LYNN – The MBTA held a presentation and Q&A on Thursday to discuss redevelopment options for the garage on Broad Street.
The initial concept to revitalize the garage was first unveiled by the MBTA in December 2024, and the recent meeting at the Lynn Museum and Arts Center was held to share updates and gather community input regarding appropriate steps to move forward.
“The garage is a critical part of our downtown. It links the waterfront, which is such a big source for our hopes for the future, and the downtown, where so much of our economic activity happens. It can be a huge asset to link the two if this project is done right,” said Mayor Jared Nicholson.
MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said, “Stations are the gateway to cities and our systems. It’s important for people to take pride in their stations and want to use public transportation.
“We want to make sure we give the community an opportunity to hear what we’ve been discussing and to get real feedback. This feedback will help us make decisions that’s best for the MBTA and the city of Lynn.”
MBTA Deputy Chief of Transit Oriented Development Jennifer Mecca said that the garage’s structure is in good condition for its age. Given this, she laid out the MBTA’s current redevelopment ideas into three main options:
- A full rehabilitation
- Rehabilitating the south garage and deconstructing the north garage
- Full redevelopment that involves deconstructing the full garage
Mecca said with the project, the MBTA has goals to maintain the garage’s access to transportation, work with agencies to secure public funding, and to ensure that the project is feasible both short term and long term.
Community feedback involved questions and comments about the garage’s safety, comfortability, funding, aesthetics, parking services, and environmentally friendly practices.
“All the input from today was awesome. It is so helpful to hear directly from the community, and this team has been phenomenal. I know there’s a lot of work and a lot of questions, but we’re rolling up our sleeves everyday to make sure that we get this right,” Sen. Brendan Crighton said.
To ask questions or provide comments regarding the MBTA Lynn garage redevelopment project, inquiries can be sent to [email protected]
