Healey-Driscoll Administration Celebrates Over $1.3 Million in Grants Through the Community One Stop for Growth
Brownfields Redevelopment Fund to Support Eight Projects Across Massachusetts
December 5, 2023
LYNN — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration joined state and local officials in Lynn to celebrate awards through the state’s Community One Stop for Growth, including $1,340,000 in grants from the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund.
In October, the Administration announced $164 million for 338 grant awards through the One Stop to support local economic development projects in 161 communities across the state.
“Our Administration has been committed to environmental justice since day one, and that includes helping communities clean up properties that are contaminated or polluted,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The revitalization of these sites is critical to both public health and economic development, clearing the way for the construction of much-needed housing and new businesses in our communities.”
“The rehabilitation of contaminated properties can be a gamechanger for entire neighborhoods, but brownfield properties are challenging, expensive projects for cities and towns to tackle on their own,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “The state’s Brownfields Redevelopment Fund provides municipal partners with the resources they need to unlock these kinds of development opportunities within their communities.”
“Across the state, so many transformative projects became a reality thanks to the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund,” said Secretary of Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao. “This program is one of the most powerful tools we have to help remove barriers to positive redevelopment, and the grants awarded today will bring several early-stage, municipally owned sites back for productive uses.”
“Cleaning up contaminated and blighted sites helps turn the page on these properties so they can meaningfully contribute to neighborhood and community goals with housing, jobs, and more,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. “MassDevelopment is grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Legislature for their steadfast support of the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund, which over the past 25 years has supported the revitalization of hundreds of environmentally challenging sites.”
Administered by MassDevelopment, the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund helps to transform vacant, abandoned, or underused industrial or commercial properties by financing the environmental assessment and remediation of brownfield sites throughout Massachusetts. This year’s awards will support the environmental assessment or remediation of eight sites across the state. From the Fund’s inception in 1998 through FY23, it has supported 796 awards for a total investment of more than $120.1 million.
“Thank you to MassDevelopment, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, and local officials who worked hard to move this project forward,” said Senator Brendan Crighton. “This funding not only addresses potential environmental concerns but also plays a vital role in paving the way for the building's rehabilitation and the continued offering of essential community services.”
“We are grateful for MassDevelopment’s financial support to address one of the largest environmental catastrophes that impacts meaningful development in the Willow Street area of Downtown Lynn,” said Representative Dan Cahill. “The eventual clean up of this area will one day open up prime parcels in the heart of our downtown for future mixed-use projects.”
“This One Stop for Growth grant will help us address a critical site right in the heart of our downtown, improving environmental health and safety at a site where important services are provided and moving us closer towards stitching back together a neighborhood disrupted by pollution,” said Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson.
Brownfields Redevelopment Fund Awards
City of Attleboro – $165,000
The City of Attleboro will use this grant for the ongoing cleanup of the site of the former American Metalcraft building at 53 Falmouth St., advancing its goal to auction the property for redevelopment into multifamily housing or mixed uses. Funds will be used to hire a Licensed Site Professional, and to transport and remove contaminated soils from the project site.
City of Brockton – $75,000
The City of Brockton will use this grant for the parcel at 307 Montello Ave., just a short distance from the MBTA Commuter Rail station. Funds will be used to complete the assessment process to prepare the site for remediation and redevelopment.
Brockton Redevelopment Authority – $150,000
The Brockton Redevelopment Authority will use this grant to undertake a scope of work to address data gaps in environmental site information and develop a conceptual plan to address potential environmental issues at 44 Frederick Douglass Ave. The plan will also provide an estimated range of remedial costs associated with the proposed site redevelopment.
Town of Clinton – $250,000
The Town of Clinton will use grant funds to remove a 3,700-ton contaminated debris pile at 172 Sterling St. that was left over from building demolition in 2008. The work will also include the preparation of a site plan, property survey, and amending of the existing Activity and Use Limitation on the site.
Town of Hanson – $100,000
The Town of Hanson will use this grant to advance the commercial or industrial redevelopment of 9.3-acre property at 100 Hawkes Ave. Funds will be used to assess the site for any potential impacts to soil and groundwater before the town moves forward with determining the best use for the property and attracting potential developers.
City of Lynn – $100,000
The City of Lynn will use this grant to assess potential hazardous building materials, underground storage tanks, buried construction and demolition debris, and other environmental concerns at the Lynn Multi-Services Center building and property at 100 Willow St. and 55-61 Liberty St. This project will clear a major obstacle to the rehabilitation of the building and the long-term protection of community services it provides.
City of Revere – $250,000
The City of Revere will use this grant to advance a portion of a larger municipal park redevelopment and climate resiliency project that will complement the city’s Riverfront Master Plan. Funds will be used to assess and remediate the parcel at 29 Thayer Ave. to further the next phase of project development.
Town of Westford – $250,000
The Town of Westford will use this grant to remediate and advance the redevelopment of the abandoned mill property at 12 North Main St. Funds will be used to continue the ongoing cleanup of the site, including the required removal and hauling of soils.
About the Community One Stop for Growth
The Community One Stop for Growth is an annual program overseen by the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) that provides a streamlined process for cities and towns to apply for 13 state grant programs administered by EOED, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and the quasi-public agency MassDevelopment. Programs in the One Stop fund economic development projects related to community capacity building, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, infrastructure, and housing development. To learn more about the One Stop, visit www.mass.gov/guides/community-one-stop-for-growth.
About MassDevelopment
MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2023, MassDevelopment financed or managed 545 projects generating investment of more than $2 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,522 jobs and build or preserve 1,583 housing units.
