Laura Christopher
MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative Fellow, Revere
Age: 35
Industry experience: 10 years
After beginning her career as a landscape architect in St. Louis, Laura Christopher is focusing on a different type of Gateway City in her new role for MassDevelopment’s transformative development initiative. Launched in September, the three-year Revere TDI program is designed to support small businesses in the Shirley Avenue corridor and stabilize its local retail storefronts. A Wellesley College graduate, Christopher returned to New England in 2016 and joined MassDevelopment as a program manager.
Q: What are the top goals of the Revere TDI?
A: The challenges and opportunities that Revere faces in some ways are different than the broader field of Gateway Cities. I’ve been able to see the TDI program deployed in cities across the state, and a lot of the focus was on generating activity and interest and infill, and reducing vacancy. And in Revere, this challenge resonated, as someone who’s lived in Boston for a while and my husband’s family is from Winthrop: this wave of displacement and the looming threat of that. It’s the balance of attracting good activity, reinvesting in what is still a historically underinvested area, but also doing so in a way that does as little harm as possible.
Q: What made the Shirley Avenue area the best neighborhood in Revere for a TDI?
A: The city and a few local nonprofits put together the application. In 2015, this same area with slightly different boundaries participated as one of the first TDI districts, but it did so at a time when the TDI model was incredibly different. There were no [TDI fellows], no small business resources. This was a chance to come back and build on all of the momentum. It’s a retail area, it’s a multicultural area and it’s got a ton of potential being right on the T. And it buffers the areas of intense development at Suffolk Downs and the beachfront.
Q: What are some notable characteristics of the neighborhood’s real estate and economy?
A: There’s main street retail and multifamily. Over 60 percent of the population identifies as Latino and 79 percent are renters. There’s a low level of commercial [tenants] and businesses that own their own properties. The main goals are stabilization and retaining local businesses while cultivating new entrepreneurs. Between 2:45 and 4 p.m. there’s a ton of children walking home, and that’s not true for every urban area. A lot of neighborhoods have lost that. People look at neighborhoods like the North End or Somerville and say, “We don’t want to go that way.”
Q: How can special events coordinated by the TDI activate the district?
A: There are 16 languages and dialects spoken just by merchants of the Shirley Ave. corridor, and soccer was a shared interest so we worked together to use TDI funds and a match of city funds to host an outdoor viewing of the Argentina-Mexico World Cup match. It was great to do early in the TDI because it forced us to coordinate how we do outreach, and allowed me to get to know small businesses in a way that you don’t by dropping in. It brought a level of trust. They were talking about what they need in a candid way that came about because we were in the nitty-gritty of planning an event. It makes sense because the broader Revere community celebrates things at the beach. But the one thing that really stands out is: That doesn’t translate into people plugging into the commercial corridor. That is an area we will be working on: How do you pull people up from the T for an event?
Q: What funding sources are available for the program?
A: We are working through a funding source called TDI technical assistance in which MassDevelopment contracts with consultants on shared space strategies. When we speak about stabilization and the threat of commercial displacement, rents and utility costs are really high. We are looking to explore multi-tenant commercial kitchens that could be shared, such as kitchens within institutions that are underused. Where I live in Winthrop, a pizza shop operates out of the Elks Lodge kitchen. There’s a precedent in Eastie. There are whole floors of commercial space [in Revere] that are seemingly being used to give file cabinets an ocean view. There are a lot of home-based entrepreneurs who could have greater potential to grow their businesses if they had access to these spaces. Another area of focus is the city worked on a public realm improvement plan for the neighborhood in 2020. The next step is looking at doing some community engagement, and how to use open space, parks and public art. The current director of planning in Revere [Tom Skwierawski] was in Fitchburg when we had a TDI, so there’s an understanding of how you use TDI as a test case.
Christopher’s Top 5 Orders in the Shirley Ave TDI District
- Americano, black with sugar and an avocado salad with shrimp at Valsos Café and Bar
- Obleas with whipped cream and strawberries and a cold brew at F+J Juice Bar Café
- Arroz con pollo and a Diet Coke at Las Delicias Colombianas
- Seafood wrap with seltzer and a cappuccino to-go at Sabrine Bakery and Café
- Basil Chicken with Peppers and spring rolls at Thmor Da
- …and anxiously awaiting her first cheese slice from soon to open Revere Beach Pizza
