Boston Putting Up Choice Land for Redevelopment

BOSTON, MA - The most recent piece of state-owned land to go on the market for private redevelopment also might be the most valuable.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced Tuesday morning that a 5.5-acre stretch of land near South Station will go up for redevelopment. The site at 185 Kneeland Street currently holds a Veolia North America steam plant and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation District 6 headquarters.

The site offers the potential for up to 2 million square feet of redevelopment, MassDOT said.

There is no specific plan for what the redevelopment would be, but housing is likely to be a big part of it.

“I think we’re very committed to housing as a component of the project,” said Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack. “I think the assumption is it’ll be mixed-use as well. We really are looking forward to hearing from the city and community about what the right mix of uses is.”

The state will hold public input sessions, the first being March 2 at 6 p.m. in the first floor conference room of the Kneeland Street headquarters.

Veolia’s steam plant would be scaled down. The MassDOT headquarters would likely move altogether.

The Baker Administration has been aggressive about developing state-owned land. Boston has added 1,300 units of housing and nearly 500,000 gross square feet of commercial space over the last five years, according to MassDOT.

“Identifying prospects to redevelop and repurpose underutilized state property to advance economic growth and affordable housing is a valuable avenue to building stronger communities and opportunities for the people of Massachusetts,” said Baker.

Photo courtesy of MassDOT