LYNN — Community officials from Lynn, Nahant, and Swampscott came together Wednesday morning for the annual Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce State of the Region Address breakfast at St. Mary’s.
At the breakfast, city and town officials discussed what investments their communities are making and what they could improve.
Lynn was addressed first, with Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn Executive Director Jim Cowdell discussing the city’s economic development in recent years.
“In the past, I’ve come up here and I’ve talked about specific projects, and I wanted to take a little bit of a different view and kind of take a big-picture look at the economic-development landscape in the city,” Cowdell said.
Cowdell provided statistics, saying that in 2020, Lynn had around 2,600 businesses. At the end of 2023, the city had more than 3,000.
In 2020, there were 22,000 jobs in the city. Now, the city has more than 25,000 jobs.
Cowdell also discussed infrastructure in the city, including the VA Clinic building’s lease being renewed for another five years, reinstating the Lynn Ferry and adding weekend hours, and the largest private investment in the city’s history, the Gateway to Lynn project.
He said the project includes adding infrastructure to the vacant lot on the South Harbor, which has been bare for 40 years. The infrastructure will include 850 apartment units, 10% of which will be affordable; an 8-acre waterfront park; and a commercial district.
Construction is slated to begin in 12 to 18 months.
Cowdell then introduced Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with seven mayors,” Cowdell said. “And, the person I’m introducing is right at the top of my list. He wakes up and he says, ‘How can we make the city great?’ for his family and for all families.”
Nicholson focused on the importance of education, housing costs, and peace in the community.
“We are seeking to increase access to pre-K education, knowing how valuable those years are for the students’ lives and their futures,” Nicholson said.
In 2023, Nicholson said the school district added 90 spots for 3- and 4-year-old students. Next year, the district is slated to add 200 spots.
Along with that, the city hopes to break ground on the new Pickering Middle School this summer, which will expand capacity by 600 students at the middle-school level.
He also talked about the issue of rising housing costs, saying that the city is partnering with the private sector to create more affordable housing.
Nicholson mentioned projects such as the Solimine House that is being developed to provide affordable housing for seniors, the Gateway to Lynn project, and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that the city implemented last year.
“I think another critical issue that sets the stage for economic development… is achieving peace in our communities. Solving the issues that we have had with community violence,” Nicholson said. “Not only is it a precondition for progress, it’s what our residents deserve. To be able to live in safe communities.”
Nicholson said the city made a commitment to employ every young person who is looking for a job this summer.
This summer, the city’s job program has seen triple the amount of applicants from last summer.
“We also have an incredible strength here in the City of Lynn in our diversity. We’re a young city, we’re a large city, we’re a growing city. People come from all over the world to build a better life here, and it’s a strength,” Nicholson said.
Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald gave an update, primarily focusing on the town’s effort to improve its budgets.
“Our finances were really challenged. We were about $200,000 away from a Proposition 2.5 override. The town had really focused for years to try to tighten up budgets,” Fitzgerald said.
He said that 10 years ago, the town’s single-family tax bill averaged 38% higher than the average tax bill in other Massachusetts cities and towns. Now, the Swampscott average is only 13% higher.
“Swampscott is actually managing some of those costs,” Fitzgerald said.
Like Nicholson, Fitzgerald touched on educational improvements. This August, the town will cut the ribbon on a brand-new consolidated elementary school, which has been a $100 million project.
“Educating the next generation of workforce is so critically important. That school is absolutely outstanding, and I’m proud of that,” Fitzgerald said.
Finally, Nahant Town Administrator Tony Barletta addressed the audience, saying that while Nahant is a bit smaller than its neighbors, it has similar priorities.
“We don’t have a split tax rate, we don’t really have a big commercial base. Our budget is essentially dependent on real-estate taxes and that revenue stream,” Barletta said. “So, we’re highly dependent on programs like the CPA (Community Preservation Act), getting the grants from the state and from the federal level.”
The main economic focus in the town has been on climate-change preparedness and aging infrastructure, Barletta said.
He added that Nahant is working with both state and federal partners to receive grants for projects, including a $4 million grant to rebuild the Short Beach Dune.
Barletta said the town has also expanded its emergency-management staff.
All of the speakers thanked St. Mary’s for hosting the event.
