Holyoke Disability Commission Approves Wright's Block Variance, Acts on Snow Parking

HOLYOKE -- February 26, 2026, Holyoke's Commission on Disability approved a wheelchair-access variance for the Wright's Block development on High Street and voted to petition the mayor over snow-removal hardships for disabled residents. The commission voted 5-0 at its February 26 meeting to grant the variance requested by developers Vim Toljinski and Bill Waldorf, who are renovating four historic buildings with 19 residential units and multiple storefronts; the pair cited load-bearing walls, federal historic preservation requirements, and a Housing Development Incentive Program grant as constraints on meeting the 60-inch turning-radius requirement at mailbox vestibules. Chair Lynn Heran raised concerns about the application's missing $304,000 building assessment and an inaccurate statement in a Historic Commission letter claiming disability commission support had already been secured. The board also voted 5-0 to support a state bill requiring a two-year warranty on power wheelchairs, which Heran said can cost $50,000 out of pocket, and 5-0 to send the mayor a letter requesting accommodations for disabled residents locked out of their designated accessible parking spaces during Holyoke's four-week winter parking ban.