“The Loft” is Announced to Community in Taunton (5/23/24)
A rendering of T.R.U.E. Diversity’s new space, “The Loft,” in 325 Bay Street.
Tanya Lobo, Executive Director of T.R.U.E. Diversity, hosted a launch event at the Broken Chain Biker Church to announce “The Loft,” a Community Resilience Hub, which will house T.R.U.E.’s educational and cultural programing, and also a host an Urban Room community space and Clean Energy Training Center. T.R.U.E. will work with community partners to renovate 325 Bay Street, formerly Steve’s Appliances, a long-vacant 6,000 sq ft building situated prominently at the corner of Bay St and W Britannia St in the Whittenton neighborhood of Taunton, MA.
T.R.U.E. Diversity is partnering with MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative, The Future of Small Cities Institute, Beacon Climate, and Sovations to transform the space into a Community Resilience Hub.
The event featured renderings of the future space, Cape Verdean food from TJ’s Diner, and a series of presentations from some of the partners involved. Ms. Lobo talked about the formation of T.R.U.E. and having a space of their own been a longtime dream. Their programs, including T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R. Youth Program and R.E.A.D.Y. Workforce development, have been rapidly expanding. Ms. Lobo also acknowledged the incredibly teamwork and collaboration needed to bring a project like The Loft to fruition. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
Misha Thomas, TDI Fellow in Taunton, discussed all the economic development work that TDI is involved with in the Whittenton community, including facade grants, creating a logo for the neighborhood, running events, and securing funding for The Loft construction.
Reif Larsen of The Future of Small Cities Institute described the great opportunity of building an Urban Room, particularly in a community like Whittenton which lacks a “third place” to activate. Participants also filled out Urban Room surveys about what they would like to see in their local community space.
Moneer Azzam of Beacon Climate talked about the concept of “community resilience” and also the The Loft’s sister site, the Riverside Clean Energy Community Resilience Hub, which he is working on with Vanessa Fox of Sovations and the Taunton Housing Authority. Together, the two sites will offer a powerful network of support, facility, and education for the Taunton region and offer a flagship model of community resilience.
Renderings of the Riverside Clean Energy Community Resilience Hub, a sister site to The Loft.
Jon Gray, of Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPPEDD), also spoke about his excitement of seeing the Loft come to fruition and how a Community Resilience Hub can tie into many of SRPEDD’s initiatives, including increasing walkability throughout the region, which is particularly relevant for The Loft as the stretch of Bay Street in front of the building is quite treacherous for pedestrians. Mr. Gray distributed surveys about the Regional Pedestrian plan. He highlighted the great possibilities for collaboration between Wheaton College’s Fab Lab and The Loft’s future Clean Energy Training Center.
Jay Pateakos, Director of Economic and Community Development for the City of Taunton described how hard the city had tried to find a tenant for 325 Bay St. He said The Loft was a inspirational activation of a vacant building and would prove transformational for the neighborhood and the city as a whole.
Overall the evening was a huge success! T.R.U.E. and its partners will be hosting a series of more community events this summer to further gain feedback and conversation about what The Loft will bring to the community.