Former Naval Air Base Planned as Tech-enhanced Mixed-use Community of 8M Square Feet
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
WESTBOROUGH, MA – Ryan Blackmon, Vice President of Advanced Technologies at LStar Ventures, developer of Union Point, the new master-planned city rising 12 miles south of Boston at the former naval air station in South Weymouth, recently told MassEcon members how the company is seeking to employ new technologywith an emphasis on adapting them to the needs of future residential and commercial tenants.
Blackmon, leader of the Smart City and Sustainability Initiatives at Union Point, said at a MassEcon members meeting recently that LStar is working with GE, ARUP, the autonomous vehicle firm Optimus Ride, and other advanced technology companies to ensure that the new 1,500-acre development, encompassing portions of Weymouth, Rockland, and Abington, will follow best practices in sustainable design, mobility, and resilient energy systems.
Blackmon is also Assistant General Counsel of LStar Ventures, which has built more than 40 communities in 13 states since its inception.
Although LStar is not the first owner of the property, Blackmon called it “…a greenfield, a blank canvas,” open to a wide variety of housing styles and densities that will fit different demographic groups, from millennials to families to older and retired populations. LSTAR is planning on preserving two of the former base’s buildings, a historic aircraft hangar and a retired power station. The company is considering a number of uses for the hangar, including a food hall, grocer, and fitness operators, , which would serve as a downtown commercial hub.
Approximately 2,100 people already live at Union Point, and the company’s current attention is on the central commercial area and a residential neighborhood on the northern part of the site. Dutch robotics firm, Prodrive technologies, plans to break ground on their US headquarters at Union Point in late fall. Additionally, a number of residential projects will also be breaking ground soon, Blackmon said.
Blackmon said a lot of attention is being given to energy infrastructure, water and wastewater, and mobility.”We are working with stakeholders to fulfill the needs of our current and future tenants and residents.”
One advantage the property already has is its accessibility. Union Point offers commuters a less than 30-minute train ride to Boston’s South Station from the South Weymouth Commuter Rail Station, located adjacent to the property. Developers are seeking “site-wide mobility,” working to encourage residents to use public transit and plan to create options, like shuttle buses, to make it easier. “We are looking at how can we increase ridership and get people out of the habit of one person driving in a car,” he said.
Route 228 connects to Route 3 for those traveling by car, and route 18 is being widened now to four lanes. More roads are being constructed on the site in 2018-2019, with others planned in the future.
Blackmon said energy efficiency is being planned with companies like GE, and solar will be “a big component” of the solution – estimated as sufficient for 3,000 homes — and including options for residents to use renewable energy even if they can’t generate it themselves. Combined energy systems, in districts or with multiple buildings, are being studied. The goals will be making energy less expensive and cleaner, he said.
Blackmon said LStar will build a wastewater treatment plant and will focus on use of reclaimed water and said, “Can we decrease the burden we’re placing on the public water supply?”
The company is working with consultants at ARUP on a digital master plan for Union Point. “We want to understand how to provide the connectivity and the experience, integrating technology in the digital world into the environment and doing that in a sustainable way.”
“What is technology going to be in 5-10 years?” he said LStar is asking. “We want to future-proof the site as much as possible.”
Blackmon said they hope to use data, programming, and understanding the patterns of travel and use in the community, including wayfinding data, to benefit retail tenants and restaurants.
The full buildout is estimated to take 10-15 years, Blackmon said. Development models will vary, with some leases, some land sales, some joint ventures and build-to-suit in other cases.
Residences will range from single-family units to town homes, condos, and apartment buildings to 200-300 units.
The company has a commitment to build workforce housing, at more affordable prices than luxury housing, though Union Point will have some of all types.
Amenities at Union Point include 50 miles of walking trails, a mile-long path, and 1,000 acres of open space inside and on adjoining properties.
Union Point offers the most flexible “as-of-right” zoning in Massachusetts, an unparalleled 65-day site plan approval. “Thirty days after you file, you will receive a public hearing and the decision is then filed within 35 days,” Blackmon said.
“We’re constantly engaging with new companies, trying to understand what might be coming,” Blackmon said. “We’re trying to build in a way that it’s adaptable, not being locked into proprietary systems. Plug and play hopefully is the plan, as new technologies come out.”
ABOUT MASSECON
MassEcon, founded in 1993, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan entity that serves as the state’s private sector partner in promoting Massachusetts as the premier choice for business growth. Its services include the Site Finder Service, which helps expanding and relocating companies find a home in the Commonwealth; the Research and Information Service, which provides companies with the information they need to evaluate the Commonwealth as a location to grow; and the Massachusetts Ambassadors, a network of civic and corporate leaders who help market Massachusetts as a place to do business. For more information, please go to www.massecon-staging.mx9m3ye3-liquidwebsites.com or www.twitter.com/MassEcon.
###
