R1 Success Story: 870 Western Ave., Lynn, Mass.

A former gas and service station with contamination dating back to the 1980s has been cleaned and is now the site of six new townhouses, two of them dedicated as affordable housing for first-time homeowners. The 12,288-square-foot property at 870 Western Ave was acquired by the City of Lynn in 2015 and was then transferred to the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn. In the late 1800s, the site had multiple parcels that were developed for housing. In the 1930s, a hotel and restaurant operated here, beside a gas and service station until the station expanded and took over the entire property. The site was vacated in the mid-1980s and for decades remained unoccupied and overgrown with one building remaining.

Priming the Property for Redevelopment

In 1986, petroleum hydrocarbon contamination was discovered in the soil and groundwater and appeared to be associated with former underground and above-ground storage tanks. In 2017, the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn was awarded $200,000 in EPA Brownfields cleanup funding with an additional 20% required contribution from the city. Grant funds were used to establish cleanup and redevelopment plans as well as to conduct community outreach activities through local meetings and informational flyers.

Site work began with mobilizing equipment, capping utilities, and demolishing the building. Excavation of suspected underground storage tanks was conducted, but no tanks were found. However, there were prior tank removals in 1985. Soils and groundwater were collected and sampled. Contaminated materials were removed and properly handled, the excavation was filled in with clean soil, and new groundwater monitoring wells were installed. After cleanup was finished in 2019, residents were surveyed at a local meeting to give input on redevelopment options. Responses from the meeting showed that the community needed more housing. In 2020, the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn transferred the property to Neighborhood Development Associates, the development arm of the housing authority, and began developing new housing.

Today

"We were able to take an abandoned contaminated lot, and with the EPA's assistance, transform it into amazing townhouses…two of which were affordable units. This project does not happen without the resources that EPA provided to the City of Lynn. Our partner in developing this project was Neighborhood Development Associates who did an amazing job."

James Cowdell
Executive Director EDIC- Lynn

The property was developed into six attached townhouses, with two dedicated for low-income housing and the remaining four listed at market rate. Each home is over 1,500 square feet with two bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths, a bonus room that opens out onto a private patio, a one car garage, and an additional parking space. The property is also conveniently located near transportation and outdoor and retail spaces.

The City of Lynn, the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn, the housing authority, the Neighborhood Development Associates, and the community worked together to invest in this property as part of a larger effort to improve of the neighborhood and city. This redevelopment created both permanent and temporary jobs and supported affordable housing initiatives for first-time homeowners.

In addition, cleanup activities incorporated practices to reduce water, energy, and waste. Other sustainable cleanup methods included using local sources for backfill and discharging clean, treated groundwater to local facilities. The cleanup and redevelopment of this site was a part of a $6 million project by the Neighborhood Development Associates to redevelop the Orchard Grove neighborhood in West Lynn.

For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website at www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact Kayin Bankole at 617‐918‐1724 or Bankole.Kayin@epa.gov.

EPA 901-F-24-004
March 2025