The stars are finally aligned for South Boston’s Seaport/Innovation District. After decades of planning and well-intended efforts to develop the waterfront, ground-breaking ceremonies now seem to be occurring almost monthly.
For much of the 20th century, the area’s warehouses stored raw materials, handled break-bulk cargo, sheltered cruise passengers and processed fish and seafood. By the late 1970s, changes in manufacturing and distribution of goods rendered many of the existing buildings obsolete for their intended uses. In response to changing times, restaurateur Anthony Athanas proposed what he called a "Venice"-like development of hotel, condominiums, offices and restaurant for his Pier 4 property. Artists, who found the loft-style warehouses attractive as work/live space, formed Fort Point Arts Community Inc. to preserve the artists’ community and ensure affordable artists housing. Developer John Drew and Fidelity Investments pioneered the area’s transformation, bringing about the World Trade Center exhibition hall, meeting spaces and offices, followed by the subsequent construction of the Seaport Hotel, two office buildings and a park on Massport’s properties.
‘Innovation District’ Dawns
During the past five years, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) have further transformed the Seaport area into a dynamic "Innovation District" for the 21st century. Thanks to the mayor’s leadership, developers are building housing for emerging professionals who work in the district. The first, free-standing "Innovation Center" in the country is currently under construction and will open next spring. With funding from the federal government, the BRA is purchasing two water ferries that will provide service between the Innovation District, East Boston and other waterfront neighborhoods.
Developer Joe Fallon’s great success in attracting Vertex Pharmaceuticals to the Fan Pier has helped elevate the visibility of the Innovation District. Early on, Fallon helped brand the district by providing free office space to MassChallenge, which supports early-stage entrepreneurs and innovators. And his financial support of the Volvo Ocean Race and Red Bull Urban Cliff Diving at the ICA on Fan Pier has helped introduce hundreds of thousands of people to the district.
Along the Congress Street spine of the district, Berkeley Investment’s Young Park actively and successfully courted some of the region’s most talented chefs to locate in the Innovation District. The mix of cultural facilities in the district, including the Boston Children’s Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston Society of Architects at Atlantic Wharf and the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, nicely complement the Fort Point Arts Community.
Future Needs
As the district continues to evolve, attention to the following is needed:
Supporting Innovation District Residents: In the last three years, the Seaport/ Innovation District has become a foodie’s mecca, with celebrity chef Ming Tsai the latest to announce plans for a restaurant in the district. Meanwhile, the on-going efforts of developer John Drew to attract either a supermarket and/or "CVS"-type store to the ground floor of his new Waterside Place development have made him the darling of local residents and workers. Everyone is hopeful that with a greater concentration of residents moving into the district, a retail supermarket will soon be a reality.
Providing Early-Action Public Amenities: Both the city and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection have used their permitting procedures to ensure that public amenities are phased in throughout a project. The state’s permitting process required an interim HarborWalk segment by the Pritzker family even before construction started on the Fan Pier. A new park and the new "Innovation Center" currently under construction by Boston Global Investors and Morgan Stanley at Seaport Square are in response to the city’s request for early completion of public amenities.
Conversion of an existing parking lot next to the Boston Children’s Museum to open space, consistent with the approved Municipal Harbor Plan, needs to be an "early action" item supported and funded by nearby abutters. To date, Boston Global Investors has funded the surveyor and landscape planning work, and will contribute to park construction. The Municipal Harbor Plan anticipated that those developers in the immediate area who are not constructing new parks will contribute to this and other open spaces. City and state permitting processes should ensure that abutters make timely and meaningful financial contributions so that the long-anticipated park next to the Children’s Museum and at other locations in the district truly are "early action" public amenities for all to enjoy.
Re-Visiting Transportation Assumptions: In the decade since then Massachusetts Environmental Secretary Bob Durand convened a South Boston Transportation Summit, changes have occurred in how workers and residents travel to and from the Innovation District. Rising fuel prices, a younger, more physically active work force and greater transit options have resulted in few workers coming to the district in single-passenger vehicles. The MBTA Silver Line Waterfront route, which connects the Innovation District with Logan Airport and the South Station intermodal facility, has seen exponential growth, in spite of fare increases.
Shared car options, such as Zipcars, have grown in popularity and usage among both young workers and empty-nesters, and at least one Innovation District developer is allocating significant area in his parking garage for Zipcars. Hubway shared-bike stations are located throughout the district, where users can pick up or drop off bikes to use on the city’s bike lanes network.
Within the next few years, water transportation usage in the district will increase, thanks to new ferry service by the BRA, as well as a new ADA-accessible ferry dock to be constructed by the state Department of Transportation along the Fort Point Channel.
Given the changes in commuting and transit patterns in and around the Innovation District, a South Boston Transportation Summit to update transportation assumptions is much needed, and should be convened by city, state and Massport officials to ensure sound transportation decisions for the district in the decade ahead.
Vivien Li is president of The Boston Harbor Association, www.tbha.org. Email: vli@tbha.org.
