Lynn Massachusetts

[philip]

I've been in Lynn alot recently and I'm amazed at the amount of undeveloped and underdeveloped land in the city and Especially alone their waterfront. Their rather large downtown has good bones. Some reuse coupled with new construction would be transformative.

Access is a problem of course. A blue line extension would be key.
It's a Cinderella story just waiting to happen. I'd love to see movement.

 

[Beton Brut]

+1

There's a wealth of good housing stock in Lynn, and it's as close to downtown employment centers (in terms of linear distance) as some affluent western suburbs. The issues are of transportation access, and an extended cycle of less than ideal governance and the attendant disengagement of residents from a political process.

 

[stick n move]

I always wonder why blue is a given but not orange. The ol extension has a wide ROW next to the CR up to lynn and it would hit everett, chelsea, revere, and lynn. Thats 4 underserved towns/cities vs just 1 with the blue extension. Either one would be great but the ol extension could add mass transit to multiple Boston suburbs that really should be included and give thousands more people mass transit access.

 

[tysmith95]

I always wonder why blue is a given but not orange. The ol extension has a wide ROW next to the CR up to lynn and it would hit everett, chelsea, revere, and lynn. Thats 4 underserved towns/cities vs just 1 with the blue extension. Either one would be great but the ol extension could add mass transit to multiple Boston suburbs that really should be included and give thousands more people mass transit access.

I think it's better to just have an electrified more frequent commuter rail.

Issue with the orange is that it would require branching past Sullivan. The part of the orange from assembly to oak Grove is very highly utilized, it's already at capacity (until new cars come in).

Also I'm not sure the nbyprt Rockport rail is wide enough for triple tracking from assembly to Lynn. The commuter rail line there is heavily used, so you wouldn't want to hurt service there.

 

[stick n move]

Yea nsrl and electrified high frequency commuter rail instantly changes the entire landscape of metro Boston. 1 seat rides downtown with 30 min intervals from places like Framingham and the aforementioned towns before. 15 min headways at stops close to Boston. It changes everything. It means near subway level service to most CR towns to at least the 95 belt. The only question though is will it happen... Were going to find out at the end of this year when the rail vision study is complete. If they decide against it that means nothing until at least 2040, which is unacceptable. I dont see how they can decide to go with anything but full build, this is the mbta though... well see.

 

[philip]

+1

There's a wealth of good housing stock in Lynn, and it's as close to downtown employment centers (in terms of linear distance) as some affluent western suburbs. The issues are of transportation access, and an extended cycle of less than ideal governance and the attendant disengagement of residents from a political process.

I was talking to a developer friend who owns tons of property in Lynn and you pretty much quoted him. We're talking Chelsea levels of corruption.

He had to grease one hand with 35k to get something done.

With the development of so much waterfront land, the casino and so many destination towns in up and down the coast I still hope for an more extensive Water taxi/transportation system. It'd be great to jump on, get off at the casino, jump on at the casino and hit Gloucester or Boston for an afternoon or vice versa. Travel from the north or south shores into town for a day or go to work....

Pie in the sky but it'd be wonderful.

 

[stellarfun]

Lynn, Lynn the city of sin
You never come out, the way you came in

You ask for water, but they give you gin
The girls say no, yet they always give in

If your not bad, they won’t let you in
It’s the damndest city I’ve ever lived in

Lynn, Lynn the city of sin
You never come out, the way you came in.

This doggerel is many decades old.

 

[Beton Brut]

I was talking to a developer friend who owns tons of property in Lynn and you pretty much quoted him. We're talking Chelsea levels of corruption.

He had to grease one hand with 35k to get something done.

A few years ago, the circumstances on my own sociopolitical activism (that I wrote quite a lot about on aB) gifted me with a new awareness: incompetent political leadership is a form of oppression. I robs the individual of the ability to advocate for positive change.

Over the past couple of years, I've worked with a Lynn-based contractor on my home. I have a deeper understanding of the political landscape in Lynn from a few conversations with him.

With the development of so much waterfront land, the casino and so many destination towns in up and down the coast I still hope for an more extensive Water taxi/transportation system. It'd be great to jump on, get off at the casino, jump on at the casino and hit Gloucester or Boston for an afternoon or vice versa. Travel from the north or south shores into town for a day or go to work....

I agree, a network of frequent, swift, and affordable ferries and water taxis would greatly benefit the entire metro. The biggest joker in the deck is our weather.

