STEVE COYLE: NATION LOSES "A CITY BUILDING LEADER"

There was a sad chapter to the Holidays in 2023 with the news that longtime civic colleague and friend, Steve Coyle, had unexpectedly passed away.

Was in Waltham, MA, Steve's hometown for his memorial on Wednesday evening, and his Funeral Mass on Thursday morning.

In an extensive article and obituary in the December 22, The Washington Post chronicled Steve's life and career, noting:

"Stephen Francis Coyle (1945-2023) suddenly and unexpectedly passed away peacefully in his home on December 18."

"Visionary planner for the City of Boston; champion of union labor and affordable housing in the U.S. and abroad; emissary of peace in Northern Ireland; Stephen lived his life in service of others and measured his accomplishments by the people he helped. An unsung hero, because of his life, untold thousands received health care, affordable housing and a job with a living wage...

From truly humble beginnings, his Jewish brothers and sisters at Brandeis University discovered Stephen as a dishwasher in the campus cafeteria and gave him the gift of a world class education. Forever indebted to their generosity, Stephen's great honor was securing the land for the New England Holocaust Memorial by Boston's City Hall...

From Brandeis, Stephen went on to be elected Waltham's youngest ever City Councillor in a position he held from 1970 to 1977 while a student at the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University. He simultaneously served as the Director of the Dedham and Waltham Housing Authorities..."

In 1977, he was summoned to Washington, DC, where he served in the Administration of President Jimmy Carter, as Executive Assistant to his deeply-admired mentor, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Patricia Roberts Harris, where HE AND I first met as members of Secretary Harris' Transition Team, and I later served with him as HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary. Steve then served as Secretary Harris' Deputy Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

During his time at HUD and later with HHS, he worked to further the vision of President Carter and Secretary Harris in revitalizing cities across the country with the country's first National Urban Policy, in launching the Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) public/private development program in cities, and in bringing affordable health care to the Native American Tribes of the American Southwest.

"With the arrival of President Ronald Reagan in Washington, DC, Steve and his beautiful bride Maria headed west with Lisa and Will in tow and lived out some of the happiest days of their lives in Palo Alto, while Steve was a student at Stanford Law School...

Never one to be idle, Stephen worked full-time through most of his time at Stanford for legendary architect John "Jack" Carl Warnecke as the CEO of Warnecke & Associates, where he learned the aesthetics of design and urban planning, while establishing groundbreaking development projects across the globe..."

Following his time in California, Stephen was called home to Boston, where he served as the Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority under Mayor Raymond Flynn from 1984 to 1992, where he and the Mayor literally redesigned and revitalized most of Boston.

Shortly after assuming his position heading the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Steve brought new Mayor Flynn to Denver to compare notes with then-Denver Mayor Federico Peńa and me (I was then serving as CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc.) --- on planning and development initiatives in both cities.

“Steve Coyle obituary: development chief who brought out ‘the best in Boston’ dies at 78.” | Boston Globe |?By?Bryan Marquard ?Globe Staff,Updated ?

December 27, 2023 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/27/metro/steve-coyle-development-chief-who-brought-out-best-boston-dies-78/

Among his many contributions to the City of Boston, Steve was instrumental in the revitalization of the Charlestown Navy Yard and helped to establish the famed Harbor Walk, in addition to approving over 150 other significant public/private partnership developments.

During this period, Steve also empowered Boston's African American community through a revolutionary program back in the 1980s which required developers to hire minority partners at all levels and project phases, and to link major commercial developments with investments in low and moderate income neighborhoods (an initiative called "Linkage.")

Perhaps his greatest professional accomplishments came through his more than 25 years of service as the founding CEO of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT).

In his time with the HIT --- HIT invested $8.5 billion in 421 projects nation-wide (without a single default), creating more than 141,000 jobs including nearly 66,000 on-site union construction jobs, and generating $4.4 billion of net earnings for its investors.

These investments produced 94,000 housing units, of which about 70% were affordable to low income units for working families. The total economic impact of these projects is estimated at over $22 billion.

During my 18 years as CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA), I had the opportunity to work with Steve and his HIT colleagues, during which time, they invested hundreds of millions of dollars in St. Louis affordable housing and workforce housing in the revitalization of center city St. Louis.

As a leader, Stephen was also dedicated to advancing diversity and equity long before DEI was widely adopted. At the time of his retirement, HIT and its leadership team were comprised of over 40% people of color and nearly 60% women.

From the mid-1980s onward, mostly unbeknownst to his family or friends, Stephen worked to help bring peace to his ancestral homeland, Northern Ireland. Enlisted by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, the late John Hume --- Steve helped to develop a pivotal statement project which created a unique opportunity for the community and, in John Hume's words, "Steve convinced the paramilitaries to trade guns for jobs."

Among his many awards, Stephen was recognized with the National Alliance to End Homelessness Lifetime Achievement Award, the United Clergy Task Force Angel's Award, the Flax Trust Award, the Brandies University Alumni Achievement Award, the Boston Planning & Development Cushing Gavin Award, the Boston Preservation Alliance Codman Award for Lifetime Achievement and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Ulster.

Beyond his professional achievements, Stephen will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a masterful gardener, an affectionate caregiver to his beautiful Koi and his rambunctious "roggie dogs" (Lady, Julie and Jake) and as a diehard Red Sox, Celtics and Pats fan --- though his greatest joy by far was his grandchildren.

Steve was the beloved husband of 53 years to Maria Lynn (Chaffee); loving father of Lisa Grace, William Joseph (Simone) and Elena Maria (Christopher Philippou); cherished "Pa" of Evan Joseph and Elise Marie (Coyle), and of Maria Elena, Julia Michele and Jamie Stephen (Philippou); uncle and great uncle to many dear nieces and nephews.

Maria bravely led the Memorial Service to Steve,here in Waltham, joined by his family and friends.

The Washington Post noted, "Stephen was born in Waltham, Massachusetts on September 28, 1945, the son of the late Margaret Mary (Flaherty) and William Joseph Coyle. Stephen was the 10th born of 14 children (thirteen of whom lived, ten who survived to adulthood). He is preceded in death by his brothers Robert Emmet, William Joseph Jr. and Bernard Arnold and his sister Michelle Anne, and survived by his brothers Brian, Michael, and David and by his sisters Margaret "Peggy" (Shanks) and Mary (Nevrekar)."

He was also a mentor and friend to so many, and the family welcomes you to share your memories of Stephen with them at [email protected] .

A Catholic Funeral Mass at St. Mary's in Waltham was celebrated on Thursday morning, December 28, 2023 at 10 a.m.

I've been a civic colleague and friend of Steve's for 47 years, and will miss him very much.

--- Dick Fleming, CEO, Community Development Ventures, Inc., St. Louis, [email protected]