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Relevant LRRP Best Practice Case Studies
1. Main St. Activation Program A post-Covid 19 downtown recovery plan1
MassDev TDI Program for Brockton
Workshops, one-on-one consulting with each business, downtown block events
2. Permitting Pop-Up Events2
Fort Worth, TX; Austin, TX; Burlington, VT
User friendly municipal website for pop-up permitting process
Municipal staff training on new processes and electronic submission management
3. Facilitating Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building and Enhancement3
Regionally branded, centralized platform for entrepreneur support. Collaboration with
existing technical assistance providers and resources in the area, local university entrepreneur
and innovation centers, and banks.
Designed with on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in mind
Community and mission focused alternative lending
o https://www.connect2capital.com/
1 https://www.mass.gov/doc/private-realm-best-practice-sheets-compendium/download
2 https://www.mass.gov/doc/admin-capacity-best-practice-sheets-compendium/download
3 https://www.mass.gov/doc/admin-capacity-best-practice-sheets-compendium/download