MBTA Selects Developers for Transit-Oriented Projects in Mattapan, Beverly

Boston - In a unanimous vote, the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board today designated Barnat Development as the successful bidder for a parcel of MBTA land located adjacent to the Beverly Depot Commuter Rail Station and Garage and designated POAH/Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation as the successful bidder for a project on a current MBTA surface parking lot at Mattapan Station.

"As the Commonwealth’s second largest property owner, the MBTA has tremendous opportunities to leverage unused or underutilized property to advance transit-oriented housing and development," said Governor Charlie Baker. "The pursuit of private sector partnerships and the MBTA’s vast real estate portfolio, ensure our ability to promote the use of public transit, generate non-fare revenue, and boost economic growth."

These two transit-oriented projects align with the Baker-Polito Administration’s Real Estate Asset Leveraging (REAL) "Open for Business" Strategy for developing unused or underutilized state properties into new opportunities for transit-oriented housing, economic growth and job creation, increased revenue and reduced costs.

"The MBTA has long planned for the Beverly Depot Station and Garage site to be an ideal location for a Transit-Oriented Development project," said Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve, "With today’s formal designation of a developer, we can now move to the next phase of creating new housing and retail opportunities while generating critical revenue for the MBTA."

Over the term a 99-year lease, Barnat will pay $32.4 million to develop and manage a mixed-use, transit-oriented rental project with 70 units and 3,000 square feet of retail space on Rantoul Street in Beverly. The project will use the existing parking in the MBTA garage to serve the new residences and businesses.

Over the term of a 99-year lease, POAH/Nuestra will pay $4.8 million to develop and manage a mixed-use development with 135 residential units, half of which will be set aside for low-income residents, and 10,000 square feet of retail space, while preserving 50 parking spaces for MBTA commuters at the Mattapan Station parking lot, (the lot currently has 217 parking spaces which are under-utililzed).

The Beverly Depot project will maximize existing space adjacent to a train station and cap rental prices on 20% of the units for middle-income households. POAH/Nuestra will be working with the City of Boston and the local community to incorporate Neponset River Greenway access into their plan for the Mattapan Station project at 466 River Street and will be required to ensure that MBTA bus circulation is not negatively impacted by new development.

For more information on the Beverly project, please visit:
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/Beverly-Depot-TOD_7-25-16.pdf

For information on the Mattapan project, please visit:
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/Mattapan-Station-TOD-7-25-16.pdf

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