Downtown Pittsfield Among New TDI Districts in Gateway Cities

08:10AM / Tuesday, March 01, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Downtown Pittsfield is among the slate of 12 new Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) districts in Gateway Cities throughout the Commonwealth announced by the Baker-Polito administration earlier this month.

TDI, a MassDevelopment initiative, concentrates economic development activities, resources, and investments within designated neighborhood areas, known as "TDI districts," for a term of two to four years. TDI districts are mixed-use with a commercial component, compact – with a five-minute walking radius or less – and are defined by a walkable, dense physical environment.

The TDI districts receive enhanced and customized technical assistance, real estate services, and additional capacity to implement district plans. All districts will be awarded TDI fellows – MassDevelopment employees who will provide on-the-ground economic development expertise and collaborative leadership in these cities – and will have access to a range of tools to help accelerate development, including technical assistance, grants to support local market development and arts and cultural infrastructure, collaborative workshops, resources, events, and more.

Downtown Pittsfield's TDI designation comes in the wake of the previous Tyler Street TDI, which was first enacted in 2015 and marked the city's first TDI designation. Mayor Linda Tyer said Tyler Street's inclusion in the program was highly beneficial and demonstrated successful outcomes during its activation.

"Thanks to the remarkable success of Tyler Street, a partnership has been formed to create a flourishing TDI district in our downtown. This effort has aligned Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., businesses, property owners, developers, residents, social service agencies, and our regional transit authority," Tyer said. "With the ongoing relationships previously developed over the past two decades with these groups and the energy behind the recent development of the downtown Pittsfield Local Rapid Recovery Plan, this partnership is ready to hit the ground running to support Pittsfield's new TDI district."

City Planner C.J. Hoss said the work will have a targeted focus.

"The first part of the effort will be developing a specific plan of focus over the next several years. Thankfully, we have done a good amount of work through the recent creation of the Downtown Creative District (zoning) to channel future development and uses downtown, and a wide range of specific activities were developed through Downtown Pittsfield Inc. as part of the recent Local Rapid Recovery Plan, he said. Moving forward, the partnership recognizes the need to work towards enhancing the status of downtown as a destination for those living in Pittsfield, the Berkshires, and beyond, while also creating equitable opportunities for living, working, and owning a business downtown."

Hoss said he expects the city will have its fellow later in the year.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, and MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera joined New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and members of the New Bedford legislative delegation to make the announcement at Hatch Street

Studios in New Bedford on Feb. 15.

The announcement represents a $23.7 million investment in Gateway Cities over three years – an investment that more than doubles the size of the program, which currently operates TDI districts in five Gateway Cities.

Other new TDI district communities include the following: Attleboro, Barnstable (Hyannis), Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Revere, Springfield, Taunton, and Worcester. There will also be an extension of an existing district in Fall River.

Defined by the Massachusetts General Laws, Gateway Cities are small-to-midsized cities in Massachusetts (population of between 35,000 and 250,000) that anchor regional economies around the state, with below state average household incomes and educational attainment rates.

The Legislature defines 26 Gateway Cities in Massachusetts, including Attleboro, Barnstable, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.

Tags: community development,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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