Committee forwards $3.1M MassWorks grant for Mariner Mill infrastructure to full council

The Lawrence City Budget & Finance Committee on Feb. 25 voted to send item 46-26 — authorization to expend a $3.1 million MassWorks Infrastructure Grant — to the full City Council as a committee report, after hearing a presentation from Planning Director Dan McCarthy and a representative of Lawrence Community Works.

The grant would fund infrastructure tied to the Mariner Mill redevelopment at 610 Broadway, including a new parking area, storm drainage, Stafford Street repaving, sidewalks and public street lighting. Planning Director Dan McCarthy said MassWorks grants from the state Executive Office of Economic Development are intended to help cities pay for the public infrastructure that supports private redevelopment projects.

Spencer, a representative of Lawrence Community Works, described the redevelopment as a conversion of the former Polar Tech mill into 148 housing units and roughly 50,000 square feet of commercial space, including about 14,000 square feet set aside for child care that the presenter said would serve about 170 children and create roughly 26 full-time positions. “We’re working on a project called the Mariner Mill, which is located at 610 Broadway,” the representative said, describing the mix of residential and community-serving commercial uses.

Committee members asked detailed questions about how the MassWorks funding is allocated and who would have access to the new parking. In committee materials and during discussion staff and project representatives described the planned 227-space lot as follows: 137 spaces reserved exclusively for residents, 30 dedicated commercial spaces, 60 shared commercial/residential spaces and eight spaces designated for public use only. Committee members pressed whether the city’s role as a project partner and the relatively small number of unrestricted public spaces — eight — was appropriate for a partnership funded in part by public grants.

Councilors also discussed jobs and tenant selection. Presenters characterized the stated 25 permanent positions as a conservative estimate and said construction jobs would number in the hundreds; they said the project will be a low-income housing tax credit development with a tenant selection plan and public lottery that must comply with fair-housing rules and state requirements. Materials presented in the meeting were reported in-session as listing a unit affordability mix of 37 units at 30% AMI, 18 units at 50% AMI and 93 units at 60% AMI; staff committed to follow up with definitive documentation and to clarify whether and how local preference rules would apply in the tenant lottery.

Planning staff also outlined the MassWorks funding breakdown in the package: roughly $850,000 for roadways, about $300,000 estimated for water/sewer/drainage work, about $600,000 for sidewalks/curbing/landscaping on city land, and about $250,000 for public street lighting. Dan McCarthy said the grant is part of a suite of corridor and traffic improvements the city is pursuing on Broadway and adjoining streets.

After discussion, the committee voted to forward the item to the full council as a committee report pending the documentation councilors requested. The motion carried on a roll call vote with the three members present voting yes and one member absent. The committee asked staff to provide written follow-up on the local preference rules for the lottery, the local-hire approach for construction jobs, and the project’s estimated tax impact.

Next steps: Item 46-26 will appear on the City Council agenda for consideration; staff will supply the documentation the committee requested before that meeting.