Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s vision for a revitalized South Boston waterfront is largely coming to fruition, with thousands of Vertex Pharmaceuticals employees soon moving into two new buildings on Fan Pier, and thousands moving into State Street Financial’s new office complex on A Street. Nearby, workers are finishing exterior work on more than 200 luxury apartments and retail spaces at Waterside Place, with hundreds more apartments under construction on Pier 4, on A Street, Congress Street and Melcher Street.
New community amenities just in the past few months include Boston Global Investors’ park and playground, and its much-anticipated Innovation Center opening later this month. Additional open spaces will also be built on Fan Pier and on Pier 4, with an active soccer field to be built as part of the State Street Financial complex.
Boston’s next mayor will have the opportunity to shape a similar renaissance, such as along the East Boston and Dorchester waterfronts, while being mindful of the following:
Realization of waterfront plans takes years: Development of the waterfront takes decades, as evidenced by the plans for the Fan Pier and the South Boston waterfront first circulated in the 1970s as large property owners contemplated future uses. Real movement did not occur until 1999-2000, during a municipal harbor planning process and subsequent state approval of the South Boston Municipal Harbor Plan.
This has also been true in East Boston, where last fall Roseland Properties finally began construction on 176 apartments, the first phase of its Portside at Pier One project. Plans for East Boston’s Clippership Wharf, Hodge Boiler Works, and New Street have received state and city approvals and now await financing. In the meantime, the City of Boston, Massport, Boston Natural Areas Network, and others have successfully worked during the past two decades to develop and maintain significant open spaces and parks on and near East Boston’s waterfront.
Continue close coordination with other public agencies: Successful redevelopment of waterfront neighborhoods in East Boston and Dorchester will require the next Mayor to develop close working relationships with public agencies such as Massport and UMass Boston to realize mutual goals. Massport is the largest waterfront owner, including not only Logan Airport and Conley Terminal, but also with extensive real estate, open space, and roadway holdings in East Boston and South Boston. UMass-Boston is re-shaping the waterfront as it implements a 25-year Master Plan with new academic buildings, re-designed roadways, and possibly first-ever student dorms.
Focus on transportation needs: With millions of square feet of new waterfront development, attention to the transportation needs of residents and workers will be key. MBTA improvements at East Boston’s Maverick Station, including a second head house next to the waterfront, make the waterfront more accessible to transit riders, while renovation of several MBTA Red Line stations in Dorchester has made the stations more user friendly for all. Together with the MBTA and the state Transportation Department, the next administration will need to closely monitor commuter and travel patterns to ensure sufficient transit and bicycling options, together with safe pedestrian networks.
The next administration should build upon the Menino administration’s commitment to water transportation by implementing water transportation service between East Boston and South Boston, beginning with federal funding already approved for the city’s purchase of two ferries. The new administration should work closely with UMass officials and others in developing a water transportation system that could take advantage of the two existing docks on Columbia Point.
Plan for community amenities and facilities: Successful revitalization of the East Boston and Dorchester waterfronts should address community needs for super markets and large drug stores (the most requested retail uses of residents and families), as well as community facilities such as schools, libraries, parks, and community centers.
Plan for climate change and future sea level rise: The Boston Harbor Association’s 2013 report, “Preparing for the Rising Tide,” focused on the need for climate change preparedness, noting that roadways near the UMass Boston campus and East Boston’s residential neighborhood are vulnerable to future sea level rise. The next administration should ensure that future development include greater climate change resilience, particularly in these neighborhoods.
Building upon the waterfront planning and development efforts of the past two decades, we are hopeful that all of Boston’s waterfront neighborhoods will flourish in the years to come.
Vivien Li is president of The Boston Harbor Association, www.tbha.org. Email: vli@tbha.org
