MassDevelopment

New Bedford Team Lands Grant for New Shipyard at Revere Copper Site


July 23, 2020 : WBSM, by Mary Serreze


A father and son team who plan to build a new commercial shipyard at the former Revere Copper site at the north end of the Port of New Bedford have landed a $735,000 grant from MassDevelopment.

East Coast Fabrication, Inc., will use Site Readiness Progam funds to support development at the 13-acre Revere Mills site by helping fund the replacement of the existing and failing sheet pile and timber bulkhead, the quasi-public economic development agency announced this week.

Last year Shoreline Resources, LLC purchased the 14-acre Revere Copper Products property for $50,000. The LLC represents father and son Charlie and Michael Quinn, longtime participants in the commercial fishing industry as owners of Quinn Fisheries, Standard Marine Outfitters, and East Coast Fabrication, a ship repair business. They previously said building a commercial shipyard at the site would be made possible by the city's harbor dredging project. Mayor Jon Mitchell and other leaders have said such a facility would help support and grow the city's marine economy, including fishing, cargo shipping, and offshore wind staging.

State Sen. Mark Montigny praised the grant announcement. “This funding will enhance opportunities for significant economic development and job creation along New Bedford’s robust working waterfront,” said Montigny, who added he supported the Site Readiness Program in 2016 economic development legislation. “I wish to thank the Quinn family for their ongoing efforts to transform this old, empty industrial site into an economic engine for our city.”

“The Site Readiness Program is a key tool to help communities reach local and regional economic development goals,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “These awards will assist in community stabilization efforts, including downtown revitalization, helping advance prime locations to shovel readiness to spur investment and job growth.”

The Site Readiness Program aims to boost Massachusetts’ supply of large, well-located, project-ready sites, accelerate private-sector investment in industrial and commercial projects, and support the conversion of abandoned sites and obsolete facilities into clean, actively used, tax-generating properties. Created as part of the 2016 Act Relative to Job Creation and Workforce Development, the first three rounds included $6.75 million for 36 projects across the state. In March, the Baker administration filed new legislation authorizing another $15 million for the program.