Lynn's Brownfields Assessment Grant Is In Progress — and We Want Your Input

Progress Update May 2026. Haga clic aquí para ver la versión en español.

The City of Lynn is making real progress on cleaning up contaminated properties across our community, and we want you to be part of it. Thanks to a $500,000 Community-Wide Assessment Grant from the U.S. EPA, the City and EDIC/Lynn are actively working to assess brownfield sites in our downtown and waterfront areas — with an eye toward turning vacant or underused properties into homes, parks, and community assets.

What's a Brownfield, and Why Does It Matter?

A brownfield is real property that sits vacant or underused because it has — or might have — a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. You've probably walked past one without knowing it: an overgrown lot, a shuttered building that's been empty for years, or a site no one seems willing to touch. These properties don't have to stay that way.

Transforming a brownfield follows a clear path: Assess → Remediate → Redevelop. The Assessment Grant is funding that first critical step — environmental site assessments that figure out what's there so cleanup and redevelopment can follow.

Progress Under the Assessment Grant

The 2024 U.S. EPA Assessment Grant — $500,000 running through 2028 — is already putting resources to work across Lynn. The City is partnering with Weston & Sampson, an employee-owned engineering firm with deep experience in EPA Brownfields work, as our Qualified Environmental Professional. Together, we're conducting Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments at high-priority sites in the downtown and waterfront areas.

Here's a look at three active sites where this work is already underway:

Former Station 8, 450 Eastern Avenue — This building served as a municipal fire station from 1924 to 2004, then as storage until 2020. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment completed in March 2026 identified fill material as a recognized environmental condition and potential hazardous building materials. A Hazardous Building Material Investigation was also completed in March 2026. The next step is evaluating options for redevelopment.

Sheridan Park, 26 Sheridan St — Assessment work conducted in September 2025 ahead of planned park renovations found lead, semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the soil. The park was temporarily closed to protect residents from exposure to surficial soil, and MassDEP was notified. A supplemental subsurface investigation is planned for Spring 2026 to evaluate next steps and ensure regulatory compliance.

Sagamore Park, 75 Sagamore Street — Similar assessment work at this neighborhood playground also found lead, SVOCs, and PCBs in September 2025. The park was closed to restrict surface soil access, and MassDEP was notified. Supplemental subsurface investigation is planned for Spring 2026.

In addition, cleanup work at the Whyte's Laundromat site on Willow Street — funded by a separate 2023 EPA Cleanup Grant — is also moving forward, with groundwater monitoring and installation of a permeable reactive barrier planned for 2026.

We Want to Hear From You

Previous planning efforts have helped guide which sites we prioritize, but community input is essential to making sure these funds support what matters most to Lynn residents. Some questions we're thinking through:

• Are there properties in your neighborhood that should be evaluated under this program?
• What are Lynn's biggest redevelopment needs?
• What factors should make a site a higher priority for assessment?

Share your ideas at lynnincommon.com/brownfields. You can submit feedback anytime — no meeting required.

Do You Own a Property That Might Be Contaminated?

This grant isn't just for City-owned land. If you are buying, selling, developing, or looking to activate a property that may be contaminated, the City of Lynn can help. We offer free Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments to support private property owners and developers who want to move forward but aren't sure where to start.

Reach out to Associate Planning Director Lauren Drago at Lauren.Drago@LynnMA.gov to learn more about how the program can work for your property.

Stay up to date on all brownfields work in Lynn at lynnincommon.com/brownfields.