Orange EDIC Awarded $200,000 in State Funding to Support Butterfield School Redevelopment
ORANGE, MA, Oct. 6 2026 — The Orange Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (OEDIC) is getting a major boost to its efforts to redevelop the former Butterfield School, with the award of $200,000 in grant funding through the state’s Community One Stop for Growth initiative.
OEDIC has been notified by MassDevelopment of two separate grant awards:
- $100,000 from the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund. This funding will enable OEDIC to undertake a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) to identify whether hazardous substances, petroleum products or other environmental contaminants are present in soil or groundwater on the 2.1-acre property.
- $100,000 from the Underutilized Properties Program. This funding can be used to advance the redevelopment effort through pre-construction feasibility, planning and design work.
The Community One Stop for Growth, overseen by the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED), makes it easier for cities, towns and organizations to access state funding for projects that create housing, strengthen downtowns, prepare sites for development, build construction, and support local economic growth.
“OEDIC is focused on creating a new use for the historic former Butterfield School that stimulates economic growth, supports downtown revitalization, generates much-needed tax revenue for the town, and addresses pressing community needs such as housing,” said Thomas Sexton, chair of the seven-member OEDIC Board of Directors. “The One Stop funding will support key redevelopment activities identified in the town’s long-range comprehensive plan and help ensure a successful project.”
MassDevelopment President and CEO Navjeet Bal said: “Through One Stop, the state delivers critical funding and technical assistance that goes a long way in helping communities bring transformative economic development projects to life. We look forward to seeing these resources advance housing construction, business growth, and community development across Massachusetts.”
The MassDevelopment award to OEDIC complements the $2.3 million in One Stop funding awarded to the Town of Orange under the HousingWorks Infrastructure Program. That grant will support construction of roadway improvements and installation of new water, sewer, drainage and stormwater management infrastructure on South Main Street. The state sees those town infrastructure improvements as helping to enable and support redevelopment of the Butterfield site and the surrounding corridor.
OEDIC and Town Manager Matthew Fortier coordinated their One Stop grant applications to try to deliver the best results for Orange, receiving strong support from elected officials, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, and state planning agencies.
All Signs Point to Housing as Project Cornerstone
Based on the work OEDIC has done thus far and on conversations with government officials and potential developers, the Butterfield reuse will need to include housing, due to the availability of funding for that purpose and the opportunity to address an identified community need. Other complementary uses could also be built into the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP), including a senior center for town residents. The project could also include refurbishment of the school’s auditorium and/or gymnasium, together with public use of those facilities and outdoor recreational space on the grounds.
OEDIC assumed ownership of the site after voters at the Orange annual town meeting in June 2025 authorized the Select Board to convey the property “for the purpose of facilitating beneficial reuse and redevelopment.” The property includes four contiguous parcels and features the closed 2½-story, 37,500 square-foot school built in 1878.
In January 2026, OEDIC received a number of responses and inquiries after releasing a Request for Interest (RFI) seeking qualified developers for the potential purchase and redevelopment of the Butterfield site.
Next Steps: Community Engagement and RFP
As the next step in the process, OEDIC is planning a community engagement effort. It is expected to include a public tour of Butterfield in November, a meeting on Nov. 17 at Town Hall to review the project and seek public input, an online community survey, and a community engagement summary report. OEDIC’s Board of Directors voted last week to partner on the community engagement work with Resilience Planning, which managed a similar effort as part of the Grow Orange 2035 long-range comprehensive plan.
The community engagement results will help feed the development of the formal RFP that OEDIC expects to release sometime during the first few months of 2027. The intent is to generate redevelopment proposals by midyear and to select a developer later in the year.
Contact:
Thomas Sexton, Chair
Orange Economic Development & Industrial Corp.
tsexton@developingorange.com
617 413 1490
