The turnaround story of Everett Avenue has been well documented both inside and outside of Chelsea.
Now, with that area growing unabated, City Manager Jay Ash said this week that planners would begin to focus on the Marginal Street corridor as the City’s next big boomtown.
In the next few weeks, the City plans to release a request for proposals (RFP) that calls for a study of the Marginal Street corridor – which runs right along the Chelsea Creek. That study comes on the tail end of a group of investors filing an application with the City to develop a hotel on vacant land at the head of Marginal Street, across from the new Chelsea Street Bridge.
“We met with stakeholders about 18 months ago, and decided that we needed to bring on a consultant to help us think about the future of the waterfront,” said Ash. “Certainly the news that a hotel is eager to be an anchor on Central and Eastern Avenues is great news and tells us that our hopes for a higher end waterfront is possible. The new park that Eastern Minerals is creating and the pier that Harold Kalick has restored are great infrastructure additions, as is the Chelsea Street Bridge.”
Ash noted there are some positive steps already taken on the thoroughfare, but true success such as has borne out on Everett Avenue may be some years away.
“We may be five or even 10 years away from the start of a true transformation there, but it has worked on Everett Avenue and we are equally as confident that something special can happen on the waterfront some day,” he said.