EASTHAMPTON — The city’s downtown business district has shed one of its longtime vacant properties.

The dilapidated building that previously housed the Hurry & Scurry printing and copying business at 118 Union St. was demolished early Thursday to make way for the construction of a new mixed-use residential and retail structure.

The Planning Department approved site plans in December 2021 to construct a 2.5-story building with two commercial spaces on the first floor and two, two-bedroom market-rate apartments on the second floor, according to City Planner Jeff Bagg. The site will also have eight parking spaces with access from Payson Avenue.

“It’s easily the most asked about property in town,” Bagg said. “It’s great the owners were able to go through all the permitting required, and gathered the funds needed to do the project. It’ll help activate and fill a gap in that part of Union Street.”

The new 2,025-square-foot building will be constructed on essentially the same footprint as the previous building, but will be squared within the property to better fit into approved setbacks and property limits, according to the project narrative put forward by T. Reynolds Engineering of Florence on behalf of Matthew Gawle.

The proposal to demolish the building and redevelop the site was met with excitement as the building has remained vacant since current owner, Bernard Gawle, purchased the property for $80,000 from David MacCrae in 1999. The building was originally constructed in 1910.

Hurry & Scurry, which was owned by William MacRae, opened at 118 Union St. in Easthampton in 1984. The business dissolved in November 1998, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Corporations Division.

“Is it wrong to sound excited? The public has waited a long time for this to happen,” James Zarvis, Planning Board member, said at the December 2021 meeting.

Gwynne Morrissey, chairwoman of the city’s Economic Development & Industrial Commission, also expressed wholehearted support for the project.

In proposing an ordinance that was designed to curb the city’s economic blight and encourage better use of the abandoned and vacant properties, the commission had identified the property as one of 17 vacant commercial and industrial properties on Main, Union and Northampton streets in the downtown.

“I am 1,000% hurray-ing the goodbye to Hurry & Scurry and the hello to any retail and housing for Easthampton which is at such a premium. It’s really very exciting,” Morrissey had said.

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>