A state ruling on waterfront development clears the way for developer Cargo Ventures to begin permitting for a 1.1 million-square-foot industrial project in East Boston.
Jacob Citrin, CEO of Cargo Ventures, said the East Boston Gateway project will replace the aging industrial buildings on the site with new structures designed to support operations at Logan International Airport, such as vehicle maintenance of deicing trucks and cargo distribution.
“It’s a range of airport services that need state-of-the-art industrial space in close proximity to the airport itself,” Citrin said this week. “That’s what we currently provide, but it’s happening in large part in older, antiquated industrial buildings that we would look to demolish and rebuild to higher resiliency and sustainability.”
The bulk of Cargo Ventures’ holdings are located along McClellan Highway (Route 1A) north of the Chelsea Street intersection. The Park Shuttle & Fly surface parking for Logan passengers would be replaced with a multi-story garage, Citrin said.
Cargo Ventures plans to seek approvals from the Boston Planning and Development Agency and Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office for the project, after a longstanding obstacle was removed in September. The Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office removed 23 acres of waterfront properties between Route 1A and Chelsea Creek from a designated port area, which restricts development to marine industrial uses.
Cargo Ventures, which specializes in logistics projects, had sought the regulatory change. No ship-to-shore industrial activity has taken place in the area since the 1950s, the firm noted in application materials.
Citrin said the project does not hinge upon approval of a new truck bypass road to Logan, which has been envisioned on an abandoned commuter rail right of way located next to the site.
“It’s not connected or reliant on anything that happens on the MassDOT property, but should something happen we think it would be a huge win for the community,” he said.
Transportation activists protested the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s 2019 plans to sell easement rights for the rail corridor, and the agency agreed to begin a broad study of transportation needs along the Route 1A corridor. The study reflects the uptick in major projects including the 16.5 million-square-foot Suffolk Downs redevelopment.
Citrin said he does not anticipate that the project will attract tenants currently located on the airport property.
“Any company that’s on-field would certainly prefer to remain on-field,” he said. “This is more about growth and increasing needs.”
The breakdown of industrial uses has not been determined, Citrin said, but will not include last-mile distribution space.