LYNN — The City Council unanimously voted to approve the establishment of a redevelopment authority to continue the momentum of the city’s waterfront redevelopment projects.
The South Harbor Implementation Plan (SHIP) was created in 2023 to articulate the infrastructure investments needed to support future development in the South Harbor neighborhood to help create job and housing opportunities.
While there has been much progress made and planned with SHIP so far, the Lynn Planning Department has faced major roadblocks with both Gearworks and National Grid properties when it comes to future waterfront development.
Gearworks and National Grid own acres of vacant or “underutilized” properties in Lynn. According to Principal Planning Director Aaron Clausen, both entities have been unreliable with communication despite the planning department’s persistence.
Clausen said, “The more these (properties) just sit and do nothing, it impacts tax revenue, services, housing, and access to jobs.”
In response to community input, the planning department requested the formation of a redevelopment authority to create an urban renewal plan.
Clausen said, “This urban renewal authority and its next steps, if adopted, is a significant tool for us as a community to help be intentional and aggressive about redeveloping these properties.”
Clausen said that the urban renewal plan would “give us the ability to pursue eminent domain, taking over these properties for economic purposes.” He also mentioned that it would create more opportunity for public engagement to inform the planning process.
The future urban renewal plan would have to be approved by the City Council, the Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Cooperation, the city’s planning board, and ultimately the state.
The urban renewal plan will be overseen by EDIC, and Executive Director James Cowdell talked about what the redevelopment authority will mean for the city.
“Thanks to the thoughtful, thorough, and methodical planning, we have seen significant progress in the development of the waterfront, from the North Harbor to the South Harbor, Harbor Park, and the hugely successful Lynn ferry,” Cowdell said.
Cowdell continued, “We are at the point where we can no longer afford to sit idly by while these vacant and contaminated stuck parcels literally serve as an obstacle to progress. The formation of this authority is a critical step in the City’s efforts to predict the problem, and we are determined to be successful.”
Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan voiced his approval for the urban renewal plan, which stems from his frustration over the vacant Gearworks and National Grid properties.
Hogan said, “We want to make the message real clear to the people that are holding on to these lands and making the city messy. We’re not going to be putting up with this anymore. We’re going to take action.”
Associate Planning Director Lauren Drago said the goal of the urban renewal plan is to motivate Gearworks and National Grid to be more cooperative when it comes to the city’s waterfront development efforts.
Drago said, “We’ve been using every tool at our disposal, and we’re not seeing any progress, so this is what we’re resorting to. This is just the beginning of a process. I hope that we don’t even have to see it to an end.”
Drago added, “I hope the property owners respond to us and want to see meaningful progress. But for a long time, it has been good enough for them to do nothing, and we as a community bear the burden of that.”
Mayor Jared Nicholson expressed his support for City Council approving the redevelopment authority.
Nicholson said, “This is an important step forward in our collective efforts to develop the waterfront in ways that maximize its valuable potential and truly benefits and includes our community. We are building on years of community input to recognize the opportunity that exists and look forward to further community engagement to get more specific plans.”
