Image courtesy of Procopio Cos.

What: Ornsteen Heel property
Where: 31-35 Railroad Ave., Haverhill
Owner: City of Haverhill 

The Haverhill city council this month authorized the $1 million sale of a 4.8-acre parcel on the Merrimack River for a transit-oriented development. 

The former Ornsteen Heel factory will be redeveloped by Lynnfield-based Procopio Cos. as 290 multifamily housing units, 10,000 square feet of restaurant and/or retail space, a public park and amphitheater, walkways and a boat launch. 

The development is expected to deliver $17.3 million in taxes to the city over the next 20 years. The city has sought proposals to redevelop the former shoe manufacturing site near Bradford station on the MBTA commuter rail for nearly two decades. 

The development would generate 289 construction jobs and up to 30 permanent retail-restaurant jobs, according to Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini. 

They Said It: 

“There is a strong need for new housing in this city and in the state. The Ornsteen project will provide new housing designed in such a way that it will have a minimal impact on our public schools. The units are small units, mostly one-bedroom and a few two-bedroom units. Historically these units generate very few school-aged children. This project will be marketed to singles and young families taking the commuter line to Boston.” 

— Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini