State of Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
Area of Assistance: Economic Development Planning
Geography: Various municipalities in Massachusetts
Stakeholders and Partners:
Municipalities of: Belmont, Leominster, Clinton, Andover, Burlington, Hansen, Methuen, Northfield, Revere, West Springfield, Norton
State of Massachusetts DHCD Staff
Timeline: 2021
Outcomes/Impacts:
Ideation of new and unique COVID responsive programs
Short and long term planning for actionable and responsive community/economic development projects
Creation and execution plan of “shovel ready programs/projects”
Project Summary:
Massachusetts’ Rapid Recovery Plan (RRP) Program provided municipalities in Massachusetts 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. Perch Advisors was engaged as a Subject Matter Expert consultant to share best practices and case studies from work in New York City. Through panel discussions on RPR's Technical Assistance webinars, Perch Advisors highlighted innovative projects that supported NYC businesses to stabilize and grow in the face of COVID-19. Perch Advisors also provided feedback to 11 municipalities on their respective ideas and project proposals on topics of regional and downtown marketing strategies, brand identity, local business promotion, increasing sales through foot traffic and events, small business technical assistance, retail recruitment and retention, and merchant and property owner organizing and capacity building. These municipalities walked away from these engagements with a list of recommendations, which detailed action items, considerations/ challenges, and key performance indicators.