go to article Back to the future on Lawrence's Essex Street A bustling, two-way street filled with shoppers darting in and out of a variety of retail shops, restaurants, offices and apartments or condos is what Mayor Michael Sullivan said he has envisioned for Essex Street since he took office six years ago. Now the street is about to be made two-way, and city leaders hope the rest will follow. "In 1978, the city turned Essex Street from a two-way street to a one-way street, and that experiment failed," Economic Development Director Tom Schiavone said. "It's taken us 30 years to correct it." At a ceremony last month, officials unveiled new street signs, banners and trash receptacles that will give the street a new look while it undergoes a traffic transformation. Some work is already underway along either side of the street. The old Blakely Building has benefited from storefront improvements and renovation of upper floors into 45 apartments. Nearby, the Intown Mall is in the final stages of being sold to Northern Essex Community College, which will demolish the longtime white elephant and put up a campus devoted to health sciences and technology, Schiavone said. Also on Essex Street, Michael Tarshi Jr. has converted an unused parcel into a retail complex. Schiavone said the business community is "almost 100 percent behind the initiative," and investment has climbed and building activity has increased.