LYNN — Mayor Thomas M. McGee stressed the importance of adhering to COVID-19 guidelines and touted Lynn’s bright future coming out of the pandemic in his annual Greater Lynn State of the Region address Wednesday morning.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has truly been an unprecedented challenge for our community, especially for our local businesses,” McGee said as he addressed attendees virtually. “While this last year has not been easy, we are optimistic for the future of the city of Lynn.”
Three years ago, the city faced a severe financial deficit and needed to borrow $14 million from the state. Before last spring, McGee said, the city had attracted interested investors and broke ground on a number of new mixed-use developments, meaning that before the coronavirus hit the North Shore in March, Lynn was finally in a position to move forward toward a balanced budget.
McGee noted that a number of new businesses had managed to open despite the pandemic, pointing to “significant improvements” in the city’s infrastructure and development.
“As you can see, 2020 was a year that presented a number of challenges. Despite all of that, however, the city of Lynn is still in a positive position when it comes to future economic development and business growth.”
McGee also touted Lynn’s racial justice efforts over the last year, noting the city was one of only six communities selected for a technical assistance grant offered jointly by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Boston Federal Reserve Bank, and the Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE). The grant was meant to assist the city in creating a Racial Equity Municipal Action Plan by the end of 2021.
“We have established an internal core team of city and community partners willing to take on this challenge,” McGee said, adding that he had met consistently with the newly formed Lynn Racial Justice Coalition, which came together after a citizen petition for police reform was presented last summer.
During his report on transportation and housing development, McGee referred to a number of upcoming Transportation Improvement Projects that will be completed on Euclid Avenue, Essex Street, and Western Avenue in the coming months in an effort to reimagine Lynn’s streetscape and create more accessible and safer transit options for residents.
He added that additional housing projects are currently in the works in the city’s downtown area on Baldwin Street and Central Square, the site of the old Porthole Pub on the Lynnway, and the former Union Hospital site on Lynnfield Street.
“This is a city that embraces its diversity as a strength of our community and is uniquely positioned to attract new business as the gateway of Essex County and the North Shore,” McGee said. “Lynn has been one of the hardest-hit communities in Massachusetts by the COVID-19 pandemic and our local businesses have been the most adversely affected.
“This past year has been incredibly challenging, but we are a resilient community and I am confident we will bring ourselves back better than ever before. We will get through this together.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected]. Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected].
