Salem Awarded $3.4 Million State Grant For Lafayette Street Culvert

SALEM, MA — A proposed redevelopment project on Lafayette Street and Peabody Street will get a boost from a $3.4 million MassWorks infrastructure grant to improve the South River canal culvert at lower Lafayette Street.

The state grant will fund the culvert improvements under the 73 Lafayette Street building and related drainage infrastructure and pave the way for a mixed-use building of residential units and a health center.

The state said the improvements are necessary for the project to proceed, which would include the production of 19 units of age-restricted affordable housing at 73 Lafayette and 29 units at 9 Peabody Street.

"This project will benefit both the immediate neighborhood and the nearly two-thirds of the land mass in the city that discharges stormwater through the culvert to the South River and Salem Harbor," Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "We're committed to leveraging state and federal funding opportunities to invest in critical infrastructure projects, especially in the face of the climate crisis and its impacts on our community."

The state announced the funding as part of the FY24 Round of the Community One Stop for Growth that presented nearly $164 million in funding to 338 economic development projects in 161 communities this week.

The North Shore Community Development Coalition was also awarded $125,000 to support two new projects in Salem.

The first is $75,000 to build a new outdoor gathering space called El Patio, aimed at being a place for residents to gather and small businesses to use. The funding will be used to fit out and furnish the space.

An additional $50,000 grant will provide 1:1 technical assistance, online workshops, and digital literacy training as part of the El Punto Small Business Engagement program. The program will also provide access to physical retail space and start-up support for low-income, immigrant small business owners, online businesses and entrepreneurs, as well as fund special events throughout the year to draw attention to future business events.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)