Fitzgerald Talks Downtown Revitalization

In order to keep the economic engine chugging on the North Shore, both mayoral hopefuls seeking to succeed Michael Bonfanti believe that reviving Peabody’s downtown is a big part of that.

Salem may be the sizzle of the North Shore, but Downtown Peabody has to work, says Sean Fitzgerald, and right now it’s not, at least not very well.

Fitzgerald, along with opponent Ted Bettencourt in the race for mayor, argues that one of the main areas to grow the commercial tax base and keep Peabody affordable while moving forward, is in the “heart of the city” – downtown. Both agree that the downtown, however, is tired and poses a number of challenges that need to be resolved in order to see that rebirth happen.

Fitzgerald, former aide to Bonfanti and a town manager for the past three years, says he wants to see the area as a place to drive to, not drive through.

RiverWalk project key to rebirth

According to Fitzgerald, the key investment that will catalyze transformation of Peabody’s downtown lies along the North River. That’s where most of the tired, underutilized and weed-choked pieces of property are, but which also have the greatest potential for new growth, he says.

“It’s waiting for someone to come in here and make it work,” Fitzgerald said. “This is the heart of the downtown, but it’s tired.”

He has an ambitious vision: a RiverWalk. The project has in fact been an ambitious vision for a number of years from the corner office, but has largely languished as the economy soured and the city focused on other projects, such as flood mitigation, rezoning and redesigning Main Street.

Fitzgerald believes the river, laden with its own historical ties to the tanning industry, should now be used to uplift the community and spur on new life in the downtown.

He said the corridor to Salem is an ideal stretch of boardwalk for an artists’ row, bistros, cafes, piano bars and other pedestrian-friendly establishments, in much the same way Peabody’s sister city has such areas in its downtown. He said the arts scene in particular is already alive and well in Peabody, it just needs an area to flourish in.

Fitzgerald said the way to accomplish that is to leverage state and federal grant funds for economic development to provide incentives to many existing commercial and industrial operations – from run down buildings to sprawling warehouses – along the riverfront to relocate to the city’s industrial parks instead. In the same vein, incentives can be provided to bring in more attractive types of development, he argues.

The place to start, Fitzgerald said, is with about $9 million in Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) funds the city already has. And once people see the economic investment the city pours into the downtown there, they will be much more willing to invest themselves along Main Street and other areas, he said.

As for further outside aid, Fitzgerald points to existing state grant programs for housing and economic development, funding from the Department of Conservation and Recreation and a number of similar federal programs. He said he knows how to fight for those grants and win, pointing to an $8.4 million grant for a commuter rail project in Plaistow, N.H., a half-million in federal stimulus money for a bridge and federal disaster relief for the town.

Downtown needs comprehensive strategy

In combination with , to calm traffic, building a mixed-use, multi-story parking garage in Peabody Square and enticing in some other anchor developments (perhaps a hotel), Fitzgerald sees the RiverWalk as part of a multi-pronged strategy the city must aggressively pursue simultaneously – now.

“If we don’t do this now, we’ll never do it,” he said. “It has to happen now.”

He argues that while the city is in the process of digging up the downtown, so to speak, it should also flesh out a vision for an entire campus – a planned outlook on the downtown as a whole and what the city should be aiming for in the years to come.

He said that all those measures together would result in corresponding investment by the private sector.

“We’re looking to save lives with the downtown flooding [mitigation],” he said. He also noted the city should keep the existing MBTA rail line into Salem as an open option for future transportation projects.

Fitzgerald said the recent redesign of the municipal parking lot on Central Street still doesn’t fit the highest or best use for the property, in his opinion, and could be turned into a more attractive site as the gateway to the RiverWalk, complete with perhaps a statue in tribute to the city’s namesake and international philanthropist George Peabody along with some recreational space. He said that would be a good use of Community Preservation Act funds, which the city has in good supply.

Parking needs would be more adequately met with a parking garage where the Foster Street municipal lot is and redesigning the Railroad Avenue lot, Fitzgerald said. He noted that patrons to the square want to find parking immediately, rather than having to go look for it.

“I see the square as a smile with a couple missing teeth,” he said, referring to the current setup.

Fitzgerald envisions a municipal building that doesn’t just look like a parking garage, along the same lines as those proposed in Beverly and Salem, including space for a mix of uses: a café or restaurant, offices, a satellite location for a local college and residential condos above.

He said the city should seek funding under the state transportation bond bill, which is “periodically approved by the state for critical infrastructure projects.”

“There still may be opportunities to work with the state’s transportation agencies and governor’s office to seek additional support for the city given the clear and present danger that exists in downtown Peabody due to the flooding and traffic concerns,” Fitzgerald said.

He said actual community development would be to tie into the rich cultural, civic and historic significance of the community to create a place-based destination in the downtown. Fitzgerald says the city should package revitalization initiatives with continued projects to celebrate the proud cultural and historical background of Peabody and its people.

The question as Fitzgerald sees it, is “who’s going to be able to shape this palette [downtown projects], model it” into a success story.