Downtown Pittsfield Announces 'Hey Neighbor!' Summer Marketing Grants

10:33AM / Friday, May 16, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) is offering the 2025 "Hey Neighbor!" Summer Marketing Grant for downtown storefront businesses.

Funded by MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), the grant aims to support businesses through coordinated cinema and radio marketing campaigns.

Ten businesses in downtown Pittsfield will be awarded marketing grants. Recipients will receive custom video advertisements to be shown before films at the Beacon Cinema and radio advertisements to air on WUPE/WBEC FM from June through August 2025. The initiative seeks to increase foot traffic, raise community awareness, and highlight the stories of local small businesses.

Applications for the grant are due by Friday, May 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Grant awardees will be announced on June 6, 2025.

Eligibility Requirements:

Must be a for-profit, storefront business located on or within a five-minute walk of North Street in Downtown Pittsfield.
Must have an active lease or own/operate a storefront in the district.
Must be independently owned (no franchises or chains).
Eligible business types include retail, restaurants, hospitality, bars, and other customer-facing service businesses (e.g., repair, salons, barbers, massage therapy).

Selection Priorities:

Strong storytelling and positive representation of Downtown Pittsfield.
Ability to highlight another neighboring business.
Availability for filming between June 9–13, 2025.
Responsiveness to the radio content production team.

Grant Awards by Business Size:

4 awards for businesses with 1–3 employees
3 awards for businesses with 4–9 employees
3 awards for businesses with 10+ employees

Selected businesses will be required to participate in filming coordination and provide input on campaign messaging. A final review meeting will be held at the end of the summer campaign.

Applications can be submitted at https://downtownpittsfield.com/2025/05/hey-neighbor-grants/.

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Pittsfield Cannabis Cultivator Plans Dispensary

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:57PM / Friday, December 26, 2025

PITTSFIELD. Mass. — A cannabis cultivator and manufacturer has opted to sell its products on site in Downing Parkway.

The Zoning Board of Appeals this month approved a special permit for J-B.A.M. Inc. to operate a dispensary out of its existing grow facility. There will only be changes to the interior of 71 Downing Parkway, as there will be less than 500 square feet of retail space in the 20,000-square-foot building.

"My only concern would be the impact, and really would be traffic, which I don't think is excessive, the odor, if there was one, but that doesn't seem to be an issue, and I think it's a good location for a marijuana facility," board member Thomas Goggins said.

The company's indoor cultivation site plan was approved in 2019, an amendment to add manufacturing and processing in 2021, and on the prior day, a new site plan to add a retail dispensary was approved by the Community Development Board.

J-B.A.M. cannabis products are available in local dispensaries.

The interior of the facility will be divided to accommodate an enclosed check-in area, front entrance, retail lobby, secure storage room, offices, and two bathrooms. There are 27 parking spaces for the facility, which is sufficient for the use.

No medical or recreational cannabis uses are permitted within 500 feet of a school or daycare, a setback that is met, and the space is within an industrial park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

"The applicant desires the restructuring of the business to be more competitive in the industry with the ability to grow and sell their own cannabis products so they have more financial stability," Chair Albert Ingegni III, read from the application.

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