August 2, 2004
HEALEY AWARDS $1.5M TO BOOST GLOUCESTER DEVELOPMENT
Grants used to spur affordable housing production and improve industrial park
GLOUCESTER – In an effort to create new jobs and boost the state’s supply of housing for low- and moderate-income families, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey today awarded $1.5 million to expand Blackburn Industrial Park and support the ongoing transformation of the century-old former LePage’s glue factory complex into new housing.
“This investment in Gloucester will help us adhere to the principles of smart growth development by focusing our resources on building where infrastructure is already in place,” said Healey. “In doing so, we are bolstering the regional economy, improving our quality of life in Massachusetts and creating new housing opportunities for those across a broad range of incomes.”
Healey awarded a $1 million Public Works Economic Development grant to help construct the extension of Great Republic Drive at Blackburn Industrial Park on Route 128. As a result, the four remaining sites in the industrial park, totaling 190,250 square feet, will be developed. Once complete, the additional development of the office park is expected to create 440 permanent jobs, eight temporary construction jobs and boost the local tax base.
Healey also awarded a $500,000 grant to the non-profit Cape Ann Housing Opportunity, Inc. These funds will help develop 41 new condominiums, 20 of which will be affordable to low- and moderate-income families in the homeownership phase of redevelopment at the 21-acre LePage complex.
“This substantial grant translates into an important piece of infrastructure, jobs for our residents, property tax revenue for the City and strength for our regional and state economies. I'm pleased to have worked with the administration to secure a powerful investment in the future,” said Senator Tarr.
Last summer, Healey announced more than $5.2 million worth of tax credits and low-interest loans to fund the first phase of rental housing construction at the Essex Avenue site. When all phases of the transformation are complete, it is expected that a blend of 115 rental and homeownership units, including 77 affordable units, will stand in place of the old factory.
“The awarding of this grant represents a model partnership for state and local government in working together with the private sector to create jobs and sustainable economic development. I am grateful that through the combined efforts of Senator Tarr and Representative Verga as well as administration officials the realization of this funding was identified as a priority. Furthermore, I am grateful that the EDIC, Varian, and our local officials had a common vision for a fully employed Gloucester; completion of this project will at once increase the cities tax base and provide increased opportunities for the citizens of the City of Gloucester,” said Mayor John Bell.
“Adaptive re-use of old buildings like we have at LePage’s, along with targeted new housing construction, is what smart growth development is all about,” said Douglas Foy, Secretary of the Office for Commonwealth Development. “Also, by improving conditions in the city’s industrial park, we will help ensure long-term sustainable development in Gloucester.”
The Public Works Economic Development program is a component of Commonwealth Capital, a state program which coordinates grant programs for the advancement of smart growth. Commonwealth Capital encourages redevelopment and new development in areas already served by infrastructure to preserve and protect historic structures and critical lands, and reward and encourage local land use planning that supports smart growth and sustainable development principles.
“From our perspective, the Blackburn Industrial Park project includes several elements – such as economic redevelopment, job opportunities, and smart growth – that make it a worthwhile investment,” said Transportation Secretary Daniel A. Grabauskas. “We are pleased to be able to make an investment in this winning initiative.”
“We need to not only work harder, but we need to work smarter when addressing the critical need of increasing the state’s housing supply,” said Department of Housing and Community Development Director Jane Wallis Gumble. “I am pleased to say that by utilizing our resources supporting housing initiatives like this one in the City of Gloucester, we are doing just that.”
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