From Tar Pits to Treasure: Reimag...

From Tar Pits to Treasure: Reimagining Lynn Harbor Park

Energy Environment Economy by Ann Gisinger
E53
Jun 29, 2026
27:53

Episode notes

What does it take to transform a crumbling waterfront landfill and former manufactured gas plant into a signature public park? In this episode, the team behind Lynn Harbor Park (Aaron Clausen, Principal Planner with the City of Lynn, MA, Mason Sandell, Chief Commercial Officer with Charter, and Alasdair Cunningham, Director of Project Development with Charter) shares the decades-long journey of environmental cleanup, regulatory problem-solving, beneficial soil reuse, and public-private partnership that helped turn a neglected industrial site into a new gateway for community access, housing, and waterfront redevelopment.

Links from the Episode:

Lynn Harbor Park Project Page: https://lynnincommon.com/harborpark

City of Lynn – Lynn Harbor Park: https://www.lynnma.gov/cms/one.aspx?portalId=109810&pageId=293650

Massachusetts Municipal Association: “Lynn transforms landfill into waterfront park”: https://www.mma.org/lynn-transforms-landfill-into-waterfront-park/

Boston.com: “The Lynn waterfront was a dump. Literally. But what if it became a park?”: https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2025/09/17/the-lynn-waterfront-was-a-dump-literally-but-what-if-it-bec

ItemLive: “Land deal powers plan for Lynn waterfront”: https://itemlive.com/2020/07/10/land-deal-powers-plan-for-lynn-waterfront/

Where to find Aaron, Mason, and Alasdair:

Aaron’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-clausen-4876b919/

Mason’s Professional Page: https://charter.us/our-people/mason-sandell/

Mason’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-sandell-79613418/

Alasdair’s Professional Page: https://charter.us/our-people/alasdair-cunningham/

Alasdair’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alasdaircunningham/

Where to find EBC:

Webpage: https://ebcne.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/environmental-business-council-of-new-england-inc-/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKLl6DmcaFbOwjJ2aB956g

Keywords

environment
economy
energy
ebc
award

Where this episode is made