Daily Hampshire Gazette – Jennifer Hogan: Artists draw young families to Easthampton

I am concerned about the artists living in the Riverside Industry’s building at One Cottage Street. My neighbors, Paul Yandoli and Doris Madsen, have already written letters to the editor. My husband and I moved to Easthampton in 2019. We decided to raise our family in Easthampton because of the rare intersection of the small-town community and arts/culture usually only found in larger cities. We want our children to know their neighbors and community while having exposure to excellent artists and craftsmen. I fear that Easthampton will lose this rare mix that is so alluring to young families like us if the city does not create infrastructure to keep artists in Easthampton and prevent a situation like the one happening between Riverside Industries and our artistic neighbors from happening again. These artists are the lifeblood of our community, they have given us a bright and exciting downtown that families who cannot afford to live in a big city are eager to be apart of. I encourage the city to see the Riverside’s raising of rents as a warning and create a permanent city-owned space for artists.

Jennifer Hogan

Easthampton