Lynn becomes North Shore’s Cyber City

By ELIZABETH ROSS WHITE

Special to Essex County Newspapers

It’s a far cry from Silicon Valley, but one corner of the North Shore has become a magnet for Internet-related companies.

Thirty to 40 of these high-tech businesses are clustered in downtown Lynn, in what's become known as the Cyber District.

Internet service provider Shore.Net got the ball rolling about six years ago when it opened near the Lynn BellAtlantic central telecommunications office.

Downtown office space is cheap there, and telecommunication costs, charged by the number of feet from the phone company office, is low. Now, other businesses have jumped on the bandwagon.

Unofficially formed in 1996, the Cyber District has been officially recognized. In 1999, the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce created the Cyber District Council to serve these businesses, which offer such services as Web page design, Web hosting, e-commerce services and software products.

A construction project slated to be completed next fall will add a new dimension to the Cyber District. Engineered by Lynn-based Oasis Development, Goldblock, as it is called, is a major office development that will accommodate 60,000 square feet of office space with Internet access.

One business slated for Goldblock is Cyber Suites. It will provide office space with shared resources such as receptionists, faxing and copying equipment, and conference rooms.

Another business will offer combination living/working spaces for die-hard techies. The spaces will be Internet-wired office suites complete with bedrooms and kitchens.

From the beginning, the presence of Shore.Net in Lynn has been instrumental in the growth of the Cyber District. After the company set up shop in what was once an old city-owned telephone building, Lynn officials helped Shore.Net get a federal grant to pay for building renovations.

"They have helped us build Shore.Net into what it is today," says Scott Hersey, the company's communications manager, "and we have helped build the neighborhood into something more economically viable."