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THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, NOVEmbER 15, 2024 Page 9 EVERETT | FROM PAGE 8 cluding the siting of well over a dozen housing developments that adhere to the city’s inclusionary zoning ordinance (and including the first family affordable housing development to be constructed in Everett in nearly half a century) and first-in-the-region implementation of dedicated bus and cycle lanes. Everett’s transformative Host Community Agreement with Wynn serves as a model, as the arrival of Encore has generated significant funding for the city – leading to the revitalization of city parks and open spaces – and leaves the door wide open to even more positive development, including additional housing, office space, and sports & entertainment venues. Folks: After 131 years of breathing in pollution, of always delivering when called upon, of sacrificing its environment and economic vitality for the good of the entire Commonwealth, the City of Everett is on the move and it is booming. But as the city works to build a brighter future, we face new challenges – ones that threaten to undo the progress we’ve made. A 20-acre Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has been proposed for the roughly 100-acre former ExxonMobil site that has, for generations, housed dormant gas tanks, pillars of environmental injustice. While my administration has centered climate-friendly initiatives and supports the Commonwealth’s ambitious push to meet its 2050 emissions goals, that the largest BESS facility in Massachusetts would be crammed into an area of the city that might potentially play host to developments including a professional soccer stadium and is situated just across from thousands of housing units permitted since 2020 is a 21st century example of environmental injustice. While suburban community projects, such as the Outer Cape BESS in Provincetown or the Cranberry Point BESS in Carver, are fractions of the size of this proposal and are located in out-of-the-way parts of town, Everett is being asked to stunt its growth by hosting a comparatively enormous project in one of its most potentially economically viable corridors – an area that for decades the city could only have dreamt of redeveloping. For too long, this stretch of Everett has been an area akin to a “last mile” – where higher-end developers have avoided and economic vibrancy has long been off the table. For those looking to work with Everett to turn this area into the next Seaport, the prospect of the largest BESS facility in Massachusetts crowding their projects is a potentially fatal disincentive. This is grossly unfair to the people of Everett, who would benefit from the jobs and tax incentives these projects would bring to the city. Further complicating this proposal is the precariousness of the region’s wind energy projects. Though wind infrastructure may be a cost-effective and sensible approach to generating renewable energy, a change in administration in Washington threatens delays and inaction, possibly ensuring that if Everett is compelled to host a large BESS facility, it could be many years before it becomes a valuable tool in the fight against climate change, leaving Everett residents to once again stare at a largely dormant facility and wonder “what if.” This is especially true as the legislature marches toward expediting the siting of facilities like this through a mandated 12-month consolidated permitting process. I understand the need to compel communities into action, but the BESS proposal for Everett, which falls well outside the margins of similar projects around the Commonwealth, is a glaring example of the law’s shortsightedness. And I say with great pride that mine has always been an administration of action: we have never needed any extra push to do the right thing. Instead, Everett has proven time and again to be a Yes-InMy-Backyard community. We take pride in that chapter of our history in which the city genuinely could be called the “City of Diversified Industry.” I shake the hands or look in the eyes of lifelong Everett residents and know that these are the men and women who powered the Commonwealth, that mired in the unforgiving work of industry that helped neighbors like Boston and Cambridge becoming global destinations for finance, the life sciences, and academia. Everett has always been ready to help the Commonwealth and contribute to its progress, but we ask that the Commonwealth now return the favor by ensuring that the development of a massive BESS facility does not sacrifice our city’s future. Let’s work together to find a solution that benefits all residents – not just the state’s energy goals, but the people who have already given so much. Eastern Bank Building on Rte. 1S 605 Broadway, #301 * Saugus (781) 233-6844 www.bostonnorthdental.com Dr. Priti Amlani Dr. Bhavisha Patel * Restorative Dentistry * Cosmetic Dentistry * Implant Restoration * Zoom Whitening * Teeth in a Day - All on 6 * Invisalign * CEREC Crowns (Single Visit Crowns) * Root Canal Treatment * Sedation Dentistry ~ Full Mouth Rehabilitation ~ Before After

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