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Waterfront Planning
 South Boston
Massport's property in South Boston is uniquely located in place and time, adjacent to the downtown Boston and with direct access to Logan International Airport. The completion of major infrastructure projects in the area in the near future will further improve direct access to Massport properties, which will benefit both maritime/industrial and commercial uses.
Map of Massport Facilities/Property in South Boston Waterfront Context
Available in PDF format (requires Acrobat Reader)
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project completion of the Seaport Access Road/Interstate 90 (estimated completion in 2004) will connect the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Ted Williams Tunnel and create an interchange on Massport property. The MBTA South Boston Piers Transitway (estimated completion in 2002) will introduce public transit service to the South Boston waterfront which will provide connections to South Station and Logan Airport. In addition, the planned Boston Exhibition and Convention Center (BCEC) on land immediately to the south of Massport holdings will add a significant tourism/visitor attraction in the area.
Massport is working closely with its sister agencies to plan the design and construction of the projects above. The Authority is planning additional capital investments in roadways, utilities, and open space on its property to further enhance the public realm.
South Boston Strategic Plan
In 1998, Massport initiated a Strategic Plan for its development properties in South Boston to support and enhance its core missions of operating the Port of Boston and Logan International Airport. The primary focus of this Strategic Plan is the approximately 50 acres of Massport's waterfront property north of Summer Street, west of the Ted Williams Tunnel, and east of 'B' Street. Historically, this area has been known as the "Commonwealth Flats".
The South Boston Strategic Plan is an extension of years of planning by Massport for its holdings in South Boston. It is natural complement to a number of the Authority's past and on-going planning initiatives such as the Port of Boston Economic Development Plan, undertaking with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) in 1995. In addition, the Strategic Plan reflects Massport's years of interagency coordination on the design and construction of projects in South Boston such as the CA/T Project and the MBTA South Boston Transitway.
Basic Strategic Plan Objectives
- Provide a development framework for Massport's waterfront real estate in a manner that balances the needs of the working port with those of a commercial mixed-use district;
- Ensure coordination of Massport's planning goals, policies, and priorities those of the City of Boston;
- Identify necessary infrastructure investments and appropriate mitigation and/or community benefits;
- Create a vibrant urban area within the larger South Boston Seaport District; and
- Establish a context for subsequent individual project review and permitting.
A Three-fold Strategic Approach
The South Boston Strategic Plan sets forth how Massport's goals will be concurrently pursued and achieved within the context of an overall multi-faceted planning vision. The Plan recommends a three-fold strategic initiative that addresses the following basic areas:
- The physical planning component defines a framework for infrastructure (i.e., streets, transit, parking, utilities), the public domain (i.e., open space, streetscape, harbor access) and development sites (i.e., maritime/industrial, commercial mixed use).
- The real estate and asset management component assesses the market and economic conditions, defines an achievable, balanced development program and identifies priority projects that are key early actions to successfully implement the plan.
- The policy formulation component addresses endeavors of the City of Boston/BRA, the community, regulatory agencies, and other parties that influence the implementation of the Plan.
The Plan will continue to evolve as Massport seeks the input of the community, other property owners, City and State agencies, and other interested parties.
Goals Underlying the South Boston Strategic Plan
The South Boston Strategic Plan reinforces Massport's commitment to the following six broad goals for its waterfront properties in South Boston.
- Maintain Priority on Port-Related Activities. Massport is committed to maintaining a vast majority of its South Boston land for maritime and industrial use to improve the competitive position of the Port of Boston. Consistent with its mission, reinvestment in the port will continue in South Boston where Massport has optimized cargo handling and designated parcels for new modern seafood processing and cargo and freight forwarding facilities.
- Improve Port Access while Limiting Traffic Impacts on South Boston Neighborhood. Massport is committed to identify and invest in further improvements to the transportation infrastructure in the South Boston waterfront together with other agencies. Improved truck access to Logan Airport and the interstate highway system, along with rail access, will help revitalize the Port of Boston by providing better connections to the Boston metropolitan area and the New England region. A more coherent local street pattern and the introduction of public transit to the area in the form of the MBTA South Boston Transitway will facilitate redevelopment of areas currently lacking proper access, while reducing traffic conflicts.
- Be a Good Neighbor. Massport is committed to working with the South Boston neighborhood to minimize adverse traffic and other potential impacts and to ensure that appropriate mitigation benefits accrue to the areas affected by the redevelopment of Massport property.
- Facilitate Development of a Mixed-use District. Massport is committed to the establishing a vital commercial mixed-use waterfront district, complementary to its port operations, that is consistent with the overall land use pattern presented in the Boston Redevelopment Authority's Seaport Public Realm Plan.
Massport seeks a range of commercial office, hotel, restaurant/retail, cultural, and residential land uses on its approximately 50 acres of waterfront property north of Summer Street and west of the Ted Williams Tunnel, historically known as Commonwealth Flats. Massport's planned development will complement the planned Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the World Trade Center, the Seaport Hotel and Fidelity Investment's East Office Building (under construction), and more intensive and public use of the watersheet.
Overall, a Massport goal is to create balanced urban development that recognizes the unique setting of the South Boston waterfront and supports a variety of businesses and residences along with generous public amenities.
- Advocate Good Urban Design. Massport is committed to maintaining high standards for the design of the public realm and private development. The scale and character of new mixed use development in the Commonwealth Flats area will be governed by sound urban design principles which address, among other things, the mass and height of buildings, the location and quality of public open space, access to and activity on the watersheet, streetscape design, and opportunities for transit-oriented development.
