A kitchen inside The Anglim in Brockton.

DOWNTOWN BROCKTON is undergoing a dramatic urban renaissance. Take a look and you will see more cranes and construction trucks downtown than ever before.

Anyone who has been to the “City of Champions” recently has seen an incredible re-imagining of our downtown focused on long-term sustainability and economic growth. Through a variety of public-private partnerships, innovative government financing programs, and strong advocacy for urban renewal projects, we are building a better Brockton for generations to come.

Gateway Cities are the place where federal, state, and local resources should be directed for new housing. Why force housing into communities that do not have the transportation infrastructure or resources to handle hundreds or even thousands of new residents? Gateway Cities like Brockton are welcoming these new projects and are far better equipped to handle additional capacity. We are proving it every day.

We recently unveiled The Anglim, a stunning addition to Brockton’s downtown that includes 55 units constructed in a 118-year-old former shoe factory that is the city’s tallest building. Located across the street from the downtown MBTA commuter rail station, the Brockton Redevelopment Authority acquired the vacant building and it underwent a $20 million renovation thanks to a variety of public-private partnerships and incentives created by the city’s adoption of “Smart Growth Zoning” and its status as a federally-designated Opportunity Zone. Thanks largely to these programs, as well as private investment, the building is now home to 55 luxury apartments – 11 of which are classified as affordable.

Similar innovative programs through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ financing arm, MassDevelopment, helped Concord Square Development transform the 130-year-old former Petronelli Brothers Gym into 18 market-rate housing units, again just steps from the downtown commuter rail station. The Petronelli – located in the former gym where undisputed middleweight World Boxing Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler trained – was made possible by a $6.4 million loan through MassDevelopment, as well as federal and state tax credits.

We are using every available tool to build much-needed new transit-oriented housing, erase urban blight and return our downtown to prosperity and vibrancy. Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll recently announced $27 million in funding for Gateway Cities through the Housing Development Incentive Program, which provides funds for these types of projects in Brockton.

In announcing the funding, Healey said: “Our Gateway Cities are vital centers for industry and culture while also being positioned to help provide the housing we need to meet the demand. These funds help make projects possible that will create hundreds of homes, revitalize neighborhoods, and strengthen our communities.”

We agree. These collaborative, bold steps have created momentum we have been seeking in Brockton for decades. And now we have it.

Our downtown brewery, the Brockton Beer Company, recently celebrated its second anniversary and opened an outdoor beer garden. The brew pub is located on the first floor of a new 48-unit building owned by Neighborworks that was financed through a variety of federal and state urban renewal incentive programs and community lending.

Just across the street is the historic Kennedy’s Department Store building, which recently received $5 million in tax credits and subsidies as part of a new $227 million affordable housing grant package announced by the Healey administration. The building, which also houses the popular Elvera’s Café gourmet coffee shop, will be renovated from offices into 30 new 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, most of which will be affordable. We also recently broke ground on a new Neighborworks project next to the Campello MBTA commuter rail station that includes 94 affordable units and ground floor retail.

There are many more projects in the works that will continue to transform our downtown corridor and create quality new housing for young workers, couples and families. Brockton is more than doing its part to address the state’s housing crunch, while also helping address climate change by supporting hundreds of new commuter rail-accessible housing units.

Together, we are building new communities with art galleries, coffee shops, parks, restaurants, street art, murals and eco-friendly lighting to vividly bring these new neighborhoods to life. We are proud to have recently unveiled a beautiful, $150,000 state-funded bronze statue, on a dedicated street and park, both which are named in honor of Marvelous Marvin Hagler, right next to The Petronelli. Adjacent to the Hagler statue will soon be another 55-unit housing development, with more units planned across the street.

There are many more steps we need to take and we have more work to do. But Brockton’s downtown – once declared dead by naysayers – is undeniably on a sustainable path to prosperity, and it is thanks largely to collaborative efforts between private developers and government.

Our city’s rich history has always been one of our greatest assets, along with our diverse population. We are honoring that history every day by transforming blighted properties into vibrant new communities. It is a plan that works and will continue to help relieve pressure on the state’s housing stock while making Brockton a great place to live, work, and visit for generations to come.

Robert F. Sullivan is the mayor of Brockton.