I attended a future transportation in Mass. Economic Development summit this week in Worcester. The economic future in Massachusetts is very bright – projected population growth is + 600,000 people in the next 10-20 years, but that is expected in / near Boston. That is a doubling of the current Boston population in an already extremely congested area. There is however no clear congestion mitigation plan and acknowledgement of an exposed and fragile infrastructure. Single occupant vehicles are also identified as being a large part of the congestion problem that will likely be mitigated by added fees and / or tolls increases as well as increased public transportation use costs.
Coastal resiliency is another key element related to climate change impacting transportation and residential concern and no clear plan there either. Coastal resiliency is regarded as an extreme high risk already and projected to worsen as a concern and this is a nationwide priority, but particularly critical near term in coastal locations. What that means is that Boston particularly because of its coastal location is at a very high risk. This is true for both residents as well as businesses located there.
This poses extreme complications for businesses located in / near Boston. Commutes will be further congested and time wasting. Employee attraction and also retention will be threatened. Not that the employee base won’t be available, but that can they stay. It is also not just people congestion, but also product and materials transport congestion. Now add in the + impact to real estate prices in Boston, and there is a convergence of potential catastrophe looming for businesses in Boston – particularly small businesses trying to grow and expand. The research activities can continue to flourish in Boston, but what about production and manufacturing next gen products for companies that need expansion?
The horizon continues to look very bright for locations like Amesbury for both manufacturing and business locations, but also as a living and lifestyle location. The transportation plan abstract recognizes that locations outside of Boston are a critical part of the growth track. This is why we located CI Works in Amesbury and continue to be very bullish about growing our capacity here as well as broadening to mixed use development activities. Locations like this help solve the existing transportation congestion – being located near both interstate routes 95 and 495 for both commuting and goods transportation.
We picked a great location, businesses located here are growing and thriving which is a catalyst for other companies to benefit from co-locating nearby, the city has been and will continue to be pro-business, and we will be expanding both as a business location and a residential location.
Come join us at CI Works as a ‘live here – work here’ alternative location that can benefit your business!