East Boston undertow

A Boston Globe editorial, 10/9/2001

WITH ITS credibility at an all-time low following reports of security lapses
at Logan Airport and chronic cronyism, the Massachusetts Port Authority
can't afford another misstep. But the quasi-public agency, which manages
both the airport and the port of Boston, seems bent on helping a New
Jersey-based developer pay its way around environmental regulations.

Roseland Property Co., a developer of luxury apartments, wants to lease
Massport-owned land along Marginal Street on the East Boston waterfront to
build 605 residential units, marinas, marine offices, and retail uses. State
environmental regulations, however, prohibit private tenancies on some
tidelands and limit them on others. Some flexibility is allowed. But when
large-scale development does take place, regulations require that ground
floor space be used almost exclusively for ''facilities of public
accommodation,'' such as shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions.

Roseland and its local development partner, SeaChain Marine, seek to
privatize a whopping 65 percent of the ground floor of the 14-acre
development on Pier 1 and its backlands. In exchange, they are offering a
$10 million loan in the nearby East Boston shipyard. Massport, which owns
the underutilized shipyard, has blessed the project. But the final call
still rests with state environmental officials.

Restoration of the shipyard is a worthy goal. But not if it creates a
precedent allowing waterfront developers to elude compliance with public
access laws. Massport should be looking to the state's seaport bond bill to
fund restoration of the shipyard, not to a developer. And Roseland should be
searching for ways to expand public access to the site.

Good ideas for ground floor use are plentiful. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay,
a nonprofit advocacy group, suggests that the site would be ideal for
satellite campuses for public universities, such as the University of
Massachusetts or Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Public comments on the project are due today. It is likely that other
concerned groups, including the Boston Harbor Association and Boston Natural
Areas Fund, will raise serious questions about public access, the terms of
the deal, reporting requirements, oversight, and more. The concern is
well-placed. Massport officials, for example, won't even divulge the precise
terms of the ground lease.

Roseland and SeaChain Marine, offer many good features, including a generous
harbor walk, greenway links to nearby parks, a day care center, and public
docking facility. Its plan for a full service marina fills a big gap on
Boston Harbor. But the developers and their champions at Massport need to do
more to ensure that the development is not just a landing place for well-off
tenants.

This story ran on page A10 of the Boston Globe on 10/9/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.
==========
**NOTICE: In accordance with 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.**
==========