LYNN — The city is moving forward with a proposal to preserve and upgrade the key community Multi-Service Center while expanding supportive housing for residents experiencing homelessness.
In January 2026, the city issued a request for proposals to sell two city-owned properties: the Multi-Service Center at 100 Willow St. and a nearby city-owned parking lot at 67–61 Liberty St.
The city received a single qualifying bid from Atlantis Investments, which is now being advanced.
The proposal would maintain the Multi-Service Center as a hub for critical services while introducing significant building upgrades and constructing 44 units of affordable, supportive housing nearby.
Danya Smith, the mayor’s office senior director of policy and intergovernmental affairs, said the project addresses long-standing infrastructure and housing needs at once.
“As part of the sale, Atlantis Investments will make long-needed capital improvements to the Multi-Service Center that the City could not otherwise afford, while preserving longstanding services and tenants such as My Brother’s Table and Healthy Streets,” he said.
Organizations currently operating in the building, including My Brother’s Table and Healthy Streets, would remain under long-term leases, while Eliot Community Human Services is expected to expand its presence in the center.
“This (proposal) also includes the creation of 44 units of supportive housing for Lynn residents that have experienced homelessness,” Smith stated.
Atlantis Investments plans to invest roughly $2 million in upgrades to the Multi-Service Center.
A separate $8 million project would fund construction of the new housing units on Liberty Street, which would be operated by Eliot Community Human Services and include on-site support, security, and parking.
“These new units will help stabilize residents with housing and supportive services,” he added.
He emphasized that the location is well-suited for the project. “The Multi-Service Center already functions as a service hub, which makes the nearby parking lot site an appropriate location for supportive housing,” he stated.
“We also received funding from MassDevelopment in previous years to do environmental remediation on the parking lot site for redevelopment into housing,” he continued.
Support services for future residents will be comprehensive. “Services will be overseen by Eliot Community Human Services and will include ongoing case management, service coordination, financial literacy, employment readiness, and more,” Smith said.
“We support a project that calls for improvements that will benefit those who receive critical assistance from the organizations long housed at the multi-service center,” Mayor Jared C. Nicholson stated.
The Lynn City Council recently awarded the bid to Atlantis Investments.
“Next steps involve finalizing and executing a development agreement prior to completing the sale,” Smith added.
Smith also shared that “Atlantis Investments expects housing construction to begin later this year, with approximately one year before occupancy.”
Smith stated that additional details will be shared as negotiations are finalized in the coming weeks.
“We look forward to the creation of badly needed affordable housing units that will be geared to people who have experienced homelessness. Providing additional housing opportunities remains a priority, and we will continue to identify projects that address that goal,” Nicholson said.
