The state wants to sell some premium land in downtown Boston
Gov. Charlie Baker says the parcel could support up to 2 million square feet of new development.
Massachusetts officials plan to put out to bid more than five acres of state-owned land in downtown Boston.
The Kneeland Street property, located just off I-93 and a couple of blocks away from South Station, is currently home to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s District 6 headquarters. Gov. Charlie Baker wants to unload it in favor of new private development, he said Tuesday.
Baker said the parcel could yield “up to 2 million square feet of redevelopment in support of’’ new housing and jobs.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has pushed for the city to develop more than 50,000 new housing units by 2030 as the city’s population swells, a point he emphasized during a press conference Tuesday.
“We know that living in Boston is expensive for people, especially when it comes to finding some place to live,’’ Walsh said.
The property is also home to a steam plant for Veolia North America, a division of the French energy and waste management company. The company is working with the state on the planned redevelopment. It plans to downsize and stay put as part of any new development, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack said.
The city and state will reach out to the community for its input before putting the parcel out to bid, Baker said Tuesday.
The public’s input would help to shape the bidding documents when the city eventually puts the property up for sale, Pollack said. A meeting to collect public input will be held at the state building on March 2.
Pollack said no decision has been made yet about where the District 6 headquarters would relocate. She said it could relocate to another town or city near Boston that is also part of the district.
The Kneeland Street property was listed in a state and city document as a potential headquarters location to General Electric as they courted the company. GE, which announced its move to Boston from Connecticut in January, has said it will seek to move in to the Seaport District.
The assessed value of the transportation building property—generally lower than its actual market value—is about $22.5 million.
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