CHR’s new locale is welcome news
Whether it’s an abandoned house in a residential neighborhood or an empty commercial building in a business district, nothing goes against the image of prosperity more than a vacant building.
That’s why recent news a vacant commercial structure on Main Street — which isn’t even that old — will be developed should be considered welcome news.
Since 2018, the former Dollar Tree building at 1310 Main St. in the Tyler Square complex has stood empty with “for lease” signs plastered all over.
The Dollar Tree moved across the street to 1315 Main St. for the newly renovated University Plaza, which is also home to Planet Fitness and Moe’s Southwest Grill.
While the remodeled University Plaza was celebrated, it did create somewhat of an eyesore with an empty Tyler Square building.
But not any more.
It was announced over the spring that Community Health Resources, a statewide nonprofit behavioral health center with a presence locally, would take over the old Dollar Tree as a new, behavioral health care center.
It will lease the building from the owner, Norwich Realty Inc.
According to CHR, which has a smaller facility on Valley Street, the move will allow the organization to better provide addiction and mental health services to the community.
This comes at a time for increased demand for such services, a situation that is hardly improved during a global pandemic.
Renovations are expected to be finished over the winter, which should be perfect timing for folks suffering from various sorts of emotional maladies.
With South Windham and downtown experiencing or about to experience a wave of commercial development, Windham is still on the upswing.
But it must keep an eye out for the isolated, empty structures like the old Dollar Tree.
Visually, when empty, they don’t engender much community confidence in the economic development department.
Thankfully, with CHR moving into 1310 Main St., at least one more site can be checked off the list of vacancies locally.
There’s still work to be done to finish the list.
Read the full Chronicle article here.