LYNN — Several Union Street businesses will be getting a facelift thanks to the City’s partnership with a state program geared to spurring economic development in Gateway Cities.
MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) will provide $125,000 in grant funding for businesses to obtain new signage, awnings and windows, according to Tristan Foley, a TDI fellow who has been based in Lynn since September 2022. An additional $50,000 will be added in response to requests from TDI District business owners for increased pedestrian safety and foot traffic by providing enhanced lighting and street safety interventions. The objective of the program is to increase the appeal of the TDI District to visitors and ensure that the pedestrian experience matches the welcoming identity of Union Street.
Six businesses successfully applied for the grants. They include Antojitos Chapines restaurant, Susan’s Beauty Salon, City Nails, Blanquita’s restaurant, Lesli’s Market and El Gran Jaguar restaurant. Antojitos Chapines, Susan’s and City Nails will share a facade while maintaining their individual identity.
The City’s Department of Community Development offers a Commercial Facade Program grant of up to $4,000. Foley said he heard from businesses who were seeking help in redesigning their storefronts. The City contracted with Gamble Associates, an architecture, urban design and planning firm, to provide design concepts, color schemes and other branding. Gamble participated in the evaluation of the grant applications.
“We wanted business owners to be in the driver’s seat,” said Foley, who works out of the Planning Department in City Hall. “We are trying to create momentum within the community by connecting people with resources.”
The Union Street project fits with the TDI economic-development philosophy that emphasizes place-based opportunities and community wealth-building from the ground up.
“The City appreciates the ongoing partnership with MassDevelopment that provides opportunities like the Union Street storefront program,” said Mayor Jared C. Nicholson. “The more resources we can offer businesses, the more they will thrive, which benefits everyone.”
Lynn is one of 13 Gateway Cities with a TDI fellow. TDI uses an accelerator model that commits intensive resources to a TDI district for a defined period of time — in Foley’s case, a 3-year term. TDI uses a toolbox approach, implementing a range of programs based on partnership building and community engagement.
Since the TDI program started in 2015, the program has invested $45 million in 28 TDI districts. That investment has leveraged an additional $168 million in public funding and $322 million in private and philanthropic investments in the districts.
