Salem Point Neighborhood To Be Revamped With $80.5K Grant

September 21, 2021 : The Daily Item, by Katelyn Sahagian

SALEM ― North Shore Community Development Coalition (North Shore CDC) has received a grant of $80,500 from MassDevelopment to perform environmental site assessments at four different locations in the Point neighborhood of the city.

“I’m grateful to MassDevelopment for the agency’s continued support for and investment in Salem and the Point neighborhood, especially,” said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.“This funding will help the North Shore CDC and North Shore Community Health continue their evaluation of a potentially landmark project that would create more affordable housing for Salem seniors and allow the community health center to expand and modernize the critical services they provide our residents.”

North Shore Community Health is collaborating with North Shore CDC to start building the South River Revitalization Project, an effort to bring health care, nonprofit organizations, and senior housing to the area where downtown Salem intersects with the Point.

North Shore Community Health currently operates out of 47 Congress St. in downtown Salem, but that location cannot keep up with the demand, said the center in a press release. The move will put the North Shore Community Health at the corner of Derby and Lafayette streets.

The plots being assessed by North Shore CDC are located at 9 Peabody St. and 73, 75, and 83-85 Lafayette St. Currently, they are a mix of unused parking lots and underutilized commercial and residential properties. North Shore Bank, which currently operates at 73 Lafayette St., will remain in the development.

“We are very excited to see the culmination of many years of work towards a new Salem Family Health Center,” said North Shore Community Health Center President and CEO Margaret Brennan. “MassDevelopment’s critical support to North Shore CDC will be instrumental in helping us realize our goal.”