At its August 18th meeting, the Granby Board of Selectmen (BoS) unanimously approved a revised long-term Lease and Use Agreement with the Friends of Holcomb Farm, marking an exciting new chapter for the farm and the Granby community.
This updated agreement gives the Friends stewardship of the former United Methodist Church property at 87 Simsbury Road — including the land, barn, and building now owned by the Town. The move follows a detailed proposal, presented to the BoS in May, which showed how the building could be repurposed to support Holcomb Farm’s growing operations and benefit Granby, without cost to taxpayers. (See June 2025 Drummer.)
After the unanimous vote, First Selectman Mark Fiorentino said, “This is another example of the Town working with its community partners for the benefit of our taxpayers. This is a valuable new asset, and the Friends’ plans to put it to use will bring even more benefits.” Referring to the Friends’ Fresh Access program, which makes a portion of the food grown at the farm available to those less fortunate, Town Manager Mike Walsh added, “Repatriating 87 Simsbury Road into the existing Holcomb Farm property allows a very good thing, Fresh Access, to be that much better.”
With the agreement in place, the Friends can now launch their “Building for Our Future” campaign to fund the necessary renovations of the building. The planned uses of the building will strengthen the nonprofit’s financial foundation and increase its positive impact on Granby and the region.
Jenny Emery, Friends of Holcomb Farm Board President, expressed excitement for what she calls a “transformative” opportunity. “Right now, with limited space, Holcomb Farm brings more than 500 families to Granby every week during the summer — 70 percent of them from out of town — to pick up their CSA shares. With this new building, we can expand our Winter CSA and attract visitors year-round. We’ll also open a year-round Farm Store featuring products from many of Granby’s farms. Our staff will finally have proper workspaces, and, when funding allows, we envision building a commercial kitchen to create value-added products right on site.”
The barn and land are already being folded into the farm’s operations, and plans for the building renovations have been developed. A building committee will oversee construction.
Now fundraising will begin, in earnest. Emery reports that the Friends are not starting from ground zero. In anticipation of this opportunity coming to fruition, several grants already have been awarded, and several generous donations already have been pledged.
The hope is that the project will attract a broad base of support. As Town Manager Walsh says: “Farmer Joe (O’Grady), his work crew, the Friends volunteers, and all the supportive residents make Holcomb Farm a one-of-a-kind gem synonymous with Granby.”