Melrose Receives Nearly $1M MassWorks Grant for City Improvements

Melrose recently received nearly $1 million in MassWorks grant funding for improvements to the area around the Melrose Highlands commuter rail station and business district, according to a city press statement.

Greg Bialecki, Secretary of Housing and Community Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, visited Melrose recently and toured the Tremont Street corridor with Mayor Rob Dolan, State Rep. Paul Brodeur, members of the Board of Aldermen, and business leaders, stopping off at several local businesses, including Tooba’s restaurant on Essex Street and La Qchara, a new restaurant in Melrose Highlands, where Secretary Bialecki announced the $960,000 grant, according to the statement.

“This grant is a game changer for us,” Dolan said in the statement. “It is going to be neighborhood-based, with a focus on safety, aesthetics, and economic development, similar to what we have been able to achieve downtown and at Cedar Park. Our three train stations are among Melrose’s greatest assets, providing easy access for commuters and allowing us to create districts where people can leave their cars behind and walk to shops, offices, and restaurants.”

The MassWorks grant will fund infrastructure improvements near the Melrose Highlands commuter rail station, including reconfiguring the four municipal parking lots, sidewalk reconstruction, better pedestrian lighting and crosswalks, traffic-calming measures, pedestrian amenities, and Victorian lighting, according to the statement.

“Melrose Highlands is a wonderful neighborhood, and this grant will make it even better,” said Ward 1 Alderman John Tramontozzi in the statement. “This grant will help us to improve the neighborhood infrastructure, which will make it a more inviting place for businesses and residents.”

“This grant is the culmination of a three-year process,” Dolan said in the statement. “Being selected for this highly competitive state grant reinforces our vision of creating responsible business and housing opportunities along our rail corridors beginning with Windsor at Oak Grove and Stone Place, through Wyoming Square, Cedar Park, and the Tremont Street corridor, and now ending at the Highlands, touching each corner of the city. I want to thank Governor (Deval) Patrick, Secretary Bialecki, Senator (Katherine) Clark and Representative Brodeur for this tremendous opportunity to improve our city.”

The vision for the Highlands neighborhood was laid out as part of the Tremont/Essex Street Corridor plan, which was compiled by the Melrose Planning Department, working with the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, reads the statement. The plan began with two public meetings, in April and June, respectively, as neighborhood residents and business people were invited to discuss their vision for the area, the statement adds. 

The focus is to make the area from Essex Street along Tremont Street to the Highlands, more accessible to walkers and cyclists, improve the streetscape, and bring in new businesses that will make the neighborhood thrive, according to the statement.

“Only three other communities received these grants,” Dolan said in the statement, “and I want to commend our Planning Director Denise Gaffey, our Superintendent of Public Works John Scenna, and our Director of Community Services Mike Lindstrom, for their hard work in making this a reality.”

Previous Coverage