15 Necco Neighborhood Open House

Alexandria Real Estate Equities and National Development are inviting the neighborhood to an Open House of Fort Point's newest building, 15 Necco on:

Thursday, June 27, 2024

10am - 12pm

Touchdown Space (located in the lobby)

Breakfast treats will be provided by Revival Cafe, who will be operating the cafe next door to the Community Work Lounge. 

originally published 06.20.24

5 & 15 Necco Ground Floor Uses: New Chapter 91 License 12/3 Meeting

updated 12/21/20: Reminder the public comment deadline is Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Details below. 

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Waterway Regulations Program (Chapter 91) will be holding a new virtual hearing regarding the Chapter 91 license for 5 & 15 Necco on:

Thursday, December 3, 2020

3:30 pm
View Revised Chapter 91 Application

The November 23, 2020 public  notice will start a new 30 day comment period ending December 23, 2020.

Previous Application Submissions

View June Waterways License Application File No. W20-5841

View 10/19/20 Supplement to Application

The applicants, ARE-MA Region No. 74, LLC and ARE-MA Region No. 72, LLC (Alexandria Real Estate Equities and National Development), are seeking a Consolidated Written Determination to reauthorize the uses of two (2) 6-story existing office buildings at 5 Necco Street; construction and maintenance of a 12-story new office building at 15 Necco Street; and associated open spaces and public amenities located on filled tidelands of the Fort Point Channel at 5 and 15 Necco Street, Boston, Suffolk County. Additionally, the Applicant seeks an extended license term pursuant to 310 CMR 9.15(b). The proposed project has been determined to be Nonwater-Dependent.

NEW Public Comments Deadline: December 23, 2020
Written comments should be addressed to: Susan You via email. If you do not have access to email, hard copy documents may be mailed to: MassDEP Waterways Regulation Program c/o Susan You, One Winter St, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.

Failure of any aggrieved person or group of ten (10) citizens or more to submit written comments to the Waterways Regulation Program by the Public Comments Deadline will result in the waiver of any right to an adjudicatory hearing in accordance with 310 CMR 9.13(4)(c). The group of citizens must include at least five (5) citizens who are residents of the municipality in which the proposed project is located.

Show No Bounds Call For Artists

The Friends of Fort Point Channel (The Friends) is seeking proposals for a temporary art installation along the Boston Harborwalk at 15 Necco Street. The public art project will be a series of pieces that will be on view from March to May of 2021.

“Show No Bounds" centers around the themes of “breaking barriers, inclusivity and harmony”. The location, adjacent to the HarborWalk, is frequently visited by residents, employees and customers of abutting businesses and anyone visiting the Fort Point Channel in the South Boston Waterfront.

Each artist who is selected will be awarded a stipend of $1,000 for participation in this collaboration mural. A diversely qualified selection committee will choose the 5 artists, position each piece in a sequence, and then assign dates/times when each artist can come paint their portion of the “scrim wall”. Each artist will be given a designated 10ft by 6ft section of the scrim wall for their painting. There will be an additional 5ft between each piece with signage about the artist, project, etc.

Submit to The Friends by December 18, 2020 at 6:00 pm. 

"Show No Bounds" call for artists is presented by The Friends in partnership with Fort Points Art Community (FPAC), National Development and Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Click here for more details. 

What Will Become Of The Channelside Parking Lot?

updated 9/9/20: Added 9/10 BPDA board meeting. Previous update included presentations and video links for public meetings hosted by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) to cover planned development of the parking lot along A Street and along the Fort Point Channel.

Related Beal (244 - 284 A Street) and National Development & Alexandria Real Estate Equities (15 Necco  & 5 Necco Street) have projects planned for the neighborhood adding 4 new buildings and including 2 historic buildings.

15 Necco (former GE Headquarters) as of 08/04/20

15 NECCO ST.  (former GE headquarters)

BPDA Board Meeting

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Testimony should be submitted by Thursday at 3:30 PM to bpdaboard@boston.gov. 

BPDA Final Public Community Meeting

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

National Development & Alexandria Real Estate 

6:00 p.m. via Zoom meeting

View Presentation
Watch meeting



After the meeting, please email your comments by Monday, September 7 to:

BPDA Project Manager Aisling Kerr
BPDA Deputy Director for Climate Change and Environmental Planning Rich McGuinness 
BPDA Senior Resilience & Waterfront Planner Joe Christo
District City Councilor Ed Flynn
Councilor-At-Large Michael Flaherty
State Senator Nick Collins
State Representative David Biele 
FPNA 

244 - 284 A ST (former Channelside parking lot) 

Boston Civic Design Commission

244- 284 A Street (former Gillette Channelside parking lot)

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020
approximately 6 pm (meeting starts at 5:15 pm)
View Presentation

BPDA Public Community Meeting Kickoff 
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Sneak preview of Presentation
Watch meeting

originally published 08.18.20

15 Necco (formerly GE) Life Sciences Project Enters Community Review

updated 1/14/20 with January 6th Public Community Meeting presentation posted under Meetings below.

The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) is hosting two public meetings to solicit feedback on the proposed new development at 15 Necco Street. GE and MassDevelopment sold the two historic Necco buildings and parcel to National Development and Alexandria Real Estate Equities earlier this year. 

