June 4, 2013
By Chris Stevens/The Daily Item

It’s not a red carpet per se but the city is rolling out a new sidewalk on Sutton Street as a welcome to the new businesses, D’Amici’s Bakery and Rossetti’s Cafe, that are coming later this summer.

“We like to invest where investment is being made,” said Community Development Director James Marsh.

The sidewalk work is being paid for with a Community Block grant through Marsh’s office, he said. Community Development has also budgeted $15,000 to revamp and automate that Andrew Street parking lot he said.

The Off Street Parking Commission voted in March to change the entrance of the Andrew Street lot to Liberty Street, which would allow for easier access from Market Street. Mayoral Chief of Staff Jamie Cerulli, who also serves on the commission said the plan is to automate parking in the lot. The attendant the currently collects in the Andrew Street lot would be moved over to monitor the Ellis/School Street lot.

Ward 5 City Councilor Brendan Crighton said shifting the opening makes sense and automation is long overdue.

“The city has really stepped up,” he said. “This is a major investment for both sides. We’re making changes and I think they’re good ones.”

Marsh said he also hopes to supplement the lighting with some antique poles similar to but less expensive than the ones installed on Market Street. Rather than having to reinstall new poles or even rewire older ones, the heads on the cobra style poles can be switched out like a light bulb and an antique style pole slid over the existing pole like a sleeve, he said.

Rossetti’s owner Robert Rossetti said he couldn’t be more excited about opening in Lynn.

“I tell everybody every place how great the city’s been,” he said, speaking from his Winthrop restaurant. “I can’t wait. There is a lot of work yet to be done but the response and the buzz in the whole Lynn area has been amazing.”

Rossetti admitted that he is slightly behind where he had hoped to be on the renovation but since signing off on the final designs for both the front and back of the house things are starting to move forward. He is hoping to open at the end of July or beginning of August but said it all still seems rather surreal at this point.

“We’re making headway now,” he said. “If you looked in there now you’d see X’s and drains and ditches but once we get the floors closed up you’ll see substantial progress.”

Economic Development and Industrial Corporation Director James Cowdell said he expects D’Amici’s would open in a similar time frame. Joe Torretta, the bakery owner could not be reached for comment.

“We’re doing everything we can to make them feel welcome,” Cowdell said adding that as owner of the building Torretta also received a tax incentive. “We’re anxiously awaiting. We get calls almost on a daily basis asking when they’re going to open.”

Chris Stevens can be reached at cstevens@itemlive.com.