“I don’t want to be the type of elected official to throw babies out [of events],” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh joked in his opening remarks at last week’s South Bay groundbreaking ceremony.
Walsh’s Trump-inspired joke – referring to another speaker’s infant son – seemed at first glance just another throwaway line. However, Walsh hit the nail on the head: fostering inclusion and planning for future generations emerged as key talking points throughout the event.
The project – currently the site of a vacant industrial property – will, in 24 months, become home to a 700,000-square-foot mixed-use development that will provide housing and retail opportunities for all members of the neighborhood.
In her remarks, Jodie McLean, CEO of development firm EDENS, discussed the need to strengthen the neighborhood with the new project. “When we approach any community, very much like the community in Dorchester, we’re not really thinking about today,” she said. “We’re thinking about the generations to come and the kind of communities we all want to be a part of.” She added that close-knit communities often experience economic prosperity and lower crime rates, among other benefits.
The event also featured remarks from Brad Dumont, EDENS’ senior vice president of development for the Northeast, State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry and Boston City Councilor Frank Baker, all of whom touched on the impact the development will have in expanding the local job market and providing more opportunities for the community.
In partnering with Lee Kennedy Co. builders to complete the construction, project managers have also ensured that the development will be completed using solely union labor. The final phase of the project – adjacent to the firm’s South Bay development – will include 113,000 square feet of restaurants and shops, a 12-screen luxury AMC theater with IMAX, a flagship Wahlburgers restaurant and a 130-room hotel.
The site, located on Allstate Street on the future “District Avenue,” will also include 475 new housing units, a mix of studio and two- and three-bedroom residences. The new housing, which will include over 60 affordable apartments, will be within close proximity to public transportation and will include access to amenities such as roof decks, a fitness center and a pool.
In his remarks, Walsh considered the impact that the new retail and housing space will have on the community. “Generally, when we do a groundbreaking this exciting, we’re in the South Boston waterfront or over in the Fenway area or in the Back Bay … and this shows that the great things that are happening in our city are happening in neighborhoods as well,” he said. “This is a great opportunity. It’s going to have a tremendous impact on the local economy and it’s going to bring people in from all over the city and the state to see what we’re all about here.”
He added that project planners have taken great measures to ensure that Dorchester residents were involved in decision-making and, although discussions sometimes became heated, the planning process is “not supposed to be easy. A great project should be difficult.”
Baker also expressed his hopes for unity; “One of the great things the project is going to bring to this area is a vibrancy,” he said, explaining that he expects to see the same sense of community that he experienced growing up in the area. “What you’re going to see here is interaction, what you’re going to see here is people – you might even run the risk someone saying ‘hi’ to you on the street out here.”
With construction set to commence in the coming days, McLean says she is looking forward to bringing months of planning to fruition. “What we’re most looking forward to in this project is the connection it will bring to the neighborhood, taking South Bay to a whole other level in terms of a gathering place for the community – really building this community,” she said after the ceremony.
