Middlesex 3 Coalition: Melisa Tintocalis, Economic Development Director, Town of Burlington

What types of companies are your city or town looking to attract? Burlington has four target industries that it seeks to grow: 1) Life sciences and medical device; 2) Additive manufacturing; 3) Healthcare, and 4) Technology. To that end, the town has launched a commercially focused website that highlights existing companies, local success stories, and shares incentives that may help businesses find home here: BringMeToBurlington.com. In addition, the town is currently working with MassDevelopment to develop an economic and land use plan that will help identify other growth industries and opportunities as well as guide future development.

What would you tell a company looking to move to the M3 region? I would say, a move to the M3 region would help a company level up in any industry. The region offers access to a smart and talented workforce and the communities that make up this region are interested in being a partner in your success. And, in addition to our business friendly approach, our region has great location advantages, including freeways access and proximity to Cambridge and Boston.

What is the most exciting job/project/goal for your company/city or town in 2021? The top three exciting developments in Burlington include 1) the expanding life sciences cluster which brings Moderna to town, 2) the opening of new food concepts that enhance the variety of the town’s amenities, and 3) the continued public investment in our water system to support the growth over the next 30 years. Our local life science ecosystem has expanded with Butterfly Network relocating from Connecticut to Burlington, Massachusetts. Butterfly will bring 200+ employees to work on their ultrasound technology and build strategic partnerships. They selected “The District” as their new home with proximity to Northeastern University, Lahey Hospital, and easy access to amenities. Adding to this innovation ecosystem is a new clean room facility developed by the Azzur Group. The clean rooms offer life science companies pharmaceutical manufacturing space and remove the burden of ownership and maintenance for companies that want to focus on product development. Moderna will be the anchor client as they continue to develop vaccines and other new products. The success of this project is rooted in the Town’s proactive efforts in 2020 which rezoned several parcels to allow for life science uses by right.

On the restaurant front, although labor shortages remain a challenge, the Burlington Mall renovation has move forward with its $100M renovation of the old Sears building bringing new food concepts that add variety to the area’s restaurant hub. For instance, Shake Shack and Karma recently opened and Common Craft will open later this fall with a combination of brewery meets bistro along with outdoor seating spaces.

Lastly, to support this level commerce, Burlington has continued to invest in the underpinning of commercial and residential development – its infrastructure. Burlington has invested approximately $23M to expand water capacity and join the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA). The Commonwealth also contributed a multimillion dollar MassWorks grant to this project which will augment the daily supply to 6.5 gallons of water, ensure its quality, and support future growth.