ATTLEBORO – Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray visited the city today to present the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority with $312,000 in Intermodal Transportation Center funds. The money, from the Mass. Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works, will be used by the city in acquiring a key property at 15 Wall St.
A portion of the property will be used to provide access to the Station Square bus station, a component of the Attleboro Intermodal Transportation Center. Unneeded portions of the parcel then will be sold to private developers, with the proceeds reverting to the ITC project, although the EOTPW reserves the right to approve the usage of such funds.
“The ARA will be required to work in coordination with the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority on all aspects of this project funded with EOTPW funds,” Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen said in a letter today to Michael Milanoski, the redevelopment authority’s executive director, who accepted the money on the city’s behalf in a 1 p.m. ceremony at the southbound platform of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail station off South Main Street.
The ARA also will be required to provide the state with quarterly updates that are to include both a summary of funds spent and an updated project schedule, as well as with monthly billing statements.
The state aid also will help the city to secure a $1.284 million federal grant, by fulfilling the 20-percent requirement for local matching funds, state officials said.
The Intermodal Transportation Center is the heart of the Attleboro Downtown Intermodal Project, the city’s plan for urban revitalization.
The latest version of the plan – detailed by the Providence Business News in an article this spring (PBN subscribers can read more about the planhere) – also includes the development of 500 units of mixed-income housing; improved public parking; the creation of public green spaces; and zoning changes to encourage private investment. “Where can you find 26 acres in a downtown and a commuter rail station adjacent to a river ready for development?” Milanoski said at the time.
Additional information about the Mass. Executive Office of Transportation can be found at www.mass.gov. To learn more about the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority and its projects, visit www.cityofattleboro.us/ara.
