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Un4 & Community devitalization

BROWNFIELDS SUCCESS IN NEW ENGLAND
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UNION CROSSING
11
LAWRENCE, MA

Property Details
Property Address:
Property Size:
Former Use:
Contaminants Found:
Future Use:
Current Owners:
50 Island Street, Lawrence, MA
5.5 acres
Former foundry, cotton mill, and
other commercial use
Petroleum lead, chromium,
arsenic, PAHs, asbestos
Residential housing
and mixed-use property
East Island Community Works, LLC
Project Partners
U.S. EPA, City of Lawrence, MassDevelopment, MassDEP,
MA EOHED, MA DHCD, MA Housing Investment Corp., Life
Initiative, TDBank, Paul and Phyllis Fireman Charitable
Foundation, Community Housing Capital, MA Housing
Partnership, Federal Home Loan Bank, MA DOER,
NeighborWorks America, CEDAC, Mass. Historic Commission,
Boston Community Capital, NCLR, New England Foundation
for the Arts, the Yepez and Sidell families
Funding Details
City of Lawrence Assessment Grant:	$47,000
MassDevelopment Cleanup Funding:	$826,870
Community Development Action Grant:	$2,000,000
More Jobs Grant:	$1,463,000
Mass. Dept. of Energy Resources (ARRA):	$550,000
City of Lawrence (HOME and EDI):	$1,313 000
Commonwealth of MA (TCAP/ARRA, HOME) $6,300,000
U.S. Small Business Administration:	$200,000
Redevelopment funding: Private partners	$31,000,000
Project Highlights
•	The project has brought 125-175 temporary construction jobs
and is expected to create 200-225 new permanent jobs.
•	The redevelopment will provide new environmentally1
sustainable housing units and commercial/retail space.
Motivation for Redevelopment: The Phase One Union Crossing
property is a 240,000 square feet building that is located on a 5.5
acre complex of former textile mills within the Reviviendo
Gateway Overlay and North Canal Historic District, where Smart
Growth development is encouraging reinvestment in mixed-use
development, affordable residential housing, and job creation to
the City of Lawrence.
Property History: In 1916, this former foundry site was
redeveloped as a textile mill, which remained until 1950. The
buildings then served as commercial space for clothing and apparel
by the Southwick Clothing Company , construction, landscaping,
furniture making and computer repair companies until it was
purchased by East Island Community Works, LLC, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Lawrence Community Works, in 2007.
Project Results: Lawrence Community Works (LCW), a non-
profit Community Development Corporation, completed an initial
Phase I in preparation for a potential real estate transaction in July
2007, w hich was later supplemented with an EPA funded Phase I
investigation, completed by the City of Lawrence, in March 2009.
In April 2009, a Phase II site assessment was initiated to determine
the contamination on site from historic petroleum releases from
underground tanks and historic fill. The findings were that
groundwater had been impacted by residual heating oil, and the
soil contained PAHs and metals. The contaminants found on site
are being abated as part of the overall project.
LCW, the lead developer for the project, plans to construct high-
quality rental units, commercial and retail space, and community
facilities on the site. The housing units are designed to be
energy-efficient and affordable with a variety of on-site
amenities, including a child care center with a riverfront
playground, and green space allowing for public access to the
Merrimack River.
This project is an excellent example of EPA's Liveability
Principles, as it is located within walking distance of local public
transit, downtown shops and services, schools, and the local
hospital making life at Union Crossing more convenient to the
residents of Lawrence. In order to ensure the project's success,
the City of Lawrence, Community Development Department,
lias directed nearly $3.5M of its Community Development
Action Grant (CDAG) and More Jobs Grant funding toward the
project. These grant monies, provided to the City by the State of
Massachusetts, are paying for a new bridge, street
improvements, parking, and other infrastructure improvements
in conjunction with Union Crossing.
Currently, cleanup and redevelopment of the property is on-
going. Construction of that the residential units is projected to be
complete in December 2011, and the commercial construction is
scheduled to be complete in September 2013.
Project Timeline
July 2007
March 2009
December 2009
January - December 2010
June 2010- Present
Initial Phase I Completed
Phase I for the City Completed
Phase II Completed
Supplemental Investigation,
Cleanup Planning
Cleanup/redevelopment are ongoing
February 2011
Local Contact: Lisa Kozol, Director of Real Estate Development for Lawrence Community Works
• (978) 722-2618 • lkozoi@lcworks.org

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