Rep. Day and Sen. Lewis Announce Historic $4 Million State Grant Award

Stoneham- Representative Michael Day and Senator Jason Lewis recently announced that Stoneham will receive a $4 million grant from the Commonwealth’s MassWorks program to help fund the design and development of improvements in Stoneham’s downtown area. Issued through a competitive grant process, these funds represent the largest award Stoneham has ever received from this program.

“This is fantastic news and will help to continue to attract businesses, new residents and visitors to Stoneham,” said State Representative Michael Day. “I very much appreciate the work of our town and business leaders who applied for this grant and worked closely with me, Senator Lewis and the Healey Administration to improve last year’s application. I was happy to advocate for this award as well as to work with my colleagues in the Legislature to appropriate these funds for the program. This is a big grant.”

“I’m thrilled that Stoneham will be receiving this $4 million MassWorks grant from the state to make some great improvements in downtown Stoneham,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “This project will help support local businesses and housing development, while increasing safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. I appreciate all the hard work from town officials that went into securing this grant, and I was pleased to advocate for it alongside Rep. Day."

The project will include the development of a final roadway design that will address safety concerns, traffic congestion and aging infrastructure and will provide improvements along the Main Street corridor. The plans include multimodal upgrades that will increase the accessibility of ramps and crossings, upgrade traffic signals and make roadway improvements to allow greater access for all types of transportation while improving traffic operations to support a more vibrant, approachable space. The plans prioritize growth by supporting future housing and economic development in the town as well as allowing for increased outdoor dining opportunities. These developments include a new commercial mixed-use project at the corner of Maple and Main Street and the redevelopment for new commercial space at 375 Main Street, as well as other mixed-use developments currently being planned.

Rep. Day and Sen. Lewis advocated to MassWorks leadership throughout the application process, providing letters of support and convening a meeting to discuss how to improve Stoneham’s application. The delegation also worked closely with town leaders to support the development of the application.

“I am thrilled that the Town of Stoneham was awarded funding from MassWorks for the Downtown Redesign Project,” said Megan Day, Executive Director of the Stoneham
Chamber of Commerce. “Stoneham boasts a wide array of cultural and natural amenities including the Greater Boston Stage Company, the Stone Zoo, the Middlesex Fells Reservation and Spot Pond, however visitors to these attractions oftentimes overlook Stoneham and choose neighboring towns with better walkability and curb appeal to shop and eat. Reconfiguring the downtown business district to be more aesthetically pleasing and pedestrian-friendly is a critical step to spur economic recovery and allow the Stoneham business district to be competitive with neighboring towns.”

“I would like to thank our legislative delegation for their consistent and steadfast commitment to this project which will help revitalize the very heart of our community,” said Dennis Sheehan, Stoneham Town Administrator. “I would be remiss if I did not also express my gratitude to the property owners and the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce’s downtown merchant group who have provided support, feedback and guidance during our initial design phase and grant application process.”

“This grant award is the culmination of a multi-year community engagement and planning effort. Ten years ago, residents and the business community first came together to create a vision with the Stoneham Square Strategic Action Plan. Since then, the community has collaborated on numerous planning processes such as Complete Streets Prioritization Plan, Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Study, and the Local Rapid Recovery Plan in order to move this vision forward,” said Erin Wortman, Director of Planning and Community Development. “These community-led efforts have paid off and I could not be more grateful for all the residents, community groups, and businesses that have provided their support along the way. Our partners throughout state government have provided much needed support and feedback in our efforts to get the project off the ground and I thank the Administration for their leadership.”

Recognizing the challenge of matching municipal needs with existing funding programs, the Healey Administration launched the “Community One Stop for Growth” process to streamline applications by creating a single portal and collaborative review process of community and economic development grant programs. The goal of the program is to provide communities greater access to state funding as they work to pursue their housing and economic development goals.

Stoneham qualified for the funding program when it adopted changes to its zoning laws in compliance with Section 3A of M.G.L. Chapter 40A, what has come to be known as the “MBTA Communities Act.” The Town will now work with the Healey Administration to execute the contractual agreements necessary for the release of the funding.