I find it interesting that you mention the Everett casino as a feature of your envisioned network. Have you had the opportunity to study some data that suggests that casino-goers would be interested in visiting places like Gloucester, Rockport, and Plum Island?

 

[tysmith95]

I agree, a network of frequent, swift, and affordable ferries and water taxis would greatly benefit the entire metro. The biggest joker in the deck is our weather.

I find it interesting that you mention the Everett casino as a feature of your envisioned network. Have you had the opportunity to study some data that suggests that casino-goers would be interested in visiting places like Glaucester, Rockport, and Plum Island?

The Hingham to Boston ferry gets over 3k daily riders.

Private companies have started a ferry service from North Station to the Seaport. However I believe the MBTA should take over that service and provide a subsidiary to it.

 

[philip]

I find it interesting that you mention the Everett casino as a feature of your envisioned network. Have you had the opportunity to study some data that suggests that casino-goers would be interested in visiting places like Gloucester, Rockport, and Plum Island?

I have not. I used those particular places as loose examples of destinations. I figured besides residents using it to get to work or shop, tourists may use it to take in the whole experience of the Mass. Bay area via boat transportation. There certainly are many more places to visit.. Salem, the Harbor Islands, Castle Island, a fully developed Lynn waterfront, The beaches, Assembly Square, Quincy.... so on...

I grew up in East Boston and the town certainly needs help with traffic.

I'm hoping that increased development, destinations and populace near the water could spur the creation of a water transportation system as an alternative to the T or cars.

 

[FK4]

From a developer’s perspective, Lynn is just sitting there waiting to have its potential unlocked. A BLX would turn downtown into swank lofts overnight... open up the waterfront AND have a BLX and it would be unrecognizable within a decade.

But, while that would bring in lots of new money, the gentrification risks seem equally higher in Lynn than almost anywhere else (left) in town. It will be interesting to see what happens when the time finally comes, as far as balancing the needs of current residents with desires of developers.

 

[Boston02124]

 

[Boston02124]

 

[Charlie_mta]

I'm hoping that an infrastructure bill under the Biden Administration will include funding for BLX to Lynn. It's a relatively easy one to build with a lot of bang for the buck.

 

[Blackbird]

Issue with the orange is that it would require branching past Sullivan. The part of the orange from assembly to oak Grove is very highly utilized, it's already at capacity (until new cars come in).

Would such a line need to be a branch of the OL? Could it just be a new color that runs from Lynn and terminates at Sullivan?

 

[Boston02124]

I'm hoping that an infrastructure bill under the Biden Administration will include funding for BLX to Lynn. It's a relatively easy one to build with a lot of bang for the buck.

Some nice old buildings with big windows perfect for loft conversions

 

[Charlie_mta]

Would such a line need to be a branch of the OL? Could it just be a new color that runs from Lynn and terminates at Sullivan?

In my opinion BLX to Lynn is preferable because it would provide direct high speed heavy rail to downtown Boston (and Logan). Also, the public/political issues on BLX to Lynn have already been vetted for decades, whereas any transit line along the Saugus Branch would be starting public/political involvement from square one.

 

[Blackbird]

In my opinion BLX to Lynn is preferable because it would provide direct high speed heavy rail to downtown Boston (and Logan). Also, the public/political issues on BLX to Lynn have already been vetted for decades, whereas any transit line along the Saugus Branch would be starting public/political involvement from square one.

Proque no los dos?

Though, as the person I quoted mentioned: the Newburyport Line (not Saugus) runs through more populated areas that are underserved by the MBTA than a BLX would including the area around the proposed "Sky Everett" development.

 

[HenryAlan]

Would such a line need to be a branch of the OL? Could it just be a new color that runs from Lynn and terminates at Sullivan?

But what happens, then? Sullivan as a transfer station is problematic because the other line it serves would still be at capacity. People deboarding from the OL2, or whatever you want to call it, would face full trains, unable to accommodate them for the last few stops in to downtown.

 

[Blackbird]

But what happens, then? Sullivan as a transfer station is problematic because the other line it serves would still be at capacity. People deboarding from the OL2, or whatever you want to call it, would face full trains, unable to accommodate them for the last few stops in to downtown.

What do people do who currently ride inbound from Sullivan and Bunker Hill? I thought the problem here was the number of trains that could run along that route, not the capacity of said trains.