ATHOL – Community surveys in recent years to determine what can be done to revitalize downtown Athol indicate a desire to see more restaurant options.

To help answer questions on what issues may face potential restaurateurs, the Mass Downtown Initiative has awarded a grant of $25,000 for a Downtown Athol Restaurant Study.

“That money essentially pays for a consultant,” said Planning and Development Director Eric Smith. “They [the downtown initiative] will assign a consultant to us.”

Smith said he expects the consultant assigned to be Peg Barringer, managing director/CEO of FinePoint Associates of Brookline. He said Barringer has already worked on a couple of projects for the town, including the 2017 Downtown Athol Retail Market Assessment and 2020’s Downtown Housing Study. Smith said Barringer recently completed a similar restaurant study for the Town of Stoughton.

“Essentially, the study has three major phases,” said Smith. “The first thing is an assessment of the environment for development operations in downtown Athol. That includes looking at the spaces that may or may not be available for a potential restaurant. What are some of the impediments that exist in trying to open up a restaurant?”

Smith said discussions would be held with Public Health Director Jane O’Brien “about restaurant inquiries, regulations and potential obstacles relative to the food code, safety requirements, things like that. We’d be looking at zoning and permitting requirements, liquor licenses.”

Other issues may include the expense of upgrading available spaces in order to comply with building and fire codes, Smith added.

“We’re hoping to actually have some representatives of potential restaurant owners to be interviewed as well,” said Smith, “as well as talking to existing restaurant owners to get some input from people who are already involved in the industry.”

An updated restaurant market demand analysis would constitute the second phase of the study, Smith said.

“We did have the retail assessment done in 2017 that was showing some modest demand for more restaurants in the downtown, for things like a coffee shop, a bakery,” he added. “There’s plenty of opportunity for something like that, but the right person just hasn’t come along to take on the challenge of opening that.”

The third phase, said Smith, “is looking more broadly at consumer patterns and preference research, as well as also doing some demographic research and supply and demand analysis.”

A survey of Athol residents will also be done to see what kinds of restaurants downtown needs. Input from the Downtown Vitality Committee will likely be solicited.

“What we want to do in the end,” Smith continued, “is to try to mitigate inhibiting factors in order to help with restaurant development. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Smith said the study will likely begin after the start of the new year, with completion anticipated by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, 2025.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.