A supermarket property in Chelsea, Massachusetts, could soon offer more than a place to buy groceries in a proposal to turn parking lots into housing and shops.
Market Basket floated plans to add 162 apartments and new retail space to its 30-acre site, bringing homes to an area largely dominated by parking.
Here's what to know
The conceptual proposal, presented in September, calls for two mixed-use buildings with structured parking plus three more retail buildings on the 30-acre Chelsea property, according to Boston.com.
Residents of the proposed apartments would have access to public transportation at the neighboring Chelsea commuter rail and Silver Line stops.
Market Basket was among the nearby property owners city officials approached about opportunities for additional development, prompting the company's proposal, per Boston.com.
The work is part of a broader effort to reimagine Mystic Mall, where Market Basket also added 20,000 square feet for its MB Spirits store.
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"We're in love with it. Our City Council is in love with it. Our entire community is in love with it," Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez told Boston.com.
More background
The present-day Market Basket site was among the places devastated by Chelsea's massive 1973 fire. The destruction helped shape the area's landscape.
Maltez highlighted the amount of land devoted to parking by comparing it with the dense, lively neighborhoods across the Tobin Bridge. "There are two parcels where currently there are a lot of pigeons," Maltez told Boston.com. "It's not bringing a lot of value to them or us." Maltez said additional investment would help fund schools, police, and fire services.
When construction might begin remains unclear. High interest rates, building costs, and workforce challenges are making it difficult to build.
What's being done?
The Market Basket property is covered by the West Chelsea Mixed-Use Overlay District, an overlay zone approved by the Chelsea City Council. Within that district, certain uses can proceed by right rather than through a lengthy special-permit process.
In June, the council also replaced a requirement that developers make 15% of units affordable with a system tied to project size. It reduced the Affordable Housing Trust Fund's payment-in-lieu charge to $275,000 for each required affordable unit, according to Boston.com.
While the inclusionary rules generally apply to developments with at least 10 units, the overlay district's threshold is 100 units. Rental projects there must reserve 10% of units for households at 80% of area median income or 7% for those at 60%.
Maltez said the city is also working with property owners to provide tax incentives through agreements. According to Boston.com, more developers have expressed interest in Chelsea since the changes.
"I think regardless of the headwinds, regardless of what's happening outside of Chelsea, we are working as hard as we can to make sure this dream becomes a reality," Maltez said.
Where can I learn more?
Chelsea's push to build more housing comes as other Bay State communities grapple with stalled projects and development costs.
• Massachusetts directed $18.2 million to two Cambridge housing projects, paving the way for 162 affordable units.
• A mill demolition cleared space for 91 affordable homes while sinkhole questions lingered.
• In Boston, a 754-unit housing project faced litigation after a $67.5 million deal unraveled.
• Boston could cover developers' infrastructure costs to help revive housing projects that have stalled.
• Greater Boston builders said affordable-unit rules stall housing, but Boston officials didn't budge.
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