While much attention has focused on the South Boston waterfront, with its many groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies, the renaissance of the East Boston waterfront has quietly been under way for some time, setting the stage to open up more of the waterfront to residents and workers.
Infrastructure improvements and new public amenities have been ongoing in East Boston for the past decade. Like the construction of the MBTA South Boston Silver Line waterfront route, the improvements to the MBTA Maverick Station were much needed, and fortunately preceded most of East Boston’s waterfront development anticipated to open in the next few years. As part of the 2009 improvements to Maverick Station, a second headhouse for ingress/egress was added near the waterfront. Not only is this new entrance/exit convenient for waterfront dwellers, but extension of the subway platform now allows for six-car train service to the station to handle more passengers.
To provide more transit options, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) successfully secured federal funding for two ferry vessels to provide service between East Boston and South Boston starting next summer. The new service will link residents to job opportunities in the two neighborhoods, while reducing reliance on automobiles.
The Massachusetts Port Authority’s (Massport) award-winning, well-maintained Piers Park, and its nearby Navy Fuel Pier Airport Buffer, are popular open spaces for East Boston residents, while the city of Boston’s updated tot lot at LoPresti Park is a favorite among families with young children. Piers Park’s sailing program, as well as the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Constitution Beach, provide local residents with recreational opportunities to enjoy a clean Boston Harbor.
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of organizations such as the Boston Natural Areas Network, Friends of the East Boston Greenway, Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, Air Impact Relief (AIR) Inc., and local residents, additional open spaces are being created along East Boston’s waterfront.
The East Boston Greenway, from the waterfront along the abandoned Conrail right-of-way to the 15-acre Bremen Street Park built as part of the environmental mitigation for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, will soon be extended. Massport, working closely with the city of Boston, is set to begin construction of a greenway extension from Bremen Street Park (which Massport now maintains) to the edge of Wood Island Bay Marsh, with completion during the coming year.
The ‘Livable’ Waterfront Neighborhood
These much-welcomed improvements and additional open spaces have helped to make East Boston an increasingly popular neighborhood for young professionals, artists and families.
In the next few months, Roseland Property Co. will start construction on its Portside at Pier One project, a 176-unit apartment and retail complex overlooking Boston Harbor near Piers Park. Other waterfront projects which have received state and city permits and are seeking financing include: WinnDevelopment’s 281-unit residential project at Clippership Wharf; DeNormandie Companies’ 97-unit residential project at Hodge Boiler Works; and conversion of a warehouse to 163 rental units on New Street.
In recent years, each waterfront neighborhood has developed its own identity.
Under the leadership of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, the South Boston waterfront’s moniker is the “Innovation District,” with its cluster of start-up companies, housing for a young, innovative work force, and an increased reliance on public transportation, bicycles and walking.
East Boston’s “brand” is fast emerging as the “livable” waterfront neighborhood, with its abundant waterfront parks and open spaces, mix of housing types, easy access and commute by public transit and water transportation, and majestic views of Boston’s skyline.
Like South Boston’s Fort Point Channel area, East Boston has become a mecca for artists, with exterior and interior public art displays and creative cultural performances. Harbor Arts, in the East Boston Shipyard near Piers Park, has become a waterfront destination for many who admire the outdoor sculptures and public art located next to maritime industrial uses.
Atlantic Works Gallery, housed in a waterfront warehouse on Border Street, displays works of art from members of the thriving East Boston Artists Group. Renovation of an abandoned firehouse on the corner of Sumner and Orleans streets has created a beautiful, functional cultural and performance space for ZUMIX’s youth arts programs and the East Boston community.
Soon, the construction cranes will be dotting the East Boston landscape, much as they are now along the South Boston waterfront, and one of the best-kept secrets of a vibrant waterfront neighborhood will be revealed to all.
Vivien Li is president of the Boston Harbor Association, vli@tbha.org
