At Least 1,000 jobs for Quincy Residents in Downtown Deal

25% of the Construction Jobs for Project to Quincy Craftsmen

QUINCY -- Twenty-five percent of the construction jobs created by the New Quincy Center project would be targeted for Quincy residents under a tentative agreement reached between the city and project master developer Street-Works LLC, Mayor Thomas Koch announced today.

The $1.4 billion redevelopment plan is expected to generate 4,222 construction jobs in Quincy. The finalized agreement would target more than 1,050 of those jobs for Quincy residents, creating the largest infusion of jobs specifically set aside for residents in the City's history.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to provide more than a thousand good jobs to this generation of Quincy residents while creating a new center that will be enjoyed by many future generations of Quincy residents," Koch said.

In addition, the parties agreed to give first priority to Quincy-based firms placing competitive bids on work related to new Quincy Center.

Koch and executives from Street-Works agreed in principle to the targeted labor set-asides and will work out the details of the agreement over the next several months.

Street-Works co-founding partner Kenneth Narva said the tentative agreement reflects the firm's desire to make New Quincy Center a long-term economic engine for Quincy residents.

"Our approach has always been to individualize our designs to the areas where they're based. Setting jobs aside for Quincy residents is in perfect harmony with this philosophy," Narva said.

The Street-Works project would widen Quincy Center's sidewalks, alter traffic flow, daylight a portion of Town Brook, create open civic areas and green space, and add about 684,000 square feet of office space, 590,000 square feet of retail space, 1,100 residential units, a hotel and 3,734 parking spaces.

According to an economic analysis by the New York-based firm AKRF, the project will boost the city's property tax revenues by $10 million per year and will generate 4,222 construction jobs in Quincy and 7,240 total direct and indirect construction jobs in the state.

The project will create 4,560 permanent jobs, the study found.

Koch and the Street-Works team have stated that the project would be virtually impossible to build without union labor and have met with union leaders to discuss the design and its general timeline.

"We're pleased that Mayor Koch and the Street-Works folks met with us at the beginning of the community outreach effort, and we're looking forward to continuing the conversation as the project moves forward," said Thomas Williams, Business Maganer for Laborers Local 133.