After more than a year of planning and six neighborhood meetings, the Lynn Community Development Housing Corporation (LCDHC), in partnership with the Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development, EDIC/Lynn, the Lynn City Council and the office of the mayor will present its master plan for the Washington Street Gateway neighborhood.
The Washington Street Gateway District Plan will be unveiled at an open meeting on Monday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the LHAND, 10 Church St.
"This is the culmination of a year-long process," said LHAND Neighborhood Development Manager Peggy Phelps, who has worked on the project with Director of Planning and Development Norm Cole and Project Coordinator Martha Marquis. "It marks the closure of the planning process and the beginning of the future of this neighborhood."
Technically, the seeds for this master plan were planted five years ago, when the LCDHC and one of the property owners in the neighborhood planned to partner on a 20-unit luxury condominium project on the parcel next to Smuggler's Cove, a bar which closed several months ago. When the condo market went soft, those plans were put on hold and the LCDHC and LHAND decided to take an in-depth look at the entire area, which encompasses lower Washington Street from Broad Street to the Lynnway, and Newhall, Amity, Sagamore, Suffolk, Farrar and Carroll streets.
In January 2007, the LCDHC obtained a $28,000 Neighborhood Planning Initiative grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Development and started working with the LHAND on a master plan for the Washington Street Gateway neighborhood. With support from the EDIC, Sasaki Associates, the company that was working on the Waterfront Master Plan, was hired to facilitate completion of the Washington Street Gateway District Plan.
LCDHC Board members John Pace and Oliver Toomey said the time and effort spent by the housing agency will pay off for the neighborhood as well as the city. "We are excited about the opportunity to work with the neighbors on this long term plan," Pace said.
"The corporation is committed to investing resources in this area with the goal of linking the waterfront to the downtown," Toomey added.
The LCDHC purchased some key properties - a municipal parking lot and former waterbed factory on Suffolk and Sagamore streets, as well as a vacant lot and the Smuggler's Cove property on Washington Street. One of the positive byproducts of the process has been the closing of Smuggler's Cove, a longtime nuisance bar that neighbors continually complained about.
Neighborhood meetings were held from February to December of 2007. A neighborhood cleanup last spring removed more than seven tons of trash and debris. Cole said it became apparent in those meetings that the people who live in the area are happy to be there.
"The residents and business owners we have been meeting with truly care about the future of their neighborhood," Cole said, pointing to the proximity to the downtown and waterfront as obvious advantages. "This is a great opportunity to take a comprehensive look at creating a major redevelopment plan for a neighborhood that has everything going for it."
The plan that will be presented Monday calls for new mixed-use developments along lower Washington Street, with retail on the first floor and residential units above, with the potential for professional office space on the second floor. The goal is to improve the overall quality of the neighborhood while making a connection back to the downtown.
The plan calls for the creation of pocket parks, children's play areas and community open space. It is expected that the streets between Washington and Newhall - Farrar, Suffolk, Sagamore and Amity - will transition to solely residential over time.
"The final plan will be used by LHAND, LCDHC, EDIC and the city of Lynn as a guide for future development and revitalization of this neighborhood, with continued neighborhood input;" said LHAND Executive Director Charles Gaeta.
The meeting Monday is open to the public.
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