The Every-Persons Town

A Massachusetts Mill City Walks the Talk by Rejecting Upscale Development in Favor of Walkable Neighborhoods, Niche Manufacturing, and Building an Affordable Housing Pipeline

The descent into Easthampton offers a view that stops visitors in their tracks. As drivers wind down the sloping road from Route 141, Mount Tom frames a panorama of church steeples and historic mills that define this Western Massachusetts city of 16,000 residents.

“When you get off the highway to come to Easthampton, the view is breathtaking no matter what time of the year,” says Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, who has led the city since 2017. “You do feel like you’re coming into some special place. You can see the church steeples and the historic mills that are being restored. The view shed is almost like a typical New England town.”

That carefully preserved vista leads directly into the Cottage Street Cultural District, where locally owned shops line streets that have anchored the community since its incorporation in 1785. The district functions as the gateway to a city that has deliberately chosen authenticity over artifice. A luthier that also offers free live music most evenings sits alongside restaurants operating since the 1950s. Local craftspeople display their work steps away from Nashawannuck Pond, with City Hall presiding over the scene.

“Once you come into the town, you’ll drive right into a cultural district that is full of small shops, most of them locally owned,” Mayor LaChapelle explains.” That has a real belonging to it. By nature of that road, you feel like you’re drawn into it. You’re going into the center of a very special place.”

A Downtown Built for Everyone

Easthampton’s downtown defies conventional urban planning wisdom. Within walking distance, residents can pay a parking ticket, access medical services, car parts, groceries, banking and fishing without ever starting a car. This concentration of essential services shows deliberate planning that prioritizes residents over tourists.

“Our downtown really is built for residents. You can walk from the senior center to get socks and seasonal supplies, to get your groceries, to come down and get medical services all within a sixteenth of a mile,” Mayor LaChapelle emphasizes. “We’ve really focused on that because we want the downtown area to be welcoming and helpful for people, proof that they belong here.”

The approach distinguishes Easthampton from neighboring college towns that court upscale retailers. Chain stores like Advanced Auto Parts and 7-Eleven anchor the commercial district alongside independent businesses. The mix serves the city’s median household income of $72,925 while maintaining accessibility for all residents. Educational services and healthcare remain the largest employment sectors, supporting over 2,600 jobs combined.

“We do not aspire to be a college town with quaint, upper middle class focused stores. It’s an every person downtown,” Mayor LaChapelle states.  “Take a look at our Main Street—within just a sixteenth of a mile, you’ll find our library, shops, banks, and our historic town hall, which is currently being renovated into an arts and culture center.”

The Bike Path as Community Lifeline

The rail trail threading through Easthampton serves dual purposes that few infrastructure projects achieve. The six-mile path connects Southampton to the Oxbow section of the Connecticut River while linking residents to employment, conservation areas, and three of Western Massachusetts’ most acclaimed breweries.

“If you take a right off Main Street, you’re on a bike path that brings you to the back of the mills, brings you through Arcadia and other conservation land, and it ends in Northampton,” Mayor LaChapelle explains. “You can follow it all the way up to Greenfield, or south to New Haven.”

The trail’s national recognition highlights its integration into daily life. Commuters use the regional bike-share system to travel between Easthampton, Northampton, Westfield, Springfield, and Holyoke. “You can get on one of those bikes and really travel around. You see people doing that as well as people walking their dogs,” Mayor LaChapelle notes.

“The bike trail also leads to three of the best breweries in Western Mass, so it’s eclectic. You can walk off the path and go into a small section of our industrial park. You can walk off and go to another trail that brings you up to Arcadia to see all sorts of birds.”

This infrastructure investment yields economic returns. The breweries report increased foot traffic from trail users. Mill district businesses cite the path as an amenity that attracts workers. The trail transforms what could be isolated commercial zones into connected nodes of activity, demonstrating how transportation infrastructure can serve multiple community needs simultaneously.

Easthampton’s Unique Business Ecosystem

Easthampton’s industrial evolution reads like a case study in economic adaptation. The mill district houses over 400 small businesses across nearly one million square feet in five buildings, while the compact industrial park hosts manufacturers serving global markets with hyperspecialized products.

“You’ve got a metal fabrication plant that makes the backdrops for fashion shows, but also puts thin pieces of metal in different pieces of equipment,” Mayor LaChapelle details. “You’ve got another one that does high-end precision machining. You’ve got another one that makes a piece of the syringe for vaccines, including for COVID. A lot of key pieces for those syringes that went around the world came from Easthampton, Massachusetts.”

The roster of niche manufacturers runs on. One company produces adhesive applications for concert wristbands. Another specializes in precision components for larger machinery. Each business has identified a specific market need and scaled accordingly, avoiding direct competition with mass producers.

“We have these really eclectic businesses that have found a niche and are getting stronger, are getting bigger, and they’re really evolving to the times,” Mayor LaChapelle observes. “That captures another part of Easthampton. We’re capturing a specific niche. We are who we are. We’re not trying to put ourselves out there as something else. We win where we stand.”

This philosophy isn’t mere rhetoric. The city’s economic development strategy focuses on supporting existing businesses rather than chasing relocations. With educational services and healthcare forming the employment foundation, the manufacturing sector adds diversity without dominating. The approach has sustained growth through economic cycles, with median household income rising 8.31% between 2022 and 2023 despite slight population decline.

Major Investments in Easthampton’s Future

A major state grant marks the beginning of Easthampton’s most ambitious infrastructure overhaul since the 1800s. The Transit and Infrastructure Project will reconstruct Main Street while preserving its historic character, balancing modern safety requirements with architectural heritage.

