Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | October 11, 2021 | wbjournal.com Crossroads As the face of Hopedale's downtown transforms, a tiny town grapples with its future Bellingham Total ban Blackstone Not banned Franklin Not banned Holliston Retail ban HOPEDALE Not banned Hopkinton Total ban Medway Retail ban Mendon Not banned Milford Total ban Millville Not banned Northbridge Not banned Upton Retail ban Uxbridge Not banned Marijuana bans Nearly half the communities surrounding Hopedale have either complete bans on cannabis businesses, or just against retail establishments. Municipality Cannabis status BY KATHERINE HAMILTON Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer H opedale's history is almost bigger than the town itself. For more than 175 years, the five-square-mile town located southeast of Worcester has been shaped around the Draper Mill, which employed hundreds of residents before closing in 1980. Aer 40 years of vacancy, the 1-million-square-foot facility is being demolished, leaving Hopedale with the chance to completely reinvent itself – an opportunity as exciting as it is daunting, said Town Administrator Diana Schindler. "Like no other town that I'm familiar with in my whole career, we have the opportunity to reform our village cen- ter," Schindler said. "at doesn't come along oen, if ever." Having previously served as town administrator in Southampton, Orange, and Deerfield, Schindler took on her position in Hopedale in April 2020. At that time, the town was at the tail end of a two-year attempt to seize the Draper property by eminent domain and turn it into a mixed-use housing and commercial space. e effort sparked a lawsuit from Draper site owner Philip Shwachman, CEO and founder of First American Realty, Inc. of Worcester. Planning for the future Aer a partial collapse in July, the Draper Mill's demolition began in fall of 2020, opening up the next chapter of Hopedale's story. To create a foundation for this new phase, Schindler helped jumpstart the town's first master plan, a compilation of resident input to nail down development goals for the next 10 to 20 years. e master plan steering committee is working with Schwachman, who is cre- ating his own master plan for the Draper site in collaboration with the Worcester Business Development Corp. "e town really cannot control how [the Draper site] can be redeveloped. e town does not own that property. What we can do now is say what we would like to see and what we would not like to see," said Jim Abbruzzese, chair of the master plan steering committee. As it nears the end of phase one, the plan is shaping up to have three main focuses, including economic develop- ment, land use, and historic and cultural resources, Abbruzzese said. With its unique history, Hopedale is facing a distinct set of challenges. ere are more than 1,100 people per square mile, which classifies it as an urbanized area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet, the business sector is almost nonexistent. "What people are looking for are business opportunities to bring small businesses to help offset some of the real estate taxes that we all pay to help grow that revenue base in town," said Abbruzzese. Hopedale has the second highest taxes for both residential and commercial properties of the 12 towns surrounding it. Encouraging marijuana growth Russell Bogartz, a resident and one of the town's few business owners, said there may be a silver lining to Hopedale's tax revenue challenges. "Hopedale has not placed a limit on the number of cannabis establishments of any sort. You might ask why they ha- ven't done that. One reason is that they are starving for tax revenue," he said. Bogartz opened his adult-use canna- bis shop, High Hopes LLC, nearly two months ago and is averaging roughly 80 customers a day, he said. Meanwhile, Caroline's Cannabis of Uxbridge on Sept. 17 received final licensure to open a second location, in Hopedale; and the owners of Blackstone PHOTO/MATT WRIGHT Source: Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission The Draper Mill in Hopedale is being demolished, leaving a massive vacancy in the town's center.

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