The firm Cargo Ventures is undertaking the redevelopment process for a project that eventually could entail the creation of 900,000 square feet of new office and industrial space, parking, and brand-new access to Logan Airport along McClellan Highway.
This phased development project would expand on the existing industrial space along McClellan Highway to make way for new offices, warehouse & distribution facilities, and state-of-the-art manufacturing spaces. The project would reduce traffic on the McClellan Highway by extending the Martin Coughlin Bypass to the city line, creating direct airport access for trucks and buses from the north while opening the Upper Chelsea Creek waterfront, which essentially has been closed-off for more than 100 years, to the community.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is conducting a study to assess the potential uses of the MassDOT and MBTA rail parcels located between Route 1A and the Chelsea Creek, and evaluate the Route 1A corridor between Bell Circle in Revere and Day Square in East Boston. The study will identify opportunities to improve connections for people walking, biking, and taking transit, and address safety issues and potential impacts of climate change.
For those of us who have lived here all of our lives, it’s easy to become accustomed to — and just accept — the landscape that we see each and every day. However, as anyone who has traveled pretty much anywhere else in the world can attest, when compared to the rest of the world, this area remains stuck in the past — and not in a good way.
In short, the huge undertaking would reimagine the tired and outdated infrastructure adjacent to Chelsea Creek and the inner harbor, as well as the roadways that serve as a gateway to Logan Airport. It promises to transform this critical stretch of land from a backwater, hodge-podge development of the late 19th and early 20th century into a cohesive, workable, and livable urban industrial area that will catapult East Boston into the middle of the 21st century.
We urge all of our public officials and residents to help move forward on this project — the future can’t wait.