September
13,
2007
Editorial/The Daily Item
It was encouraging that the Lynn City
Council on Tuesday night gave its unanimous support to
the Waterfront Master Plan drafted by Sasaki Associates,
and there certainly has been plenty of buzz about
the waterfront's potential, especially since news earlier
this summer that the state will give $2.5 million for the
relocation of the South Harbor power lines.
The vision for the coastal stretch from
the former Beacon Chevrolet site to the South Harbor, is
ambitious: 3,000 housing units and 377,000 square feet
of office space with a boardwalk and plenty of green space.
It is a plan which officials estimate would create 5,000
permanent new jobs in Lynn and add an estimated $18 million
to the city's tax revenue. Still, it would be foolhardy
to believe the plan will be realized any time soon. It
will depend on the interest by private developers and also
on the sale of many private parcels.
Hopes were raised earlier this year when
Lynn EDIC director James Cowdell announced the Beacon site
was under agreement to be sold to Ohio-based Forest City Enterprises.
While Forest City reportedly continues to
consider the site, there's been no movement toward a deal
and hope has faded with time.
What's more, while there are many acres of
underdeveloped property on the coastal tract, there are a
number of longstanding existing businesses here - including
Wal-Mart, Building 19 and Lynnway Mart - which may or may
not be consistent with the plan that could hinge on their
future.
As a practical matter, supporting the waterfront
plan was a no-brainer for Cowdell, Mayor Edward Clancy and
members of the City Council. The challenge will be making
it happen, in all likelihood, that task will be one left
to future mayors, city councils and development chiefs. If
the plan does come to fruition, even in 10 years time, it
will be an amazing accomplishment for all.
Master plans are merely development concepts,
and concepts, as we all know, can lay idle for years, which
is why nobody today is catching the Blue Line in Lynn. |
