SALEM — It’s a housing project a generation in the making.
Partners to the “Riverwalk” redevelopment project off the southern end of North Street ceremonially broke ground Monday morning, with steel and foundation work already underway for the property’s three main buildings.
When finished, the project will bring 37 new housing units to Franklin Street in Salem — four designated as affordable housing — as well as a transformation of salvage yard into a clean residential community, according to project partner Daniel Fox with MerryFox Realty.
As much as the groundbreaking highlighted the partnerships in the project and giving credit to those who moved it forward over time, it also put a spotlight on the history of the now-cleared Ferris Salvage operation.
“I grew up maybe a quarter-mile from here, played Little League on this field. This was my playground, and I grew up playing in that park next to this junkyard,” Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. “So to see this transformation here is just really remarkable.”
The Planning Board first issued its approval of the project in 2018 (tinyurl.com/26s7m9n4). Part of the delay rested in a legal dispute over who owned a fenced portion of property between Furlong Park and Ferris Salvage, with the answer being pivotal to land transactions ahead of construction (tinyurl.com/3ubt8ky5).
“The number of units here is great. The commonwealth needs 200,000 units to meet our housing needs, so Salem is doing our part,” Pangallo said Monday. “We’re trying to advance housing at every price point — market rate, working family housing, affordable housing — but we really need an all-on-hand approach to address our housing needs here in the commonwealth.”
Marc Tranos, a project partner representing Juniper Point Investment Co., highlighted the need to build on the water where nobody had before.
“I’ve lived in Salem for 30 years now, down on Juniper Point in the Willows, and I’ve always driven by this site wondering why there was a junkyard on the water across from the train station,” he said. “I’m excited to be able to take a seven-year journey to permit this project, and we’re excited to add housing stock to the city and do something everyone in the city can be proud of.”
Not everyone has been as enthusiastic about the project, however.
The proposal frequently drew the ire of a contingent of residents concerned about overdevelopment in Salem, particularly for this project’s presence in a flood plain. The entire property directly borders the North River, which was at its highest normal level during the groundbreaking due to a 9.8-foot high tide at 10:25 a.m.
But the developers have been responsive to climate change concerns — most notably the sea-level elevation of the site.
“We’ve raised the whole site up out of the flood zone,” Tranos said.
He then noted the main ground-level sits at 5 feet above sea level — higher than levels currently being sought under the 4.3-foot level proposed within the climate resiliency overlay district (tinyurl.com/yc3kstc4).
While the entire property sits at 5 feet above sea level, vehicle exits off the property are at 10-foot elevation, the buildings themselves are 11 feet, and the garages are 11.4, according to Tranos.
“We knew we wanted to raise everything just to protect the people that are going to live here,” he said.
State Rep. Manny Cruz was enthusiastic about the groundbreaking.
“I can’t think of a better location than right here by the North River,” he said. “I’ve heard about the conversations and need in North Salem for more housing, more housing that’s directly adjacent to transit.”
Cruz then extended his arms out to the MBTA Commuter Rail garage just across the river.
“This is transit-oriented development in action,” he said. “It’s exactly what we need throughout not just Salem, but the commonwealth.”
For more details on the Riverwalk project in Salem, go to riverwalksalem.com.
Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.