BY THOR JOURGENSEN
LYNN — Peter Gori works in world class cities like Washington, D.C. and New York, but he came to Lynn on Tuesday because retailers like what they hear about the city.
Gori assists the International Council of Shopping Centers retail program and he helped host a morning forum at the Lynn Museum focused on ways to launch public-private development partnerships in Lynn.
He said Lynn is attractive to retail developers for several reasons. Prospective state environmental regulation changes offer the potential of providing more flexibility to retail developers and Lynn is served by mass transit and close to Logan Airport.
“There is untapped potential with the waterfront,” Gori said.
Lynn has come to his attention since last November when state, federal and local officials formed the Lynn Economic Advancement and Development team with the goal of bringing developers to the city.
State Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash is involved in LEAD. He pointed to Swampscott resident Charles Patsios on Tuesday as an example of a developer bringing retail projects to Lynn.
Patsios owns Federal Street land where a former General Electric plant was recently demolished to make way for a Market Basket store slated to open next year. A $2 million state grant will pay for road improvements and other work around the site.
“We believe the most important thing we can do is to help attract private investment through public infrastructure improvement,” Ash told 30 people attending Tuesday’s meeting.
Ash said retail-driven development opportunities helped transform Chelsea, where he formerly worked as city manager. A third hotel is being built in the city along with high-income housing. Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Gould said similar opportunities are possible in Lynn.
She said increased regulatory flexibility will be a welcome change for local developers.
“For example, the former policy was that all commercial space on ground floors had to be open to the public. The changes allow for daycares and appointment-only type businesses to be added to that mix, creating a mini-community,” Gould said.
Erin Calvo-Bacci opened CB Stuffers, a Swampscott chocolate specialty business, and said Lynn’s waterfront is a good location for a shopping complex similar to MarketStreet in Lynnfield. Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy agreed.
“If there were a developer with a proposal like MarketStreet, I think that would be a very good fit and dovetail with our vision for the waterfront,” she said.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].
