median income.“That’s a real plus for us to have some less restricted income apartments available for rent,” Vega notes.Across town, Open Square secured nearly $2 million through the state’s Housing Development Incentive Program, one of the few funding sources for market-rate housing. Construction on 88 marketrate units begins this fall. The market-rate component addresses a specific need. Mayor Garcia explains the challenge facing gateway cities: “Leadership before us for decades has done a very good job partnering with the Commonwealth and taking care of our most vulnerable populations. What’s interesting is I don’t think we’ve ever really thought about what happens when people’s lives improve and circumstances improve.” With downtown’s four census tracts showing median household incomes below $27,000 annually, the city needed housing options for residents whose situations advance.“Maybe you’re a first year college student, or you’re making six figures working in one of these clean tech industries downtown,” Mayor Garcia says, emphasizing the importance of retaining residents as their prospects improve. LEVERAGING HISTORIC ASSETS AND ADDRESSING CHALLENGES Holyoke’s municipally-run gas and electric plant continues to drive clean tech interest.“Our municipal electric rates in the city of Holyoke are the lowest in the commonwealth,” Vega says. “For a lot of these tech companies that are big energy users, they are attracted to Holyoke just for that simple reason - they’re going to save lots of money.” At 16.55 cents per kilowatt hour, Holyoke’s residential rates run 39.60% below the Massachusetts average, powered by a system where over 65% comes from hydroelectric resources. Sublime Systems is the sector’s crown jewel. The MIT-founded company selected 16 acres in the Flats neighborhood for its first commercial cement manufacturing facility, securing up to $87 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.The fossil-fuelfree operation is expected to be commissioned by 2026, creating 70 to 90 jobs while producing tens of thousands of tons annually of low-carbon cement. Other Green technology companies that call Holyoke 118 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 11 HOLYOKE, MA
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