The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and Roseland Property Company will host a community meeting to update residents on the status of waterfront development and present concepts for The Portside at Pier One project. The open meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, November 16, at the Jeffries Neighborhood Center, 425 Sumner Street, East Boston.

The Portside at Pier One project is a significant component in the rebirth of East Boston's waterfront. Plans to revitalize the Marginal Street waterfront site have evolved over the past five years during meetings involving the East Boston community at large, the Waterfront Development Advisory Committee (WDAC), Massport and Roseland Property. When complete, Pier One will be transformed from a barricaded industrial area to an attractive residential complex featuring significant public space and waterfront access.

This project will spur the economic vitality of this area, said State Representative Anthony Petruccelli, we in the legislature are pleased that our efforts to keep this project on line were successful. Earlier this year, a Chapter 91 license was granted for this project after several years of hearings conducted by regulatory agencies including the Department of Environmental Protection.

This development project is exciting in concept and nature, said Craig Coy, CEO, Massport. Roseland Property has demonstrated an understanding of the community's goals and of the unique opportunities associated with this project and its impact on the entire city.

Roseland Property's revised plans for Portside at Pier One were shared with Massport and the East Boston Waterfront Development Committee earlier this fall. Current plans for the area feature several amenities that will be highlighted at next week's community meeting. They include:

Approximately 500 units of housing that now consist primarily of condominiums
Expansive public space with connections to the Greenway
A new parking design permitting a more mature landscape treatment
Restaurant, health club and other facilities of public accommodation
A Harbor Walk surrounding Pier One that will provide extensive public access to the waterfront

Roseland Property's partner, Coastal Marine Management has made significant improvements to the Marina at Pier 5 and the Shipyard, enhancing its role as an economic catalyst for East Boston. The shipyard operates the only mid-size vessel repair facility in Boston Harbor and houses more than a dozen maritime industrial related businesses.

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