REVERE — Today, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba were joined by Mayor Brian Arrigo and other state and local officials to celebrate the city’s recent awards made through the Community One Stop for Growth platform.  Revere is receiving a total of $980,000 from three awards through the city’s One Stop application: a $750,000 MassWorks Predevelopment Grant to fund design work of a proposed roundabout, a $130,000 award from the Underutilized Properties Program to retrofit a building located at 200 Winthrop Avenue that will become the home of the Revere Food Hub, and a $100,000 Urban Agenda Grant awarded to The Neighborhood Developers to support the Revere Works coalition’s efforts to support reemployment efforts for city residents affected by COVID-19.    “The City of Revere is a great model on how to capitalize on opportunities to advance plans for economic development that range from concept to construction through the One Stop program,” said Governor Charlie Baker.  “Thanks to the One Stop, our Administration is pleased to strengthen our partnership with cities and towns by enhancing access to our full portfolio of programs that can help accelerate growth.”   “As Revere demonstrates, the One Stop makes it possible for communities to access multiple funding programs simultaneously, bringing the community’s economic development goals ever closer to fruition,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.  “I want to congratulate Revere for their success with the One Stop and I’m proud our Administration can support their efforts to spur economic development, enhance the city’s vibrancy, and help residents find a path back into the workforce.”   Revere’s MassWorks Predevelopment Grant award will fund the advancement of designs for a proposed roundabout in anticipation of a 2022 MassWorks grant application for construction.  The grant will allow the city to contract with Howard Stein Hudson Engineering firm to conduct traffic, pedestrian, and bicyclist counts, field surveys, environmental assessments, and determine wetland delineation and rights of way between city- and state-owned properties.  The proposed roundabout is a component of the city’s RiverFront District plan, which is following a Master Plan that was developed through a $100,000 award the city received in 2020 from the Seaport Economic Council.    As a result of Revere’s second award of $130,000 through the Underutilized Properties Program, the city will retrofit a building located at 200 Winthrop Avenue that will be the future home of the Revere Food Hub.  Grant funds will upgrade the building’s HVAC, electrical, and fire systems, and will also result in accessibility accommodations.  Ultimately, the building will be repositioned and repurposed into a community kitchen, a drive through food pantry, and an incubator for small home-based producers of food products for sale in local retail outlets, as well as a workforce development center for Revere residents.  In addition, plans for the building include classrooms, capacity for urban farming and a hydroponics lab, and a farmers’ market.   In a third award, The Neighborhood Developers is receiving $100,000 to support Revere Works 2022 COVID-19 Reemployment & Recovery, a program to meet COVID-19 reemployment needs.  The Revere Works coalition will deliver its workforce development programming, which combines adult education with job training, to a thousand Revere residents in 2022.   The three grant programs are included in the Community One Stop for Growth platform, a single application portal and collaborative review process of grant programs launched in January 2021 that make targeted investments based on a development continuum.   In One Stop’s inaugural round, the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development received 267 Expressions of Interest from 178 communities through the new, simplified process. For this year’s awards, 196 grant applications received a total of $88.7 million for projects in 122 communities. Of the 196 projects awarded, nearly one-third were located in a rural or small town, half were located in a Housing Choice Community; and one-third were located in a Gateway City.      “We created the One Stop to offer access to a wide variety of programs through a single, streamlined process that ensures that valuable funds can be directed more effectively, to more communities, in less time,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.  “The One Stop gives communities and other partners the opportunity to work collaboratively with us, to pursue multiple projects simultaneously and to meet their economic development goals. Revere has demonstrated how applicants can be creative with grant funding to maximize the impact of state investments in transformative projects.  While the first year of the One Stop has shown tremendous promise, the demand for our programs demonstrates that we can do more.”    “As designed, the One Stop enhances access to important resources and programs, which in turn allows communities to overcome traditional barriers to economic and community development initiatives,” said Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba. “I want to congratulate Revere on their awards, and look forward to many more communities replicating their success in the future.”

Learn more about the programs that are part of the Community One Stop for Growth application process.    "The One Stop for Growth initiative has provided the City of Revere with incredible opportunity to further our City's work around workforce development, food security, and revitalization efforts," said Mayor Brian Arrigo. "We are thankful for the continued support and partnership of Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito, as well as countless other organizations who helped us move these projects forward. The revitalization of the Revere Food Hub building and the Riverfront Master Plan is central to the success of our City's future and bettering the lives of our residents."

"I am so excited for the City of Revere to receive funding for the three major projects: MassWorks Predevelopment, Underutilized Properties Program (UPP), and COVID-19 re-employment needs,” said Representative Jessica Giannino. “As a collective, these projects will be addressing city infrastructure needs as well as workforce development needs. The challenges encountered over the last two years have put a massive strain on all communities, but these projects will assist in improving the city's economic health to rebound from the Covid-19 Pandemic.”

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