NORTHAMPTON — As part of the state’s recently announced $56 million for Economic Development and Housing Projects in the Pioneer Valley, Northampton will receive just under $2.9 million in grant funding.
The vast majority of this funding for to the city — $2.8 million — comes from a MassWorks grant to support infrastructure work as it relates to the 33 King St. redevelopment project. The funding will support the water and sewer line replacement, new and upgraded stormwater infrastructure, streetscape improvements, including new sidewalks, bike ramps and bike lanes.
The funding will also support upgrades and improvements to public utility infrastructure and roadways to support the redevelopment of the vacant surplus parcel located in the heart of downtown Northampton that will be developed into 91 units of affordable, mixed-income housing and commercial retail space.
Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra told Reminder Publishing this funding is absolutely crucial and that anytime there’s an opportunity to replace the aging and often failing infrastructure the city looks to do so, especially as it relates to bringing in more housing.
“All of us in this part of the world have water and sewer pipes that are well over 100 years old, and it’s incredibly expensive to replace it. So, this grant is incredibly helpful for the redevelopment in this area,” said Sciarra. “This is a really exciting development at 33 King where you have 91 affordable and mixed income apartments and also commercial space that’s going into a space that has been empty for quite a while. To have that much life right there and to be able to replace that infrastructure and to build out some of the other infrastructure that’s really important to the city is a wonderful opportunity.”
The 91 units at 33 King St. will be developed in tandem by Valley CDC and The Community Builders and be part of a mixed-use, cohesive community with two buildings and shared amenities for residents, including parking, green space and safe bike access. The 52,000-square-foot Valley CDC apartment building will be located on the back of the property and the 62,000-square-foot TCB building will sit at the front of the property with apartments and a ground-floor commercial space.
Gov. Maura Healey announced the 2027 Community One Stop for Growth grant funding on Oct. 1, providing 89 awards for projects in 42 cities and towns across the Pioneer Valley. The awards will support housing and economic development through investments in public infrastructure, site preparation and community planning.
Northampton Director of Planning and Sustainability Carolyn Misch added that with the cost of construction for housing itself being so high, the supporting infrastructure that allows for housing development adds to that. This makes state funding like this essential, particularly when such a big project downtown is happening, in making sure the infrastructure is sound.
“As all of our infrastructure ages, we can’t always keep up so this MassWorks grant is a great way to help facilitate the redevelopment in our core downtown, where we want new development to support the existing businesses that are already here. I think all of it is complimentary of one another,” Misch added. “Having state and federal funding opportunities to help municipalities help address that in order to accommodate new housing that is in such great demand is really important.”
The Community One Stop for Growth, overseen by the Executive Office of Economic Development, or EOED, makes it easier for cities, towns and organizations to access state funding projects that create housing, strengthen downtowns, prepare sites for development, build construction and support local economic growth. This year’s awards are being delivered through 14 grant programs administered by EOED, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and MassDevelopment.
“We’re investing in communities across Massachusetts to create the housing, jobs and economic growth our state needs,” said Healey. “These awards will turn underused properties into new homes and businesses, strengthen downtowns, create good jobs and unlock billions of dollars in private investment. That means more opportunity for families, workers and businesses in every prat of our state.”
The city will also receive $40,000 in grant funding to support technical assistance for creating a Business Improvement District. A BID supplements services such as sanitation and maintenance, public safety and visitor services, marketing and promotional programs and beautification in a certain area.
“When Northampton’s BID dissolved in 2014, it felt inevitable that Northampton would need to revive that conversation to ensure our downtown businesses have the reliable support they need for events, beautification, promotion and advocacy,” said Sciarra. “I’m proud of the Downtown Northampton Association and its volunteers for taking the initiative to move this forward, and grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for investing in their work.”
In Northampton BID’s absence, the Northampton Downtown Association has served in its place but as a nonprofit organization. Chief of Staff and Head of Economic Development Alan Wolf told Reminder Publishing the current plan is to reform the DNA and its responsibilities into the newly formed BID.
He added that the reformation of BID will be a more sustainable model for the city as it will provide a consistent, predictable funding stream for events, beautification and supporting downtown businesses.
“There is not an intention to create a new entity so the BID will be the Downtown Northampton Association, and they’ll have a real budget for the first time in their history,” Wolf said.
The third and final grant funding coming to the city through this state effort is $50,000 toward the city’s Vacant Storefront Program. The city will use $50,000 in refundable tax credits to encourage new and expanding businesses to occupy long-term vacant storefronts.
Wolf explained that for fiscal year 2026, the city received the same allocation of refundable state tax credits to support qualifying businesses moving into long-vacant storefronts, adding that the city recommends induvial amounts, and the state reviews and approves each business.
Of that funding, $15,000 was awarded to Seconds Thrift Shop located on Damon Road. These credits do not roll over from one year to the next and will expire in December, and the application deadline for the remaining $35,000 is December 16. Interested businesses can apply at northamptonma.gov/2480/MA-Vacant-Storefront-Program-MVSP.
The first access to the newly announced $50,000 in FY26 credits will be available in March 2027, and interested businesses can apply through the same link. Previous recipients include Many Graces Farm & Design (Sub Rosa), Assemble, and Toasted Restaurant. Under the previous version of the program, each received $10,000 in state tax credits and a $10,000 city cash payment at match.
“I’m very grateful that we’re part of this program that helps provide some amount of assistance in getting a business up and running. And of course, we are thrilled to be able to activate spaces that may have been empty a little bit longer,” Sciarra said. “We’ve been part of this program for a few years, and I encouraged people who are interested in starting a business to please apply.”
The regional awards are part of $330 million in funding through 402 awards statewide. Community One Stop for Growth provides a single application and coordinated review process for grant programs administered by the Executive Office of Economic Development, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and MassDevelopment. This is the largest amount of One Stop funding issued in a single round in the history of the program.
Of the 402 projects receiving awards, 36% are in a rural community, 24% in Gateway Cities, 37% in Housing Choice Communities, and 50% are in MBTA communities. In total, 207 communities are receiving awards, the largest number of communities represented in a single round in the program’s history.
To learn more about the grant awards visit mass.gov/info-details/community-one-stop-for-growth-awards.