The city can attribute some of the ongoing work that is underway to a long time partnership with VHB that has been delivering engineering expertise across a range of improvement projects. VHB collaborates closely with the city to develop innovative, cost-effective design and bidding strategies while assisting in securing funding.

VHB has helped with MassDOT coordination, complete streets planning and design, project development, pavement and roadway engineering, right-of-way coordination, environmental permitting, hazardous waste due diligence, bridge design, sewer and water system designs, book job designs, intersection improvements, and construction-phase support.

The city has worked collaboratively with VHB on pivotal projects including the Rail Trail and complete street initiatives including Main Street, Ferry Street and other streets throughout the municipality.

“We just received from the Mass Department of Transportation a put aside for $13 million to redo that section,” Mayor LaChapelle confirms. “We want to keep the flavor of Main Street, but make it safer for pedestrians, for bicycles, and for cars. We won’t put actual shovels in the ground probably until 2027, 2028. We’re about 25% design, which then the state comments on.”

The project connects three critical zones: the Cultural District, Main Street, and the mill district. Additional grants support complementary improvements. “We just started on a multi-use path that goes from downtown out to our brand new school that’s opened,” Mayor LaChapelle explains. “Getting smaller grants to touch up those neighborhoods across the city, whether it’s sidewalks or traffic lights, safer ways to cross the street for pedestrians. Those are little grants that we’re using for big impact projects.”

Climate adaptation drives infrastructure decisions. Flooding in unexpected areas has prompted investments in stormwater management. Crosswalks with flashing beacons improve pedestrian safety on the scenic route from Mount Tom. The $10 million Army Corps of Engineers authorization provides planning resources for comprehensive flood mitigation, though implementation requires careful environmental assessment.

Tackling the Housing Crisis

Easthampton has four major developments totaling over 300 units, each addressing different market segments while advancing sustainability goals. “We have four big housing projects that are in different stages of being built. The total number of units when they’re all done is just a scooch past 300,” Mayor LaChapelle states. “We could have at any given month less than 10 houses that are available to buy. On the rental side, our rents are going up considerably. We have some property owners who are from other states and are increasing rents sometimes as much as 35%, 50%. Facing these conditions, we do everything we can to get units on the market ASAP.”

The most innovative project combines affordable housing with conservation. An anonymous donor contributed $500,000 to identify locations for carbon neutral housing development adjacent to conserved land in Easthampton. Twenty-one acres will host housing while 32 acres remain preserved, creating a national model for sustainable development.

“It’s one of a handful of these projects happening countrywide,” Mayor LaChapelle explains. “Another one is our three elementary schools that we decommissioned about three years ago. All are over a hundred years old, and that will be 69 units of housing. Those buildings bookend the downtown district.”

The 96-unit affordable redevelopment secured $4.4 million from the state’s Housing Works program, the largest grant in that funding cycle. Using prefabricated components, construction will take just 13 months after site preparation. A fourth development in the opportunity zone combines housing with essential services: daycare, a children’s gymnasium, restaurants, and banking.

“Housing is the hub—everything else connects to it,” says Mayor LaChapelle. “From access to services to expanding critical needs like daycare, it all starts with stable, affordable housing. And this isn’t just a mayor’s agenda—it’s a community-driven process.”

Arts, Sustainability, and Strategic Partnerships

Easthampton’s arts sector faces an existential challenge. The loss of artist studios and maker spaces to property conversions threatens the creative economy that defines the city’s character. Public art installations dot downtown sidewalks, but maintaining affordable workspace requires new strategies.

“We’ve lost some vital artist studios and maker spaces simply because property owners changed course,” Mayor LaChapelle acknowledges. “We took our creative community for granted—especially those who are underrepresented and self-funded. Inspiration and talent are universal, but we lost sight of the fact that creative expression needs physical space to exist. Now, we’re pivoting—looking at how the City can step up, partner with private entities, and ensure our artists and makers have what they need to thrive.”

The Cultural Chaos festival demonstrates the sector’s economic impact, drawing 15,000 visitors each June. University of Massachusetts research identified it as the highest-grossing day for participating businesses. Performers on stilts and trapezes transform Cottage Street into what Mayor LaChapelle calls “not your expected quaint New England craft fair.”

Sustainability initiatives permeate all development decisions. The city adopted Massachusetts’ highest energy stretch code. Fleet vehicles transition to electric, starting with hybrids before full electrification within five years. Mayor LaChapelle, past-president of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, and her team work hard to show state agencies like the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities that it is a good investment of state funds.

“Economic development in Easthampton isn’t just about building more—it’s about building smarter,” says Mayor LaChapelle. “We’re actively reducing our carbon footprint in how we build, how we design roads, and how we invest in infrastructure. Yes, we need housing, affordability, and jobs right now—but we’re pairing those urgent needs with long-term strategies that support an aging population, lower emissions, and protect our fiscal future. That balance—between immediate impact and generational responsibility—isn’t the typical model for economic development, but it’s the one we’re committed to.”

Easthampton’s approach offers lessons for similar communities facing growth pressures. By prioritizing residents over tourists, supporting niche manufacturers, and integrating arts with economic development, the city maintains its authentic character while adapting to contemporary challenges.

AT A GLANCE

Who: City of Easthampton

What: A former mill town transformed into a walkable community hub with thriving arts district, specialized manufacturing, and nationally recognized bike trail system

Where: Pioneer Valley, Hampshire County

Website: www.easthamptonma.gov