Almost a year ago, there was so much attention paid to the East Boston waterfront by City Hall and developers that we wondered aloud if it might become the new Innovation District. Then nothing much seemed to happen. That should change soonest, however, as a New Jersey-based developer plans to break ground on a long-stalled-because-of-the-Great-Recession apartment complex on said waterfront. The first part of Portside at East Pier, a project at Marginal and Lewis streets, is expected to have 176 apartments. Per Greg Turner in The Herald:
Portside is one of four key East Boston waterfront projects that have been stalled for years. The other three—WinnDevelopment's Clippership Wharf, developer Philip DeNormandie's Hodge Boiler Works, and a New Street industrial redevelopment—are inching forward after being downsized and in some cases switched from condos to apartments. Portside at East Pier is expected to eventually spread over 13 waterfront acres, with the remaining 400 housing units as condos. The project is also supposed to include 700,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, including restaurants.
· 'Things Are Happening' to Launch 176-Apartment Waterfront Project [Herald]
· Is East Boston the New Innovation District? [Curbed Boston]