(WHAV News photograph.)
Noah Koretz, hired in 2015 by MassDevelopment to help advance local redevelopment projects in downtown Haverhill, has been promoted to deputy director of the quasi-public agency’s Transformative Development Initiative.
Koretz was originally hired as a three-year transformative development initiative fellow as part of MassDevelopment’s effort to help Gateway Cities, former industrial communities.
“He will continue to serve in his role as Haverhill TDI Fellow through the end of his three-year fellowship term, which ends in April 2018,” according to a statement from the agency. “In his new role, Noah will help further TDI’s mission to support economic growth in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities as the program continues to grow.”
Last summer, Koretz unveiled a Merrimack Street “framework” that would gradually restore north-south streets downtown, add buildings to fill in gaps in the streetscape and place more attention on the Merrimack River. Earlier this year, he spearheaded a temporary “better block” along Merrimack Street, designed as a prototype to attract more local business, encourage more time outdoors, add more beauty and bring more bicycles and foot traffic.
Koretz previously served as the director of the North Suburban Consortium at the Malden Redevelopment Authority, where he managed federal HOME-funded affordable housing investment in eight communities, including several Gateway Cities. He formerly practiced commercial and real estate law in Boston, and is a graduate of Cornell University with a law degree from The George Washington University and a master’s degree in city planning from MIT.
The redevelopment project should include improving the existing storefronts, consistency of signage, and better landscaping from the railroad bridge at Washington Street to the corner of Harbor Place. Business and property owners should be encouraged to participate in the transformation of downtown. The majority of the buildings and storefronts between the Post Office and Harbor Place on Merrimack Street are not being maintained and look like a flashback from 1970 (not in a good way), which is detracting from aesthetics of downtown. Also, City Hall and the Library need attention. For instance, the building facades are dirty and moldy and should be pressure washed, and landscaping is lacking and needed to improve curb-appeal of these facilities. Improvements to the government and public buildings such as these will have a big impact on the appearance of our City.