Updated Plans for Dorchester Bay City feature dynamic new open spaces and increase community benefits
Though long a highly visible site in greater Boston, for too long the location of the former Bayside Expo Center has been an underutilized site dedicated to parking, creating a barrier for public access to waterfront and existing green space and adding little vitality or public benefit to the community. Dorchester Bay City is poised to completely remake this significant parcel, with a major focus on public open space and multiple community benefits.
Benefits to the updated proposal include:
19.7 acres of publicly accessible open space, including a new 2.7 acre park at the waters edge and adjacent to the DCR Dorchester Shores Reservation
6,300 square foot public pavilion offering public amenities and cultural space for all
8,000 square foot learning and innovation center offering training for higher paying jobs
20% affordable on-site housing at 70% of AMI, in addition to $10 million commitment to MAHA home ownership programs
$18 million in funding for workforce training and economic opportunity programs
$36.8 million in contributions to offsite transportation infrastructure improvements
Since the formal City of Boston review process (Article 80) kicked off more than 2 years ago, the Accordia team has been meeting with the community to share the vision and development proposal for Dorchester Bay City. The project site spans approximately 36 acres across three adjacent parcels, Bayside, 180 Mount Vernon Street and 2 Morrissey and is designed to be a catalyst for neighborhood transformation by creating expansive new public open space, improving existing transportation infrastructure and increasing economic opportunity for all.
Major project updates include:
Creating expansive waterfront-adjacent public spaces by:
Removing the original 112,300 square foot Building A – located in a pivotal waterfront site – and replacing it with a 6,300 sf building (The Pavilion) with public amenities and public facilities, in the new Dorchester Bay Green open space
Creating a new 3.5-acre publicly accessible open space (Dorchester Green and Dorchester Bay Esplanade)
Moved Buildings C and B 15’-30’ landward, increasing the setback from the property line adjacent to DCR land (the area now called Dorchester Bay Esplanade)
Together, these changes increase the overall green space from 6.8 acres to 9 acres spanning 5 major green spaces: The Boardwalk, the Draw, Dorchester Green and Dorchester Bay Esplanade, Pivot Plaza, and Incubator Plaza.
Improving site design by:
Reducing overall density by 350,000 square feet
Separating the V block into two distinct parcels
Changing building V1 to Residential use to further diversify the uses and activate the 2 Morrissey site
Moving the resiliency protection of a raised ridge from Dorchester Shores Reservation to a location primarily on the Bayside site
The updated site plan for Dorchester Bay City as presented in the most recent filing (submitted on December 9) removes a waterfront building to strategically increase publicly accessible open space adjacent to Carson Beach and Moakley Park, maximizing opportunities for community gathering and recreation, as well as comprehensive resiliency planning. The new open space–Dorchester Green–is a 2.7 acre new open space that seamlessly connects with the DCR’s Dorchester Shores Reservation and the Harborwalk to anchor the southern end of Carson Beach in the same manner that Marine Park does at the northern terminus of Pleasure Bay.
The Project’s commercial office/research space is intentionally designed to foster economic opportunity, expand residential housing options, create inclusive retail and restaurant spaces. By remaking three largely car-centric sites into a pedestrian and bike friendly area, the Project will help reshape the neighborhood with improved circulation, creating connections to Boston, Dorchester, the surrounding neighborhoods, UMass Boston, the Boston Harbor and the Harbor Walk.