The Baker administration on Wednesday announced $8.98 million in funding to support a riverfront development in Haverhill, the biggest MassWorks award so far this year.
The public infrastructure spending will help support the second phase of Haverhill’s Harbor Place development – 35 market-rate housing units – and a nearby 10-story mixed-use development by Lupoli Companies. MassWorks also supported the first phase of the development along the Merrimack River.
Gov. Charlie Baker visited the city along the New Hampshire border, which is the home of House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey. They were joined by Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini, and Reps. Leonard Mirra, Diana DiZoglio and Linda Dean Campbell.
“That’s a big number, folks,” Baker said at a ceremony on a boardwalk next to the Merrimack River where construction crews were completing work on a roughly 80-unit development. After the ceremony, Baker told the News Service the state is announcing a total of roughly $100 million in MassWorks grants over the next few weeks.
Before the Haverhill award, MassWorks this year announced a total of $16.18 million in funding, including a total of $5.45 million for projects in Worcester, $1.93 million in Westfield, and $8.8 million for transportation projects in rural towns.
The infrastructure program provides public funds for “shovel-ready” projects that generate additional private sector investment, according to the Baker administration, which said the focus has been on preparing communities for new housing and economic development opportunities.
The grant award arrives as state budget officials seek to steer the $39.25 billion fiscal 2017 budget through an estimated $295 million deficit while avoiding layoffs.
“Opening in the fall of 2016, the mixed-use Harbor Place Development will reinvigorate Haverhill’s downtown waterfront, introducing new restaurants, retail and housing,” Harbor Place advertises on its website. “A waterfront boardwalk, pedestrian pathways, and a stunning promenade will create new access to the beautiful Merrimack River. The future vision includes a dock space that will create direct and easy boater access down river to the ocean.”
