Page 4 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 J& $45 yd. S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. MULCH SALE! Discount Spring Special PICK-UP or DELIVERY AVAILABLE 617-389-1490 Premium Hemlock or Pitch Black BELOW WHOLESALE COSTS LANDSCAPERS WELCOME $4 yd. $40 yd. $3 yd. City and MAPC look at ways to help Broadway businesses By Adam Swift W ith the help of federal CARES Act COVID-19 relief funds, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and city officials, businesses in the Broadway Business District could be getting some help that could help reshape the district. Last Tuesday night, representatives from the MAPC and the City of Revere held a public forum on the planning process for how those funds could be used. The meeting included updates on demographic information gathered by MAPC and results of a survey of business owners touching on their struggles over the past year during the pandemic. “The City of Revere applied for a grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development along with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and was successful in getting that grant,” said city Business Liaison John Festa. “The purpose of this grant is to help all businesses in this district with technical assistance in some capacity and with longterm sustainability.” Mayor Brian Arrigo said the planning process, which will result in a report with recommendations for the Broadway Business District being completed by August, is the latest example of Revere working with MAPC for the betterment of the city. “As we begin to recover and as we rebound from the devastating impact that Covid has had, we’re in a great position to take advantage of a number of things,” said Arrigo. “One is the funding that is available to us through the federal relief act and the ability for us to, hopefully, maximize the recovery efforts and use these other pots of money available to the city and to the state to really make sure that these impacts that we can make are sustainable and not just for six months or one year.” MAPC’s Chief of Economic Development, Betsy Cowan Neptune, said the goal is to have a fi nal plan that will be used for the funding for the Broadway Business District. “Our hope is that at the end of this planning process we will have a very clear sense of the concrete investments that can be made to support the businesses and to make it a better place to work and shop and recreate for all Revere residents,” said Neptune. Demographic analysis by MAPC showed there are a total of 172 storefronts in the business district, only four of which are vacant. A little under a quarter of the businesses are classifi ed as personal services, such as barber shops or salons, while 17 percent are retail spaces, such as convenience or grocery stores, and 15 percent are food services. There were 35 businesses that responded to the survey sent out by the MAPC. Of those, nearly three quarters have fi ve or fewer employees, and nearly all said they faced negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Those negative impacts included the temporary closing of businesses or a reduction in hours, money spent on safety protocols, and a decrease in business. A walk-through of the seven blocks of the business district highlighted some of the strengths and challenges facing businesses, according to MPAC Economic Development Planner Will Dorfman. The strengths included the high quality of the streets and sidewalks, new lighting in some areas and what looked to be the availability of parking. The challenges included a lack of ADA compliance at crosswalks, traffi c noise and the lack of a protected environment, dead zones for pedestrians, a lack of signage and a lack of a clear identity for the district. “We certainly talked about district identity being a theme,” said Neptune. “We walked through seven diff erent blocks, and when you start walking through the corridor, you don’t really get a sense that yes, I am in the Broadway Business District.” The next steps for the Broadway Business District plan include a second forum this summer, draft recommendations to be prepared in July and a fi - nal plan to be delivered to the City of Revere and the Department of Housing and Community Development in August. SKATING CENTER www.Roller-World.com 781-231-1111 HELP WANTED Skate Guards • Snack Bar Adults Prefered - Hours Can Be Arranged Open 7 Days Per Week Call Jerry at 617-620-9201 or Michelle at 781-233-9507 For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net Located at 425R Broadway (Route 1 South), Saugus MBTA Bus Route 429
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