Town Of Arlington: Help Heights Businesses Recover From COVID-19

Press release from Town of Arlington:

05/26/2021

The Town is seeking ideas from the Arlington community for how best to support Arlington Heights businesses along the Minuteman Bikeway in their recovery from COVID-19. Jointly with the towns of Bedford and Lexington, Arlington is participating in the Massachusetts Local Rapid Recovery Plan (LRRP) Program. The LRRP Program is aimed at assisting communities develop actionable plans to aid commercial areas recover from COVID-19. The three towns are working with project consultant Finepoint Associates to assess economic and physical conditions of businesses adjacent to the Minuteman Bikeway, conduct research, and develop ideas for supporting businesses in their recovery.

Members of the three communities are invited to a June 8 forum to hear findings from Finepoint Associates’ assessment and research, and to share their ideas for supporting economic recovery. Information and ideas gathered at the forum will inform project recommendations. The final action-oriented plan will help the three towns develop immediate strategies for short-term recovery and outline a set of projects and strategies necessary to address COVID-19 recovery needs. Later this summer, the Town will be engaging in a CPA-funded Minuteman Bikeway planning project as well. 

Virtual Forum Details
LRRP Program: Three Commercial Districts – One Bike Trail – Phase 1
Date/Time: June 8, 2021, 6:00-7:30 pm
Registration: Please register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqc--gqDMjGdMIotC9ES1sU630BrbhcB_F

About the LRRP
The Towns of Arlington, Bedford, and Lexington were awarded a Local Rapid Recovery Planning (LRRP) grant by the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative (MDI) to leverage Minuteman Bikeway traffic to drive customers to their business districts to help them recover from the pandemic. The goal of the LRRP program is to give every municipality in Massachusetts the opportunity to develop plans tailored to the unique economic challenges and immediate COVID-19 impacts that have affected downtowns, town centers, and commercial areas throughout Massachusetts. Arlington Heights, East Lexington, and Bedford Center will be areas of specific focus.

For more information about the Local Rapid Response Program, contact Ali Carter, Economic Development Coordinator, at acarter@town.arlington.ma.us or 781-316-3095.

This press release was produced by Town of Arlington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.