Lynn poised to go upscale Downtown

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October 8, 2016
By Bridget Turcotte/The Daily Item

 Plans for the historic flatiron building on Central Avenue were unveiled on Friday.

As part of the $11 million investment, James Cowdell, executive director of Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Corp., said the ground floor will be transformed into two new businesses: an upscale pizzeria and a cafe.

The six upper floors will be used for residential space. Plans include 49 market-rate units.

Cowdell said Pie and Pint will offer about 25 craft beers and seating for 105 people. The coffee shop, called The Brew, will be comparable to a Starbucks with high-end coffee and free wifi.

“This is exactly what we want,” Cowdell said. “The first floor is going to be something that draws people into the downtown. And we’ll have people living in the downtown that have disposable income.”

The property was sold to Union One Thirty Eight, LLC, managed by John McGrail, for $2 million in 2014.

The project is expected to be completed by April of 2017, with residents moving in and the businesses opening their doors at that time, Cowdell said.

It fits with the revitalized city that Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy described in her address to the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday morning. She said Lynn in a constant state of transformation.

shot of the building at 23 Central that will house apartments and restaurants

ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O'ROURKE

The historic flatiron building on Central Avenue will be home to upscale pizzeria and cafe on the ground floor and 49 market-rate units on the upper six floors by 2017.

From the recently completed work at Wyoma Square, which improved the northwestern gateway to the city, to the facelift for the Small Common, and the new Thurgood Marshall Middle School, she listed numerous improvements to infrastructure that were completed in the past year, and several that are in the works.

High-end eateries like Rossetti’s Restaurant, D’Amici’s Bakery and the Blue Ox reside in the same neighborhood. Bent Water Brewing Company has been so successful, it recently underwent a $2 million expansion, Kennedy said.

North Shore Community College has plans to open a free-standing book store on Broad Street, which the city currently lacks, she said.

“We have every reason to feel good about what we’ve done,” the mayor said. “Even more so for what’s to come.”


Bridget Turcotte can be reached at bturcotte@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.


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