Gov. Baker and Mayor Walsh this morning announced plans to redevelop land now occupied by a MassDOT office building - originally built for Wang Labs - and a steam plant near South Station into up to 2 million square feet of space for housing and other uses.
At a press conference this morning, Baker said the 5 1/2-acre project at 185 Kneeland St. would also include land owned by Veolia, which runs a steam-generating plant at the site; the company would replace the current large plant with a smaller one.
Baker said the proposal would make a great city even greater by doing something constructive with an underused parcel.
"I never really understood why any of our assets are open space, tall grass, beer cans and burned out automobiles," Baker said.
Mayor Walsh said the project would further help re-knit a city split apart by the construction of I-93.
State Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said the state and city will seek community input on just what to do with the land before advertising RFPs from developers. The first public meeting on the parcel is 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, in the first-floor conference room at 185 Kneeland St.
She added that part of the proceeds from any bid would be used to relocate the MassDOT offices now in the building.
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Comments
That city also has a huge
By anon
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 11:41am
That city also has a huge number non residents buying investment properties. Without limits on speculation from people who aren't residents, building more will not have a big affect on the market.
Correct me if I'm wrong
By ChrisInEastie
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 12:07pm
But doesn't THIS city have that issue to some extent as well?
People on the Cape, NH and
By Christie-Baker 2016
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 1:53pm
People on the Cape, NH and Maine have similar issues with non residents from Boston area buying up housing for summer or winter homes, driving up the cost of housing for the locals who have much fewer job opportunities. This isn't some new problem created by the evil Chinese, as much as the fear based media would like to make it.
It is well documented that
By anon
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 2:34pm
It is well documented that this is happening. It definitely has an effect on the local housing market. Your characterization of it doesn't change that a growing number of places are documenting it.
The amount of this sort of
By anon
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 2:36pm
The amount of this sort of investment has increased substantially in recent years, despite your snarky attempt to dismiss it.
The Globe has already
By anon
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 2:39pm
The Globe has already documented it many times.
I used to work right near there
By anon
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 10:48am
I always thought ti was odd that that building is set so far back from everything else around there. The people that worked there had a long walk through a lot of nothing from the street to the building.
BUILD IT!!!!
By eastiesveryown
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 11:05am
BUILD IT!!!!
Don't they NEED that steam plant?
By Gary C
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 11:11am
I used to work around the corner on South St and could see the steam plant out my window. Doesn't the steam from that plant heat a lot of the buildings downtown? Where do you move something like that?
Also, where is "Stouh" Station?
Not the Veolia plant building.
By boo_urns
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 11:13am
That's not going anywhere (and it's also a different address). The 10-story building behind it, with the arched windows at the top.
Well that's what it says, right?
By Gary C
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 12:07pm
Maybe they are going to build a new smaller steam plant in basically the same place? It's not 100% clear.
Here's the street view:
https://goo.gl/maps/HFTWTUjyHUA2
Didn't catch that.
By boo_urns
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 1:26pm
Thanks. Very familiar with that spot. I had an office in 185 Kneeland St. for roughly a year in a consulting gig.
oh no you don't!
By Rich Ryan
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 11:48am
Shirley (over my dead body) Kressel will find something to issue a complaint about so this will be held up for the next 17 years
Deleted reference to 1,300 housing units
By adamg
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 11:52am
The 1,300 number refers to the number of units the state and city say they've added over the past five years by working together.
The exact number of units on this site will depend in part on the final proposal for the land:
"Affordable" means units that are available to somebody or a family making up to a certain percentage of the area median income (80%, I think, but somebody correct me), while "workforce" means units available to people making up to a certain percentage above that amount. Transit-oriented in this case means it's next to a train station.
My apologies for the original error. This is what happens when you try to cover two things (in this case, this project and the snow-shoveling hearing) at the same time. Not a good idea.
"economic growth and development, job creation"
By Ron Newman
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 12:51pm
That would seem to mean keeping the office building as an office building, rather than demolishing it or converting it to housing?
Stouh Station
By SouthSt
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 12:07pm
I liked the old spelling better.
...a MassDOT office building
By Rob
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 1:11pm
Thank you for including that, Adam.
I spoke with a couple of people who were in the room this morning - there were a couple of cringes when one of the speakers made it sound as if the building had been built for the Big Dig. Apparently, there's even a plaque somewhere on the way into the building that mentions the Wang history,
I may be mistaken
By boo_urns
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 2:12pm
But I think the flag pole might have a Wang plaque on it.
This site is in a corner
By anon
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 2:13pm
This site is in a corner hemmed in by highway, rail, and channel. They can't possibly put in any access toward the south or the east so how exactly will it help knit anything back together ?
Once this is built on, continue building further south?
By Ron Newman
Wed, 02/10/2016 - 10:16am
on air rights over the ramps, similar to what was done at Copley Place and Prudential?
Copley Place and Prudential
By anon
Wed, 02/10/2016 - 2:54pm
Copley Place and Prudential are built on top of underground roadways.
These roadways are elevated. I suppose you could build a building on top of one, but it would be a very complicated and expensive project, and wouldn't have much street frontage.
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