By Joseph Gravellese
During Monday night’s Inaugural Address, Mayor Brian Arrigo highlighted a number of initiatives for his second term.
Among them:
Facilities
The Mayor reiterated Revere’s commitment to build a new Revere High School, a new DPW facility, and a new Alden Mills fire station.
Over the next year, the City will secure a partner to renovate the old McKinley School building. The facility will be transformed into a multi-use space that will serve seniors and veterans with healthcare services and recreational opportunities.
Workforce training and development
Revere will be launching key investments in workforce development and training to help local residents take advantage of the booming local economy.
The new Revere High School will be equipped to train students to study and pursue careers in emerging fields like biotechnology and life sciences.
The City will shape the Innovation Center at Suffolk Downs, which will serve as an incubator for business ideas and jobs for Revere residents.
Revere will conduct a citywide business survey to identify the needs of small, family-owned businesses, and develop technical assistance programs to help address those needs.
The City will actively work to stimulate opportunities for food vendors, artists, and unique entrepreneurs to originate and flourish in Revere.
The city’s storefront improvement program, which has helped beautify and revitalize the Broadway and Shirley Ave neighborhoods, will be expanded citywide.
Revere will work with employers like Amazon to host job fairs and training programs to prepare Revere residents for available job opportunities.
Along these lines, on Monday, HYM announced that the redevelopment of Suffolk Downs will be completed with union labor, creating an estimated 14,000 union jobs; as part of the agreement, $2 million will be invested to recruit and train neighborhood residents and underrepresented populations to take jobs in the building trades.
Recreation and Open Space
The City will enact its open space plan, and oversee the creation of 40 acres of new, publicly-accessible open and recreational space as part of the new development at Suffolk Downs
Revere is partnering with an organization called The Guild to steward a network of indoor and open-air sites around the city that will be protected from redevelopment and preserved for cultural and recreational programming.
A pilot program, “Activity Across Revere,†will launch this year and bring community gardens, yoga and fitness classes, and other cultural and social events to these sites.
Transportation
The Suffolk Downs project will include $50 million in off-site traffic improvements to address congestion points along Route 1A, Route 16, and Route 1
Engineering studies are underway the improve traffic signalization on Broadway; after that is implemented, the city will seek to expand this to other trouble spots throughout the city
Revere will continue to join with neighboring communities to advocate for a new commuter rail stop at Wonderland; more frequent and reliable commuter rail service; a connection between the blue and red lines on the T; and expanded regional bus rapid transit.
The city will urge the state to enact thoughtful regulations on ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft to help mitigate the impact of the nearly one million rides per year that originate in Revere.
Housing and
cost of living
Revere will seek to create an Office of Housing Stability, which will provide resources, assistance, and support to first-time homebuyers, working-class home owners, and vulnerable renters in the community.
The city will seek to continue to reduce water and sewer rates as it has for the past two years, and expand tax exemption programs for vulnerable populations.
Revere will continue to encourage veteran- and senior-focused housing developments, such as the new veterans housing complex on Shirley Ave that opened last year
Revere will continue to require any new development in the city to provide community benefits, including investments in affordable housing, traffic mitigation, and infrastructure improvements.
Other
Later this year, Revere will roll out “Next Stop Revere†– the city’s first comprehensive master plan in over 45 years. The master plan process engaged residents of all ages and backgrounds, and touches on transportation, housing, open space, energy and climate change, public health, economic development, and public facilities — virtually every element that will shape Revere’s future.
Revere will launch a youth leadership council; an Arts Council; and a faith-based advisory group.
Revere will launch an Airport Hazard Committee to fight for more mitigation from Massport to offset the increased traffic, noise, and pollution from the continued expansion of Logan Airport.
