haverhill

Transforming a Parking Lot into a Market Square

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 21:02:03 GMT

Tactical urbanism as an economic development driver

Every community has a chunk of land that people scratch their heads over. Sometimes it’s an overgrown patch of grass in a residential neighborhood, or a long vacant building in the middle of downtown, and or a decaying parking lot. For Haverhill it’s the latter.

Haverhill Massachusetts is a pocket sized city on the banks of the Merrimack River. It’s an old New England mill city with a dense urban core and roads that radiate outward from downtown like spokes on a wheel. Over the years its weathered the seasons and the global economy with varying degrees of grace. One half of downtown retains its old Victorian aesthetic alongside renovated residential mill buildings. The other half of downtown Haverhill was reconfigured with single story buildings and paved over with parking lots as part of 70’s era “Urban Renewal”.

Large under-used spaces are bad for downtowns. They discourage walkability, pedestrian safety, and are economically unproductive. This is why parking lots in high density urban areas are looked down upon as wastes of space. Redeveloping large parking lots is a priority for downtown and urban cores throughout the United States.

The Goecke Parking Deck in Haverhill is a massive City-owned parking deck smack in the middle of downtown. Its two stories high and spans over three acres of land. On its busiest days its 50% full, most days it's far below that. For the past few years the area has been the focus of local redevelopment efforts.

In 2017 the parking deck was transformed into an ideal city block complete with pop up shops, temporary store fronts, bike lanes, and crosswalks. The event was organized and put on by Team Better Block , City of Haverhill , and MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative . These organizations use temporary low cost changes to urban spaces as a catalyzing tool for downtowns. This practice is known as “Tactical Urbanism”. The Haverhill "Better Block" event had tremendous results with hundreds of people using the space in a totally different way. It got the community thinking about the space differently and catalyzed local entrepreneurs who worked the market space.

It was the very next spring that the Haverhill Farmers Market decided to take over the parking deck every Saturday from June till October allowing them to expand to a more central downtown space in the heart of the City. This goes to show how a single event can help motivate more consistent and permanent change. The results were transformative, the Haverhill Farmers Market saw:

25% increase in customers
20% increase in sales
80% increase in vendors
One vendor decided to open up a permanent store downtown
New crosswalks painted to accommodate all of the people walking around
Adjacent businesses saw more sales and new customers
More foot traffic downtown, on boardwalk, and rail trail
Rebranding - people refer to the space as “Farmers Market Lot” not “Parking Deck”

The Haverhill Farmers Market is a huge success and attracts thousands of people to Haverhill’s downtown - generating economic activity and casting the old parking lot in a whole new light. It highlights the success of one-off activities like Better Block, which lay the groundwork for continued transformation by reshaping how people understand and see space in their communities. The success of the market and increase in both vendors and customers are the result of creative placemaking and tactical urbanism. Small cities, often strapped for resources, don’t need a lot to make a small difference. Intensely focusing on one city block makes small changes add up quickly and catalyze into more transformative urban changes.

The "nothing-happens-here" cycle has been broken. Just because the lot now hosts a popular farmers market, other events like food festivals, arts markets, and music nights, are being planned by other organizations in an effort to build off of it. These events would have been impossible two years earlier, because the space was not a destination for a critical mass of people.

The Haverhill Farmers Market will continue to draw more and more people to a space that has been seeing declining use for decades. It may not seem like a huge success, but its small changes like this that knit together an urban fabric that gives downtowns desirability and staying-power. It goes to show that a little tactical urbanism can have transformative effects that radiate throughout the community. If you have a free Saturday this summer, I recommend coming to Haverhill and checking it out yourself.

Bringing Clothing Back - 1620 Workwear

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:47:16 GMT

Haverhill is taking advantage of the reemerging textile manufacturing industry

Textile manufacturing is coming back to the United States and Haverhill is getting a piece of the action. If you had told me that five years ago I would have laughed it off, but we live in interesting times. As the cost of labor increases overseas and the demand for well-made local products increases some companies have found a sweet spot for clothing manufacturing in the United States. Here in Haverhill we are proud to host the world headquarters of 1620 Workwear, a new clothing startup located at 45 Wingate Street, right downtown. What happened in 1620 you may ask? Well it’s when the Mayflower pulled up to Plymouth Rock to see what was going on.

1620 Workwear set up shop in Haverhill this summer. Two Merrimack Valley guys, Josh Walker and Ted De Innocentis, decided to take the plunge together. When they were looking at places to open their offices, Haverhill jumped on their radar because of the beautiful downtown buildings at a fraction of the cost of Boston. This isn’t their first foray into textiles, both have extensive histories of working with overseas clothing manufacturing, but they wanted to come back to Massachusetts and do something here. Now with a headquarters in Haverhill the two entrepreneurs feel at home. Their vision is that working men in the manual labor world would be willing to pay a little extra for durable clothing that can keep up with them at the job site.

Guys in the manual labor world know that clothing can wear out quickly and 1620 Workwear knows it too. A quick glance at their website shows that they have brand ambassadors across the United States like commercial fisherman Matt Arsenault from Plum Island or Spenser McCleskey an Alaskan welder. The one thing that these guys have in common is a need for clothing that can keep up with their lives and 1620 Workwear has their products in just about every situation.

Every piece of clothing produced by 1620 Workwear comes from the United States. Staying true to their working class New England roots the majority of the clothing is manufactured in Everett, Massachusetts and then shipped to customers across the world. The press has noticed too, with write-ups on AOL.com and the Boston Globe, 1620 Workwear is beginning to make a name for themselves. Ted and Josh’s vision is coming to life in Haverhill.

