LYNN — The construction of a $23 million, 72-unit condominium building on Blossom Street is underway.
Developer Patrick McGrath said his team broke ground on the project about a month ago, and anticipates construction at 164 Blossom St. will be completed in 11 months.
“We’re in the ground and we’re just starting,” said McGrath. “(I’m) very excited.”
McGrath was cleared to start construction after receiving approval from the Conservation Commission and Site Plan Review Committee for the project.
The site’s vacant building, which formerly housed a transmission business, has been torn down to make room for the five-story condominium building.
The first floor will be for parking and the top floors will consist of mostly one-bedroom condos, which will sell for about $300,000. McGrath said he plans to start listing the condos on Jan. 1.
James M. Cowdell, executive director of the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn, said the project is “another significant development in Lynn.
“Despite COVID, we continue to see major investments being made,” Cowdell said.
McGrath said there have been no challenges with the site, and notes that the project began on time, which is a vastly different scenario than the opposition he faced with his initial proposal for the site.
The developer had initially planned to build a six-story storage facility at the Blossom Street site, which was opposed by Mayor Thomas M. McGee and ultimately rejected by the Zoning Board of Appeals in April 2019.
The City Council had offered unanimous support for the proposed 100,000 square-foot storage facility, but McGee said it did not fit into the city’s vision for its waterfront.
“The mayor didn’t want it. It wasn’t in his vision, so we just backed off and we’re going to do residential,” McGrath said in January, noting that he decided to stick with the site because of its proximity to the ferry terminal, commuter rail and bus line.
