Image courtesy of Gillette Co.
Gillette Co. said housing will make up about 30 percent of its forthcoming redevelopment proposal for its 31-acre South Boston campus, potentially adding thousands of residential units to the longtime manufacturing landmark alongside Fort Point Channel.
In a notification letter submitted today to the Boston Planning Department, Gillette said it will seek approval for a planned development area master plan with a floor area ratio of 4.3 across the site, which translates into approximately 5.8 million square feet of development. A 30 percent housing component would total more than 1.7 million square feet.
The manufacturer will begin tours and community meetings Sept. 19 for the largest development proposal in the Seaport District of the decade as part of a mixed-use development.
Gillette will retain the headquarters and an innovation center that includes commercial, engineering and R&D functions, while moving manufacturing to Andover as previously disclosed. The site currently contains approximately 1.5 million square feet of buildings.
The project’s coastal resiliency strategy includes elevating the site while removing surface parking and adding trees and vegetation, according to a web site launched today with project updates.
Gillette opted to lead the development itself rather than selling the property, selecting CBT Architects to design a master plan. Nearly half of the site will be retained as public open space, Gillette said, including a resilient park on Fort Point Channel and 1,200 feet of new Harborwalk.
In an announcement, Gillette said the designs would protect not just the site but other parts of the Fort Point and West Broadway areas from flooding.
Gillette originally planned to begin the formal permitting process in January, but delayed the filing while holding meetings with officials and neighborhood groups including Artists for Humanity. A nearby development approved in 2022, Related Beal’s 1.1 million-square-foot Channelside, agreed to reserve 51 affordable apartments for artists to stem cultural displacement.
“This is an important moment for our business and for Boston. Redeveloping our 31-acre South Boston site will create exciting new possibilities for the continued evolution of the city,” Gillette Vice President of Community Affairs Kara Buckley said in a statement. “Our early conversations with the community have been helpful in guiding us; we hope to develop a project that will address some of Boston’s most critical needs – from resiliency and open space to housing and economic opportunity – reflecting both citywide priorities and the interests of the South Boston community.”
