A $3.5 billion economic development bill that Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Thursday looks to chart a post-pandemic pathway for Massachusetts with investments in housing, downtown revitalization and climate resilience, administration officials said.
A ruling by the state’s top environmental official could clear the way for large-scale redevelopment of the Chelsea waterfront – including a new relief valve for industrial firms being squeezed out of Boston, Somerville and Everett by housing and life science projects.
Gov. Charlie Baker has linked his $9.7 billion infrastructure bond bill to efforts to limit the impact of climate change and reduce its disproportionate impacts on certain populations, but one environmental advocate told lawmakers Tuesday that the proposal’s language “fall(s) short on these priorities.”
