Mayor Gary Christenson doesn’t understand why every storefront in downtown Malden is not occupied. The city is a transportation hub, with access to the MBTA’s Orange Line, commuter rail, and several bus lines – something cities outside of Greater Boston could only dream of.
Malden, like other former industrial cities in Massachusetts, has struggled to draw investment to its blighted downtown areas. But thanks to a new partnership with MassDevelopment – a state agency dedicated to improving economic growth – Christenson is hopeful that will change.
“It’s mind boggling that there are any vacant storefronts,” he said. “We’re hoping that this program will figure out why that is and how to help us address it.”
Six Gateway Cities are set to receive state aid to help revive their downtown neighborhoods and commercial districts that historically suffered from the long-term decline of manufacturing.
Malden, Holyoke, Fitchburg, Chelsea, Peabody, and Lowell were selected for the latest round of support through MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) last week. Each city will receive a full-time economic development fellow who will provide on-the-ground expertise, leadership, and planning to help support small businesses, real estate development, and arts and culture projects. Cities will be eligible for grants and technical assistance for a three-year period – something local leaders say comes at a critical time as municipalities continue to face widespread budget woes – starting on July 1.
“What we have in common with those cities is that we were sort of the leaders in the industrial revolution,” said Curt Bellavance, Peabody’s community development director. “We feel we’re a pretty attractive place, and part of that is to make sure everybody else does too – businesses and residents.”
Spurring economic growth in their once-bustling downtowns has long been the goal of Gateway City leaders. Fitchburg, Holyoke, Lowell, and Chelsea have taken part in TDI before, while Malden and Peabody are new additions.
Published by MassINC