The abandoned General Electric site on Tremont Street in Everett could be transformed into a commerce park including some mix of office, industrial, light manufacturing and biotechnology space.
A 40-acre brownfield in Everett could become the city’s next commerce park.
Berkeley Investments has purchased the former General Electric site along the Malden River near Wellington Circle for $5 million. The facility, where aircraft engines once were manufactured, closed in 1999. Since then, several proposals for the waterfront location have been floated and sunk.
“Until we complete our analysis over the next few weeks, we won’t say for sure what we will do,” said Steven Brooks, Berkeley’s vice president of asset management. “But our preliminary idea is that we could do office, industrial, light manufacturing or some kind of bio-lab use.”
The parcel along the east side of the Malden River has had a checkered history. Once owned by the U.S. Air Force, its 48 acres later became the site of a jet turbine factory operated by General Electric. In the late 1980s, GE laid off hundreds of employees at the facility after the Navy switched production of its F404, one of the world’s most popular engines used to power fighter jets, to Pratt & Whitney.
At the peak of production, the aircraft parts manufacturer paid nearly $400,000 in annual real estate taxes. The sprawling facility later closed. Today, the only tenant is Boston Coach, which parks about 300 cars on a portion of the lot.
While the city has tried to attract companies to redevelop the land, the property has been a challenge to sell because it contains a number of contaminants that limit its use. Recently, GE donated the former plant’s 8-acre parking lot to the city, as part of a deal that allowed the city to relocate its high school to a portion of Glendale Park.
Because the site is a brownfield, an industrial parcel containing environmental pollutants, there are limits as to what can be built. The state Department of Environmental Protection lists the presence of hydrocarbons and lead on the parcel.
Brooks said while much of the land has been capped to seal the contaminants, it is unlikely the company would build housing or retail because it would require a more extensive and costly cleanup. Besides, he said, city officials said they don’t want more housing or retailers in the area.
“We want to figure out the best use and we want to make sure the city is on board with whatever we do,” he said. “We think housing and retail are unlikely, but we will make a decision within a month and start working on a plan.”
If Berkeley is successful in transforming the abandoned location, it would face competition from nearby River’s Edge. Formerly known as TeleCom City, the 200-acre property in Malden, Medford and Everett developed by Preotle Lane & Assoc. is expected to include housing and 440,000 square feet of Class A office space. The project’s first phase included the recently completed $3 million Tufts University Boathouse as part of the 7.7-acre Malden River Park.
‘Higher and Better’
In recent years, the city has rejected proposals for the GE site, one of which called for a power plant. More recently, The Duncan Group, a supplier of aerospace and construction industry products, had planned to relocate to the site. But officials also rejected that move, according to Brooks.
Everett Mayor John Hanlon said his hope is to transform the land into a place that generates 7,000 jobs and millions in real estate taxes. He said that the city expects to spend $1 million to build road access for the new commercial park.
“If Berkeley does a commerce park and it meets with our approval, that would a great thing for the city,” said Hanlon, who was unseated in September’s primary election. “If they want to make widgets, that’s OK. We just don’t want to see a smelting or rubber factory there. We prefer higher and better uses.”
Patrick Johnston, who once served on the Everett Conservation Commission and is a member of the Mystic River Watershed Association, said whatever is approved for the GE parcel should include a waterfront park.
“For decades, that entire shoreline has been an industrial zone without public access,” he said. “Everett is a riverfront community with 3.5 miles of waterfront, but no one knows it because it has always been fenced off.”
When GE moved out, Johnston said, they left behind a brownfield and did the “absolute minimum” under the law to clean the contaminated site. The aerospace giant also filed a deed restriction on future use that does not allow residential or retail development because such uses would require a more substantial cleanup, he noted.
A GE spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.
Johnston acknowledged that the cost to eliminate the contaminants for creation of green space would be in the millions of dollars. But given the fact that Berkeley paid about half of the original asking price of $10 million, the project is affordable for the new owners, he added.
Hanlon said he would not require Berkeley to provide a waterfront park as a condition for permitting. “The park is a tremendous idea, but that’s out of anyone’s reach,” he said.
Board of Alderman President Joseph W. McGonagle, who was the top vote getter in last month’s primary, said the city needs jobs. “That section of Everett is the final frontier,” he said. “While Malden and Medford have moved forward with development of the former TeleCom City site, Everett has gotten the short end of the stick and we own the largest parcel of the three cities.”
While McGonagle likes the idea of a waterfront park, he was reluctant to insist that it should be part of the permitting process. “I would really have to look at that,” he said. “Berkeley is an honorable company and they have a reputation for being a straight up. I expect they will do what’s in the best interest of the city of Everett. But it’s too early to say where we’re headed on the park idea.”
