Civil and Municipal - Mar 2023

43 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 ASHLAND, MA The program, aimed at small to medium-sized businesses, focuses on rental assistance, providing rental support while new businesses are getting up and going. The town works with Needham Bank, located in downtown Ashland to offer interest-free loans, and also has an equipment reimbursement element in which grants are able to help cover startup or expansion costs. “If a business need new appliances or products in order to open their doors, then we reimburse them for that,” Reynolds says. The program also features a sign and façade incentive that encourages existing business owners to enhance their facades to coincide with the upgrades taking place in Ashland’s downtown. “These incentive programs have brought us several new businesses,” Reynolds says. “Restauranteurs have taken advantage of this benefit which has added to the diverse dining experiences in town over the past few years.” The business incentive program has been a huge success for Ashland which can be seen in the amount of private investment that has come in as a result, Herbert adds. “We’ve put in $250,000 so far and have seen a resulting $3 million investment from the private sector as part of that,” he says. “So our $250,000 leveraged $3 million in private capital to come into town.” Ashland now has its sights set on attracting bigger businesses in the form of biotech companies. The Ashland Technology Center, located just blocks away from downtown town, has prime space available that’s perfect for biotech, Reynolds says. “I’m working hard to get the word out that we are open to all business and show that Ashland is a great place to start and grow any business,” she adds. When it comes to housing, Ashland has a bit of everything available and even more coming. “We have a great mix of different residential options in Ashland,” Reynolds says. “There are a great deal of condos, single-family homes, and a large number of apartments are coming into town as well right now. We have some exciting opportunities for growth in the downtown area, especially right now.” There’s a large mixed-use project in the pipeline that could see 200 residential apartments and more than 30,000 square feet of commercial space added to Ashland’s downtown, as well as even more apartments and mixed-use property, going into the Highway 126 corridor. Many of these mixed-use properties will offer much-needed affordable housing, as well, Reynolds adds. “This growth will bring in a lot more pedestrian traffic, excitement and vitality to the downtown area,” she says. First established in 1846, Ashland has always been a place of balance. The town was formed by taking pieces from three nearby towns of Framingham, Holliston, and Hopkinton. Framingham had an industrial base, while the other two towns were more agriculturally based, thus leaving the newly-