- Support Responsible, Phased Development. Massport is committed to undertake the development of its property in a manner that is responsive to its mission, economic market cycles, the infrastructure capacity of the area to support additional development, and on-going coordination with other agencies on nature and timing of projects in the area. Massport recognizes that in may take several decades or more to create a mature mixed-use district on the South Boston waterfront.
Overview of Preliminary Strategic Plan Proposals
The Strategic Plan proposes that roughly 80 percent or 225 acres of Massport's land holdings in South Boston remain in maritime and/or industrial use. Approximately 50 acres of Massport's waterfront property outside of the lies north of Summer Street and west of Massport Haul Road are proposed for commercial mixed-use development. To be fully integrated with Massport's goals and objectives for the Strategic Plan, these properties must generate dependable new revenue streams to help fund Port operations and create a vibrant urban district that contributes civic spaces and public improvements of the highest quality.
Massport believes a successful city-building program for these properties will depend on maintaining a balance of initiatives: first, in being complementary to maritime uses, and second, in facilitating the development of a broader mix of commercial, public, residential and visitor-oriented activities. Massport's development properties in this area also have an important role to play in connecting the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to the South Boston waterfront. Summarized below are preliminary Plan proposals in the areas of transportation, public open space, and development program/priorities.
Summary of Massport South Boston Strategic Plan
Available in PDF format (requires Acrobat Reader)
Transportation
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project and the South Boston Transitway as well as the key surface streets such as Northern Avenue, Congress Street, Summer Street and 'D' Street will play an important role in defining development parcels, influencing land use relationships, and providing both regional and local access for the working port as well as commercial-mixed uses.
The Strategic Plan proposes to build upon the these existing and planned transportation connections by focusing on the need to provide excellent public transit service using the MBTA South Boston Piers Transitway and expanded water transportation services. Additional improvements to truck routes and surface streets are will attract development to Massport's property and to assure the continued efficient operation of port activities.
Several of the core proposals described below are not solely Massport actions, but will require the active participation of the City, state agencies, and the community:
- Extending Congress Street to the east of 'D' Street and transform 'D' Street into a one-way pair of streets between Congress Street and Northern Avenue.
- Improving truck access to Conley Terminal, the Boston Marine Industrial Park, and the remainder of the working port and industrial uses by providing a new, dedicated Conley Terminal Haul Road, improved truck route connections between the Massport Haul Road and the South Boston By-pass Road.
- Extend the MBTA South Boston Transitway directly across 'D' Street along a new "Connector Road" to improve overall transit service to the area, including the Airport Intermodal Transit Connector (AITC) service between South Station and Logan Airport, and improve traffic conditions along the 'D' Street corridor.
- Expand passenger water transportation service to the South Boston waterfront and create a new dock facility between Commonwealth Pier and the Boston Fish Pier for water shuttles, water taxis and excursion vessels.
- Maximize to the extent financially feasible the use of below grade parking facilities and provide a limited amount of above grade parking in locations where its shared use is maximized.
Public Open Space
The Strategic Plan calls for substantial new waterfront public open space area and activities. Both individually, and together as a system, these new open space resources will enhance public viewing and physical access to the water, sponsor a wide variety of year round public activities, and improve the quality and character of the area as a business address, a residential address, and a visitor destination.
The plan proposes the following open space improvements:
- A waterfront public open space of landmark quality encompassing more than three acres, composed of Fidelity's East Office Building Park (currently under construction) and an adjacent new "Massport Park."
- Extending the Harborwalk along Massport's entire harborfront area, including Northern Avenue, World Trade Center, and managed access on the Boston Fish Pier.
- Substantial investments in streetscape improvements along Northern Avenue, Congress Street, 'D' Street and Viaduct Street, including lighting, paving, signs, and landscaping.
- Enhancing view corridors to the water by maintaining and introducing open space at key locations at the harbor edge and providing pedestrian-scale buildings along Northern Avenue.
Development Program/Priorities
The South Boston Strategic Plan development program includes maritime, industrial, and commercial mixed uses on Massport's South Boston waterfront property. Approximately 225 acres of Massport's 285 acres of land in South Boston will be dedicated to maritime and industrial use. Overall, the development program at full build-out would result in an estimated total of between 7.1 and 8.4 million ft2 of new and renovated building area; approximately 2.5 million ft2 of this build-out exists today.
The Strategic Plan establishes a number of priority development projects that are critical to improving the capacity and competitiveness of the working port and to establishing a vibrant mix of uses on Massport's waterfront properties, including:
- International Cargo Port -- Redevelopment of obsolete waterfront warehouses into 400,000 ft2 of modern warehouse, distribution, and support office space.
- New Seafood Processing Facility -- An initial phase of 65,000 ft2 for modern seafood processing on the Massport Marine Terminal.
- Black Falcon Cruise Terminal Expansion -- An additional roughly 120,000 ft2 of terminal space to meet increased demand for cruise facilities.
- Parcel 'F' Development -- A mixed-use project including a 400 to 500 room hotel, a 475,000 ft2 office building, and below-grade parking on the east of 'D' Street on either side of Congress Street.
- West Office Building -- A 505,000 ft2 office building with associated public open space and below-grade parking, located on Northern Avenue west of the Seaport Hotel.
- Parcel 'D-2' Development -- A 400 to 600 room hotel directly across Summer Street from the BCEC site.
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The Central Artery/Tunnel Project completion of the Seaport Access Road/Interstate 90 (estimated completion in 2004) will connect the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Ted Williams Tunnel and create an interchange on Massport property. The MBTA South Boston Piers Transitway (estimated completion in 2002) will introduce public transit service to the South Boston waterfront which will provide connections to South Station and Logan Airport. In addition, the planned Boston Exhibition and Convention Center (BCEC) on land immediately to the south of Massport holdings will add a significant tourism/visitor attraction in the area.