City officials received a major impetus to development on the Mystic River Waterfront Tuesday morning when Lt. Governor Tim Murray announced that Everett was awarded a $2M state grant to expand and improve Air Force Road.
“This is going to help residents with jobs,” Mayor Carlo DeMaria said at the announcement ceremony, referencing the fact that the new roadway will facilitate the Berkeley Development office park at the old General Electric site. The project, when it is fully developed, will create an estimated 500 new jobs.
The MassWorks Infrastructure Grant funds will be used to rebuild Air Force Road, including the installation of sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks and lights, as well as extend the road in order to provide access to the new seven-acre City Park and office park.
The Berkley Development project that has been in the permitting process for more than two years has cleared all the required state and city hurdles to start construction.
“We had everything that we needed except access by a roadway,” Young Park from Berkeley Development said on Tuesday.
As part of the agreement with Berkeley Development, the roadway into their development will branch off of the improved Air Force Road and the construction costs will be paid for by the developers. After this spur roadway has been completed with sidewalks and sewers, the road will be turned over to the City of Everett.
The development of the General Electric site is within the River’s Edge Growth District that is a collaboration for industrial/business development by the cities of Medford, Malden and Everett.
Senator Sal DiDomenico who also was at the ceremony said, “I was proud to support this project as one of my first official acts.”
The construction of the roadway that runs off of Santilli Highway is expected to go out to bid in the next three months with a possible start date in the spring of next year.
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