PRESS RELEASE
CHICOPEE’S WEST END DISTRICT TO WELCOME TRANSFORMATIVE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE FELLOW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHICOPEE – Mayor Richard J. Kos announced today, that MassDevelopment will appoint a TDI Fellow in Chicopee. The Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Fellow will work in the West End district of Chicopee for two years in collaboration with local partnerships.
The Chicopee Fellow is a full-time MassDevelopment employee with professional expertise in urban and economic development. He or she will work to assist with projects that enhance the revitalization of a TDI District and its surroundings. The main emphasis will be on city planning, community partnership building, real estate, and economic development.
Fellows are lead community organizers for TDI Partnerships' economic development strategy. Their role may include:
- Connecting people and resources
- Identifying and empowering local champions
- Planning studies
- Strategic plans
- Downtown urban design strategies
- Market strategies
- Investor prospectus development
- Community visioning
- Storefront activation
- Industry cluster analysis
- Marketing and branding
MassDevelopment chooses a TDI district based on a demonstrated need for personnel to support the current plans. The City of Chicopee, selected for its local collaborative partnerships, strategic vision, and its plan to build cultural community identity.
“A TDI Fellow will certainly enhance our city’s economic development capability, and I am thankful to MassDevelopment for this two-year commitment,” said Mayor Richard J. Kos. “We look forward to the collaboration, which will continue building upon the great work that our community has done to further unlock development potential in our downtown.”
The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, Chicopee Cultural Council, and the City of Chicopee have recently collaborated to create Lights On Art & Culture. Its mission is to bring people and local artists together, utilizing the local shops and businesses, such as the Munich Haus, the Collegian Court, and the Herbarium, Goodworks Coffee and the Oops! Art Institute, in the hopes that the area will revitalize.
The Front Street SilverBrick Mills (formerly Cabotville) is currently being rejuvenated. This will provide an affordable way for young entrepreneurs and artists and artisans to rent affordable housing or set up a new business. The mills are within the same five-minute walking space that will be the primary focus of the Chicopee TDI Fellow and MassDevelopment’s efforts. Focusing effort on this size radius makes the impact more evident is the belief of MassDevelopment.
MassDevelopment, the state’s economic development and finance agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. Through these collaborations, they help create jobs, increase the number of housing units, revitalize urban environments, and address factors limiting economic growth including transportation, energy, and infrastructure deficiencies.
More information about MassDevelopment can be found on their website: www.massdevelopment.com.
TDI Fellow applications should be directed to fellows@massdevelopment.com.
During FY2018, MassDevelopment financed or managed 384 projects generating investment of more than $4.1 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,994 jobs and build or rehabilitate 830 housing units.
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