February 2, 2026 |City of Lynn, Lynn Planning Department, News

Lynn Planning Department Unveils 2026 Outlook

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From the City of Lynn Planning Department: As the new year starts, the Planning Dept. wanted to share some of their major projects for 2026.

Transportation Projects

Between the Lynnway, Western Ave, Essex Street, Northern Strand Extension, and Safe Streets For All initiative, you’re going to see some major improvements to the city’s streets that will make it safer and more pleasant to get around.

Support for Affordable Housing

We continue to manage the implementation of our inclusionary zoning ordinance, which was updated in late 2025 to ensure that it was aligned with today’s market realities. Keep an eye out for this year’s Housing Production Plan Annual Report to learn more about how everyone in the City is collaborating 

Creative Cities & TDI

These MassDevelopment and Barr-funded initiatives have sparked incredible collaborations and investments in our arts ecosystem and vibrant downtown. You may have noticed the cool results from these programs, including new storefronts that pop on Union Street, the dramatic string lights the City installed throughout downtown (thank you, Capital Projects Team!) and a full calendar of arts events for the community. This will be the last year of these programs, and we are eager to finish strong. You can catch the action by following @Creative_Lynnma on Instagram.

South Harbor Urban Renewal Plan

The City is pursuing an urban renewal plan in the next step of the South Harbor Implementation Plan. We hope this will enable us to turn vacant land into community assets for Lynners and transform this area into a neighborhood and jobs center. 

Brownfields

Thank you to funding from the US EPA and MassDEP, we are cleaning up the vacant lot on Willow Street and deploying our Brownfields Assessment Grant on a variety of high priority sites. Keep an eye out for a public meeting this Spring to learn more. 

GAR Hall and Museum

The City was awarded an Underutilized Properties Program grant and a TDI Equity grant to support the continued preservation and activation of this incredible resource! We look forward to seeing you at a ribbon cutting to celebrate the new elevator someday soon.

Downtown Wayfinding

We are cobbling together a few funding sources to invest in new wayfinding signage that will make it easier for folks to get to parking lots and explore all that our downtown neighborhood has to offer.

Arts & Culture Plan

This year we will be undertaking an Arts and Culture Planning initiative, thanks to a Technical Assistance Program grant from MAPC. Keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved! 

We are privileged to serve the Lynn community and excited to make progress on these initiatives in 2026. Thank you for keeping up with our department, participating in our events, and engaging with us as we try to make Lynn an even better place to live, work, and hang out.