Baker-Polito Administration Announces $3 Million MassWorks Infrastructure Award in Lowell
Grant will fund start of Tanner Street realignment and enable future redevelopment of Ayer’s City Industrial Park
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito presents a MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant to Lowell City Manager Eileen Donoghue, Lowell Mayor William Samaras, City Councilor Vesna Nuon, and City Councilor Rodney Elliott
LOWELL –Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined Lowell Mayor William Samaras, City Manager Eileen Donoghue and other local leaders at City Hall to announce a $3 million MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant to Lowell. The project will fund Phase 1 of the realignment of Tanner Street, to support future redevelopment of the Ayer’s City Industrial Park (ACIP), a 100-acre Urban Renewal Area located one mile south of Lowell’s central commercial district.
The MassWorks-supported improvements will construct the first 300 feet of “New Tanner Street” and the associated conversion of the Plain Street/Meadow Brook shopping center intersection into a four-way, signalized junction. Additional improvements will include the installation of underground duct banks for future utility relocations and the extension of Montreal Street to connect to the new roadway. This will be a multi-phase infrastructure improvement program to transform the ACIP into an economically viable and sustainable site for large-scale redevelopment. This phase leverages $1.65 million in local funds.
“MassWorks is a valuable program that maximizes return on investment for capital funding, delivering vital infrastructure repairs that improve public safety while stimulating local and private investment, job growth and housing production,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We will continue to collaborate closely with local leaders to identify opportunities and target public resources toward the growth and wellbeing of communities across the Commonwealth.”
“As former municipal leaders, Governor Baker and I know firsthand the value of flexible grant programs like MassWorks, which help communities make targeted enhancements and provide opportunities for economic development,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “Today’s award will accelerate local commercial and employment growth, better preparing Lowell for the future.”
“This administration recognizes the importance of reliable, modern infrastructure to the safety and success of communities of all sizes,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “We are proud of the improvements to public safety, thousands of new jobs and housing units, and millions of square feet of new commercial space that the MassWorks program has delivered for residents, and we look forward to continuing to leverage every tool at our disposal to ensure all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts continue to thrive.”
The Tanner Street project is a priority of the North Middlesex Council of Governments’ (NMCOG) Greater Lowell Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, because of its long-term potential for job creation and expansion of revenue. At full build out, the Tanner Street Realignment will mean the continuation of New Tanner Street from its Phase I intersection at Plain Street to its final intersection at Lincoln Street, where it will reconnect to the original right of way. Improvements will also increase traffic safety and expand access for commercial trucks at the southern terminus of the ACIP.
These improvements will in turn activate redevelopment opportunities for multiple large-scale parcels at the northern end of the industrial park, which are either vacant or underutilized. These parcels total more than 50 acres, and have been identified as ideal for an advanced biomanufacturing campus. Based on its Urban Renewal Plan, the City of Lowell anticipates that at least 300,000 square feet of new development can be supported in the ACIP, and the potential to tap into significant private investment.
“Realigning Tanner Street will bring additional business development into the City by unlocking the potential of the Ayer’s City Industrial Park. The announcement of this MassWorks grant is a significant step forward for Ayer’s City. I am grateful for the administration’s support of this project and their ongoing commitment to the City of Lowell,” said Mayor William Samaras.
“The realignment of Tanner Street is a high impact project that will serve as a catalyst for the renewal of the Ayer’s City Industrial Park, laying the groundwork for business development in an underutilized section of the City. We are pleased that the administration has recognized the economic opportunity that this project will generate. The significant funding provided through this MassWorks grant will build on capital funds dedicated by the city to move this critical project forward,” said City Manager Eileen Donoghue.
“This MassWorks funding will allow for the re-alignment of Tanner Street, a key component of the Ayer City Industrial Park Urban Renewal Plan,” said Senator Ed Kennedy. “This is an important project to the future of economic development in the city, one that has been in the works for a number of years. I am pleased to see it is gaining traction.”
“I am pleased that Lowell is the recipient of MassWorks Infrastructure Grant which will be used to pave the way for future economic growth and development. I congratulate the city on their strong applications which resulted in this award and applaud the Baker administration for its forward thinking investment in the Commonwealth’s infrastructure,” said Representative Rady Mom.
“The funding for the Tanner Street improvement project will greatly reduce traffic and congestion as part of Lowell’s 20-year redevelopment plan to the industrial park. Once again, this administration is helping move Lowell forward by delivering funding for another major development project,” said Representative David Nangle.
“I want to thank the Baker-Polito Administration for awarding this significant MassWorks grant for the realignment of Tanner Street,” said Representative Thomas A. Golden, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. “This initiative, which has been a priority of the Lowell Delegation, will yield substantial safety and accessibility benefits, and will further catalyze the Ayer’s City Industrial Park for economic development.”
Through the 2019 MassWorks round, the Baker-Polito Administration will award more than $72 million in MassWorks awards to a diverse mix of 36 projects in 35 communities across the Commonwealth, including nine Gateway Cities and eight communities that will receive MassWorks funding for the first time. The awards will unlock a total of $2.3 billion in private investment and 4,635 new full-time jobs, along with more than 3,100 new housing units, 1,167 of which are affordable, building on the Administration’s efforts to tackle the ongoing housing shortage through complementary programs like historic funding for affordable housing and the proposed Housing Choice legislation. The transformative projects funded by the 2019 awards were selected from 92 applications, totaling $223 million in requests.
Since 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded more than $383 million in MassWorks grants to support 183 shovel-ready projects in 128 communities. MassWorks funding has made possible the addition and preservation of more than 2 million square feet of commercial/retail space, 29,000 jobs, and 11,000 housing units, while leveraging about $6.9 billion in private investment.
Governor Baker signed economic development legislation in August 2018 that included substantial new funding for municipalities, including another $250 million for MassWorks awards. The legislation built on the Baker-Polito Administration’s work to partner with communities to catalyze economic development and create new opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth, including the 2016 Job Creation and Workforce Development Act, which authorized $1 billion to support economic development efforts across the state, including a $500 million authorization for the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, enhanced tools and the introduction of new strategies for job-readiness efforts.
Learn more about MassWorks here.