Whitman Economic Development Committee Rejects Tax Increment Financing, Awaits Downtown Study

WHITMAN — May 14, 2026 — Whitman Economic Development Committee rules out tax increment financing and surveys vacant commercial properties across town. Meeting May 14 with five of seven members present, the committee — led by Chair Justin Evans — unanimously concluded that TIF is unsuitable for Whitman because the town cannot afford to freeze incremental property tax growth from the levy base for any development scenario likely to emerge. Members spent the bulk of the session reviewing underutilized sites including the vacant former Santander bank building, listed at $1.5 million and described by member Dick Bloss as "probably worth half of what they're asking," and the former Stop and Shop strip, where the owner has declined to sell and is seeking a non-grocery lease tenant first. The committee identified the Route 27 corridor near the Brockton line — from McLaughlin Chevrolet to the town boundary — as an overlooked redevelopment area where the town's existing flex overlay district for general business zoning already permits higher-density mixed-use development without further zoning action. The next meeting, set for June 25, is expected to center on a forthcoming Old Colony Planning Council downtown revitalization study and a SWOT analysis of the town's commercial landscape.