A quick drive along Route 18 reveals a commercial corridor in a state or change.
But a drive along Rt. 139 through North Abington Center shows a business district that looks almost exactly as it did at the turn of the century.
The town is hoping to leverage a pair of state grants into new private investments that bring some new life to the downtown area.
The town’s Planning Department is hosting a public meeting Tuesday to solicit ideas from residents – particularly those who live in and around the center – on ways to beautify the area and make it more appealing.
“Some of these small impacts make a big difference,” said Town Planner Liz Shea.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 11, at 6 p.m. at Martin’s Restaurant.
Abington has received two grants from the state aimed at revitalizing the business district, which has failed to see the same level of private investment similar areas in Whitman and Rockland received during the recent, lengthy economic upswing.
The town has $25,000 to make some streetscape and beautification improvements, and $100,000 for “economic development” efforts for the area.
Shea said the town is working with a consulting group, Innes Associates, to create an action plan.
She said the group is looking for ideas from residents on ways to most effectively use the $25,000 on a beautification effort. Those ideas could include benches, planters, improved street lighting, or even a pocket park.
The $100,000 will likely be used to create a grant fund for North Abington Center businesses that make improvements to their facades. The matching funds, up to a certain amount, could be used for new signage, purchase window boxes, install new doors and windows, or help offset the cost of other storefront improvements.
The details of how that grant program will work are still being worked out.
Over the past 15 years, only two properties in North Abington Center have undergone major overhauls. The building that housed Bemis Drug for decades prior to its closure in 2021 was recently rehabbed and split into two retail storefronts. And Old Town Cafe opened in 2013 at 222 North Avenue after a major fire destroyed Morrell Country Kitchen the year before.