MELROSE – On Wednesday, August 10, Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba was joined by Mayor Paul Brodeur and other state and local officials to announce a $615,000 MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant to the City of Melrose to support development of a new four-story mixed-use building at 681-697 Main St. near downtown Melrose — site of the old Caruso’s restaurant — that will feature 4,300 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 18 units of rental housing, three of which will be affordable, on the upper floors.
The new building will replace two existing decrepit one-story commercial buildings, one fully vacant and one partially vacant, that cannot be revitalized due to structural concerns resulting from a deteriorated culvert underneath the site. The MassWorks award will be used to relocate the deteriorated culvert to allow for redevelopment of the site.
“In communities across the Commonwealth, our MassWorks program has funded necessary, yet often cost-prohibitive infrastructure work to help unlock the creation of key housing units and other economic development projects,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are glad to deploy resources to support a new mixed-use building featuring retail space and 18 apartments at the gateway to downtown Melrose.”
“Transit-oriented developments like this provide much-needed housing units near the places people already spend time, such as shops, restaurants, public transit stations, and other attractions,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Congratulations to the City of Melrose on securing $615,000 in MassWorks funding to make this project a reality.”
MassWorks is a competitive program that offers cities and towns flexible capital funding to support and accelerate housing production and job growth. MassWorks is the largest program in Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal and collaborative review process for grant programs launched in January 2021 to make targeted investments based on a development continuum.
With the addition of last year’s round, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded 326 MassWorks grants to 181 communities and has invested over $608 million in public infrastructure projects throughout the Commonwealth. These grants have directly supported the creation of 21,000 new housing units and tens of thousands of new construction and permanent jobs, while also leveraging over $13 billion in private investment.
“MassWorks is a critical state resource we have deployed to support infrastructure projects that unlock housing production and commercial development across Massachusetts,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “To that end, we proposed an important reauthorization of MassWorks as part of the FORWARD legislation that we filed in late April. We will continue to advocate for funding to support these critical developments that make our communities vibrant places to live and work.”
Including MassWorks grants, the Community One Stop for Growth program awarded $88 million for 196 projects in 122 communities across the Commonwealth in its first year. Of the 196 projects awarded, nearly one-third were located in a rural or small town, half were located in a Housing Choice Community, and one-third were located in a Gateway City.
“As a designated Housing Choice community, the City of Melrose has demonstrated its commitment to developing new housing that will help ease the housing shortage in Greater Boston and around the Commonwealth,” said Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba. “Every unit counts, and that’s why we are proud to direct a $615,000 MassWorks award to set the stage for 18 new apartments to be built in the city.”
“I’m thrilled that the City of Melrose has been awarded this significant state grant that will enable the redevelopment of this long vacant parcel to finally move forward,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “This project is a great example of the strong partnership between state and local government that the state legislature had in mind when we provided funding for the MassWorks grant program.”
“I am thrilled Melrose has been awarded $615,000 to support the Ell Pond Culvert Relocation Project through the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development’s MassWorks Program and was glad to support its grant application,” said State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian. “This funding will allow the City to increase its housing stock, ensure a sustainable environmental future, and continue to provide ample economic opportunities for residents and small businesses.”
“As a gateway to Melrose’s downtown, the redevelopment of The Caruso’s building has been a priority for the City for the last twelve years and with this MassWorks grant, we are now in a position to act,” said Mayor Paul Brodeur. “The developer’s plans for a mixed-use project meets the City’s goals for increasing the housing stock, creates new business opportunities, bolsters the local economy, and improves the streetscape. I thank Secretary Kennealy and his team for their support.”