Made in Haverhill is a monthly series published in Haverhill Life about manufacturers in Haverhill. Contact us to suggest a business for this column.

Nate Robertson Assistant Director Economic Development, City of Haverhill

Creative Arts Space The Switchboard to Open in Downtown Haverhill

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:38:16 GMT

"Downtown Haverhill’s arts scene is expanding. City residents Sarah LoVasco and Hailey Moschella, co-owners of The Switchboard, have set up 43 Washington Street as a space for the community to create and foster their DIY desires."

New Fund Provides Loans and Support to Small Businesses

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:36:40 GMT

"To help Haverhill entrepreneurs get the money they need, along with expert technical support, four areas banks have come together to launch the Haverhill Partnership Venture Fund. The goal of this pilot program is to provide a local source of business loans for new or growing Haverhill-based businesses that are not yet able to access conventional bank financing."

1620 Workwear Apparel Company Moves HQ to Haverhill

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:35:02 GMT

“With Haverhill, it was about ‘How can we get you here and scale you up so you can start making stuff here and creating jobs?’ That was refreshing and a really big selling point for us.”

Bixby Building in Haverhill Sold for $22.5 Million

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:33:13 GMT

"Boston Andes purchased the Bixby building in 2011 for $12.2 million through Viewpoint Vista, according to the city's property database. BTN Bixby purchased the building for $22,475,000 on Nov. 6...

'It's good news because it shows that there's someone willing to invest in our downtown, which is indicative of a stable eniroment'"

Northern Essex to Open Culinary Arts Center in Downtown Haverhill

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:30:47 GMT

"It's been open just a few months, and now UMass Lowell's downtown Haverhill satellite campus in the Harbor Place commercial building can expect company right down the street.

Northern Essex Community College plans to open a new culinary arts cand hospitality program in 'The Heights at Haverhill', a 10-story, 65,000 square-foot luxury mixed-use development that local real estate developer Sal Lupoli is building at 192 Merrimack St'"

UMass Lowell Unveils Plans for New Haverhill Satellite Campus

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:28:39 GMT

“UMass Lowell’s new business incubator will be based on the model of the successful Innovation Hub that it operates in downtown Lowell. It will provide technology startups with a range of services including co-working and private office space and a prototype makerspace for research and development of new products, as well as access to the expertise of UMass Lowell faculty and state-of-the-art research facilities.”

Downtown Development Continues New Housing Units to be Constructed with Veteran Preference

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:27:27 GMT

“‘The Gerson Building has been an eyesore and added blight to the neighborhood,’ Fiorentini said. ‘This new development will be a welcome change to the area.'"

New "Hidden Pig" Restaurant Opening Downtown With Waterfront Seating

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:26:09 GMT

“The space, near the downtown railroad station at 130 Washington St., is currently undergoing renovations. When complete, the restaurant will feature a 24 by 24-foot deck in the rear facing the Merrimack River."

Another Clothing Manufacturer Starts Up In Haverhill

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:24:51 GMT

"But two guys from the Merrimack Valley hope to break the mold. Josh Walker and Ted De Innocentis have launched a workwear company that sells only US-made clothing, with a supply chain that includes several Massachusetts manufacturers.

They started selling directly to consumers last fall, under the name 1620 Workwear Inc., and moved into their first office in Haverhill in late July."

Downtown Parking Lot Transformed Into Vibrant Outdoor Marketplace

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:22:25 GMT

Downtown Harbor Place Development Receives National Recognition

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:19:53 GMT

“The mixed-use development Harbor Place, developed by POUA and the Greater Haverhill Foundation, was chosen as a finalist in the ‘Best New Mixed-Use’ category.”

Offices, Housing Reawaken Downtown Haverhill

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:18:53 GMT

The Last Remaining Downtown Mill Building to be Renovated Into Apartments

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:17:21 GMT

“City officials are confident that renovating a blighted building with the new housing will not only raise the values of all nearby properties, but will also make apartments at the nearby Hamel Mills and Cordovan buildings easier to market once they become available.”

Plans Move Forward For 700 Housing Units On Stevens Street

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:15:21 GMT

“Providing our residents with housing is a critical goal that has always been on my administration's agenda," Fiorentini said. "Reusing buildings around Haverhill such as the Stevens Mill is an excellent way to create space for new residents and businesses."

River, Boardwalk and Mother Nature, A Perfect Mix

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:13:58 GMT

“All the ingredients are there — sightseers, fishermen, boaters and a healthy Mother Nature. Developers are looking to invest along the river and people want to live there. The next time you have a chance, do what I did — go for a stroll on the boardwalk and take in the sights, the sounds, the smells. Watch closely for the hovering birds, or toss a fishing line into the water. You might indeed get hooked.”

Lupoli Tower Could Begin As Soon As Fall In Downtown Haverhill

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:12:02 GMT

“Developer Salvatore Lupoli’s new 8-12 story mid-rise building, expected to begin emerging over the next year in downtown Haverhill, is now being called “The Heights.” Construction could begin later this year… Fiorentini said the project will create 200 to 300 new jobs.”

Development Revitalizes Waterfront in Haverhill, Mass.

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:10:24 GMT

“In addition to revitalizing the riverfront, Harbor Place is triggering further investment and helping to attract businesses and residents back into the area. “The stimulative effect that it has had on downtown Haverhill is the piece that is most exciting,” says Bill Grogan, COO and general counsel at POUA. “When you look at before-and-after pictures of the site, you really see what incredible impact it has had by removing blighted buildings and opening up public access to the river.”

Riverside Rail Trail Opens, Providing Walkers With a Beautiful View of Downtown

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 20:09:01 GMT