We’re thrilled to announce a major win for New Bedford’s North End – the Love The Ave New Bedford TDI District has been officially extended through August 2026!
This extension marks a major milestone in our ongoing mission to revitalize Acushnet Avenue – “The Ave” – and it comes as the result of a highly competitive statewide selection process. Out of more than ten Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Districts across Massachusetts, only five were awarded a coveted one-year extension by MassDevelopment, and we’re proud to be one of them.
What is a TDI District, and Why Does It Matter?
If you’re new to the idea of TDI Districts, here’s the scoop: The Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) is a program from MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, that works hand-in-hand with cities and neighborhoods to spark economic growth, improve infrastructure, enhance public spaces, and attract private investment. Each district gets assigned a TDI Fellow—a dedicated coordinator and convener—who works closely with local businesses, organizations, and residents to turn community ideas into actionable plans and lasting improvements.
Our New Bedford TDI District, known as Love The Ave, is centered on Acushnet Avenue and its surrounding North End neighborhoods. Over the past several years, the initiative has become a driving force in building a stronger, more connected, and more vibrant corridor that reflects the neighborhood’s culture, commerce, and community pride.
Why This Extension Matters Now
In April, the Love The Ave New Bedford TDI partners submitted a robust application for a one-year extension of the district’s support, outlining not just our accomplishments, but our ambitious vision for the future. The extension officially covers September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026.
The application underscored something critical: this district isn’t just a development zone—it’s a partnership. A coalition. A true community-driven endeavor.
In the words of the application:
“We view our TDI District as a true partnership, grounded in ongoing collaboration and shared responsibility… Partners have provided a range of resources, from in-kind contributions to staffing support, consistently stepping forward with enthusiasm whenever opportunities arose to expand our impact and strengthen the coalition.”
It’s this spirit—of working together, showing up for one another, and dreaming big—that caught the attention of MassDevelopment and helped earn us this second round of support.
What Comes Next? Stewardship and Sustainability
With another year of support secured, the focus now shifts from momentum to legacy.
The community partners behind Love The Ave are ready to begin shaping a permanent organizational structure that will carry this work forward far beyond the timeline of the TDI designation. The goal is clear: to establish a self-sustaining, community-rooted entity that can define and steward the North End’s identity over the long term.
As the application explained:
“The continued success of our revitalization efforts depends on creating a sustainable, community-driven entity capable of guiding and defining the district’s identity over time… Expertise and support in organizational development, governance models, and long-term strategic planning would be of the greatest benefit.”
A North End Like No Other
Love The Ave has always been more than a campaign. It’s a movement.
The project has brought together business owners, artists, nonprofits, residents, and city leaders with a shared mission—to showcase the rich history, cultural diversity, and entrepreneurial energy of the North End. From vibrant small businesses and immigrant-owned restaurants to family-run shops and historic landmarks, the district pulses with authenticity.
We’re especially proud of the active leadership of the Central American community, whose passion and contributions have reshaped the very fabric of Acushnet Avenue and the neighborhoods around it.
As the extension application noted:
“It is that community which is leading the revitalization effort along Acushnet Avenue… One of our greatest achievements over the last few years is bringing our large Central American community into the Love The Ave project and thus enabling them to assume their rightful role in this community.”
Our “Avengers Assemble” Moment
At its heart, Love The Ave is about connection. It’s about creating a sense of belonging that transcends storefronts and street signs. Through events, campaigns, murals, meetings, and everyday moments, we’ve cultivated what the application called our “Avengers Assemble” moment—a neighborhood united in purpose.
“Partners now have a sense of belonging to something larger than their own individual concern. They feel as if they are on a joint mission to strengthen the bonds that tie us together and make this neighborhood a special place in the City of New Bedford.”
And that mission continues—with renewed energy, deeper resolve, and an exciting year ahead.
Stay Tuned—And Stay Involved
Over the next year, we’ll be rolling out new initiatives, supporting local businesses, celebrating neighborhood culture, and laying the groundwork for a permanent future for Love The Ave. We invite you to be part of it—whether as a volunteer, collaborator, entrepreneur, or simply a neighbor who loves this place as much as we do.
Here’s to another year of transformation, together. Love The Ave lives on—stronger than ever.
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A visit from the Prime Minister
The Cape Verdean Cultural Center, making significant progress on its journey toward full renovation and opening at 1187 Acushnet Avenue in the historic former Strand Theater, hosted a very special visitor as June drew to a close: The Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, José Ulisses Correia e Silva.
He later posted on his official Facebook page the following (and we are providing an English translation below it):
Visitei hoje as obras de remodelação da futura Sede da Associação Cabo-verdiana de New Bedford.
No antigo edifício de um cinema, está a ser criado um importante centro de cultura cabo-verdiana, um projeto que valoriza as nossas raízes e reforça a ligação da diáspora ao país.
Este centro integrará também uma componente social e educativa, com atividades para crianças e jovens no período pós-escolar, promovendo inclusão, identidade e oportunidades.
É um grande projeto da Associação Cabo-verdiana de New Bedford, uma das mais antigas da nossa comunidade, que merece todo o reconhecimento e apoio.
O Governo de Cabo Verde acolhe esta iniciativa com apreço e reafirma o seu compromisso com as associações da diáspora que trabalham diariamente para manter viva a cultura cabo-verdiana.
English translation: Visited today for the remodeling of the future Headquarters of the New Bedford Cape Verdean Association.
In the old cinema building, an important Cape Verdean cultural center is being created, a project that values our roots and strengthens the diaspora’s connection to the country.
This center will also integrate a social and educational component, with activities for children and young people in the after-school period, promoting inclusion, identity and opportunities.
It’s a great project by the Cape Verdean Association of New Bedford, one of the oldest in our community, that deserves all the recognition and support.
The Government of Cape Verde welcomes this initiative with appreciation and reaffirms its commitment to the diaspora associations that work daily to keep Cape Verde culture alive.
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Art for Sale
Arts Illuminated will hold an art show on Friday, July 11, at Hatch Street Studios, hosted by The New Bedford Light.
Formerly known as The Light’s Fine Arts Club, Arts Illuminated is a place that celebrates talented South Coast artists and serves as a marketplace where buyers, enthusiasts and artists meet.
The free event starts at 6 p.m. with a short introduction by The New Bedford Light editors and moderators, featuring local artist Devin “Nived” McLaughlin. It’s followed by artist presentations and a 30-minute “Afterglow,” a loosely structured open discussion among the artists, buyers and other attendees about art-related topics.
Hatch Street Studios is located at 88 Hatch Street in North End, New Bedford, just two blocks east of Acushnet Avenue.
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New Bedford Recycles – and so does The Ave
New Bedford Recycling bestowed its monthly “Our Business Recycles” award to Variedades la Bendición at 1580 Acushnet Avenue. The clothing store was commended for “recycling cans, bottles, paper, and cardboard.” (Photo courtesy of New Bedford Recycling.)
– The New Bedford TDI District is a diverse and vibrant neighborhood in the central economic corridor of the city’s North End. This distinct neighborhood is characterized by its linear commercial spine of small business storefronts on the ground level of one- and two-story tenement structures along with ethnic restaurants, cafes, bakeries, churches, and social clubs. The supporting dense neighborhood is comprised primarily of multifamily housing for legacy Portuguese-descent residents and Latino, Hispanic, and Central American immigrant populations. At the forefront of priorities for the New Bedford TDI Partnership is place-based economic development that focuses on small-business development, entrepreneurship, and public realm improvements with an arts-and-culture-based approach. Adelsa Mendes is the TDI fellow for the New Bedford TDI District. You can reach her at amendes@massdevelopment.com