The City has received a $1.2 million state grant to support infrastructure improvements related to the upcoming Samuels development at 830 Lynnway.
The Samuels development will include 850 units of mixed-income housing, 26,000 square feet of retail space, and an 8-acre public park. At a projected $450 million, it represents the biggest private development project ever in Lynn.
The funding came from the state’s Community One Stop for Growth program, in which communities can apply for multiple grants in the same portal. This particular grant is a Mass Works infrastructure grant, according to Jamie Marsh, Community Development director.
This One Stop grant funding will be used for engineering and designing the grading of the park, shoreline restoration, utility work, and improvements to the steel bulkhead, Marsh said.
“It’s all pre-development work, similar to what we are currently working on along Hanson Street in association with the Shipwright development,” Marsh said. “We utilize these funds to improve public infrastructure where development will occur.”
Marsh said this will be the seventh Mass Works infrastructure project the city has received funding for through the One Stop grant, a program that provides a single portal where municipalities can apply for multiple grants. Other ongoing projects that have received funding include Market Street, the Broad and Washington streets intersection and the entrance to Harbor Park.
“Lynn has benefited immensely from the One Stop for Growth program, which enables us to invest in public infrastructure and deliver projects that transform our community,” said Mayor Jared C. Nicholson. “This funding supports our ongoing work on the waterfront to ensure the city is primed for development and strengthened in climate resiliency.”
The Samuels project is expected to bring in $120 million in taxes over a 30-year period. Ten percent of the housing units will be reserved for families at no more than 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). The project is expected to generate hundreds of construction and retail jobs.
“This grant funding will allow us to continue the momentum we have been building on the waterfront, from the ferry to the development of Harbor Park to the creation of hundreds of housing units,” said James Cowdell, executive director of EDIC/Lynn, which hosts the ferry at its dock on Blossom Street Extension. “The Samuels Development will be a gamechanger for the city.”
“This is another important investment toward helping our waterfront reach its full potential,” said State Rep. Sean Reid. “We’ve already seen significant progress, and we thank the Healey-Driscoll administration for furthering our efforts to make this area more accessible and functional for residents to use in multiple ways.”
“After decades of collaboration and work, the legislative delegation is thrilled that this state funding was secured to help develop the South Harbor site,” said Senator Brendan Crighton. “Infrastructure investments through Mass Works have successfully supported mixed use developments across the Commonwealth. This transit oriented development will not only create housing and retail, but will reconnect residents with their waterfront, which will include new parks and public amenities.”
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