HOLYOKE — The City of Holyoke is charting a path for the next chapter in its history.
For the first time since 1999, Holyoke is updating its Comprehensive Plan, a Commonwealth-mandated document under that requires Massachusetts cities and towns to maintain a plan for their long-term physical development. Through comprehensive plans, cities and towns envision aspirational futures for themselves and identify implementation pathways for achieving those aspirations. These plans span all aspects of physical development, from the types of housing available in the community, to how people get around, to the community’s resilience to climate change, and more.
Holyoke is committed to shaping the new comprehensive plan through engagement with residents. This fall, the City will host a series of community listening sessions. Free food featuring local restaurants and free youth activities will be provided. These sessions will be bilingual. Live Spanish interpretation will be available, and materials will be displayed in Spanish and English. Participants will receive free gift cards for the Holyoke Farmers’ Market. City officials hope Holyokers will share their aspirations and priorities for the future of the community at any or all of the community listening sessions:
Community Listening Session #1
Wednesday, September 25
Open house 5-6 pm, presentation and discussion 6-7 pm
Holyoke High School – North Campus, 500 Beech St.
Community Listening Session #2
Saturday, October 26, 10 am – 1 p m (drop-in format)
Heritage State Park, 221 Appleton St.
Community Listening Session #3
Thursday, November 21, 5-7 pm
Location TBA
Holyoke’s Office of Planning and Economic Development is leading the comprehensive plan update in collaboration with the Holyoke Planning Board. To support them, a team of consultant urban planners has been retained, led by Cambridge-based Agency Landscape + Planning with support from Northampton-based Cambridge Econometrics, Boston-based Nitsch engineering, and Queens-based Hive Public Space. Several of the consulting planners are native Spanish speakers and several live in the Pioneer Valley.
The City aims to complete the project in Summer 2025.