The Proponent proposes the construction of a new, 12-story, approximately 316,000 square-foot, multi-tenant office/life sciences/research and development building with active ground floor uses, such as retail and restaurant spaces within the southern portion of the Project Site (15 Necco Street). Because of the Project Site's proximity to public transit and nearby public parking facilities, the new building is not proposed to include any underground parking.  Depicted below is the new building design.

MEETINGS

January 6th: BPDA Public Community meeting. View Presentation.

December 18th: Boston Harbor Now Harbor Use Meeting 

December 17th: BCDC Committee Meeting. View Presentation. 

December 3d: Boston Design Civic Commission Meeting held December 3d. View presentation.

November 21st: The first meeting of the Impact Advisory Group. 

VIEW PROJECT DOCUMENTS

On Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, ARE-MA No. 74, LLC, which is a joint venture between affiliates of Alexandria Real Estate Equities ("ARE") and National Development, and ARE-MA No. 72, LLC, an affiliate of ARE (collectively, the "Proponent"), filed a Notice of Project Change ("NPC") with the Boston Planning & Development Agency ("BPDA") for 5 and 15 Necco Street, which comprise an approximately 2.7-acre site in the Fort Point neighborhood of Boston and for which the General Electric Company (GE) Headquarters Project was previously slated for construction. 

Concurrently with this NPC, the Proponent also filed a proposed Amended and Restated Development Plan for 5 and 15 Necco Street, South Boston, Massachusetts, within Planned Development Area No. 69, South Boston/The 100 Acres and a proposed Fifth Amendment to the Master Plan for Planned Development Area No. 69, South Boston/The 100 Acres. The previously approved project was contemplated to include GE occupancy in both 5 Necco Street and the new office building at 15 Necco Street. GE will now occupy office space only at 5 Necco Street. 

Comment Deadline: January 17, 2020
Send comments to Aisling Kerr, BPDA Project Manager

originally published 11.14.19

Fort Point Seaport Gathering: Life Sciences, Seaport Winter & Hot Topics

Fort Point Seaport Neighborhood Gathering

Tuesday, October 29, 2019
6 pm to 8 pm
Capital One Café
57 Seaport Blvd

featuring

National Development & Alexandria Real Estate
with David Manfredi, Elkus Manfredi Architects

New Life Sciences Building
15 Necco Street

(former GE Headquarters)

&

Seaport Square

Beer Garden to Winter Skating & Warming Tent

Yanni Tsipis, WS Development

plus

Neighborhood Hot Topics

Special Thanks to Capital One Cafe for hosting the neighborhood

Revised 99 A Street Life Sciences Proposal Public Meeting

The Boston Planning & Development Agency is hosting a public meeting on 99 A Street: A Revised Life Sciences Proposal, which includes Coppersmiths and two former P&G Gillette research buildings. The community meeting will take place:

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

6:30 pm to 8 pm

Condon School

200 D Street (behind the Laboure Center)

Life Sciences buildings are popping up all over. In September, WS Development proposed to change the residential building planned for Block N (391 Congress St) to Life Sciences. Earlier this year, WS Development announced Life Sciences tenant Foundation Medicine at Block P (400 Summer St.) pushing the performing art center to Block L. Tishman Spyer purchased 105 W 1st office building (former RCN building) with the intent to host Life Sciences. National Development with Alexandria Real Estate purchased the former GE Innovation Point headquarters building site for Life Sciences. National Development and Alexandria Real Estate will be presenting at the October 29th FPNA Neighborhood Gathering taking place from 6 pm to 8 pm at Capital One Cafe (57 Seaport Blvd). Related Beal, who purchased former Gillette Channelside parking lot, is proposing a Life Sciences building on the site near the corner of A Street & Binford Street. Related Beal also is developing a Life Sciences building at the Marine Industrial Park. Vertex Pharmaceuticals moved to the Seaport in 2014.

Come Wednesday night to discover the revised Life Sciences development at 99 A Street. 

Related Beal Fort Point's Newest Neighbor

Today P&G Gillette sold their 6.5 Acre Channelside parking lot adjacent to the former GE Headquarters to Related Beal, making Related Beal Fort Point's newest neighbor. The 6.5 acre property is bordered by A Street and the Fort Point Channel, and Binford Street & Necco Court (Garage Access Road). 

Kara Buckley, Communications Leader at P&G Gillette told the Fort Point Neighborhood Association (FPNA) "We believe we have found a strong partner in Related Beal. The company has developed some of the most recognized buildings and complicated projects in the area, including Congress Square, the Seaport’s Innovation Square life science campus, The Clarendon, One Back Bay, Lovejoy Wharf and The Beverly, a mixed-use development in downtown Boston. We also saw a very thoughtful proposal from Related Beal – including the potential for life sciences, strong residential, attractive open spaces and view corridors, and a willingness to work with the community along the way. Overall, we believe this will be an exciting development for the neighborhood – and are looking forward to seeing the potential become a reality." 

The Fort Point Neighborhood Association (FPNA) looks forward to working with Related Beal on the development of this important parcel to the neighborhood as well as continuing our good relationship with long time neighbor, P&G Gillette. 

The news of this sale coupled with last week's announcement that Alexandria Real Estate Equities and National Development acquired the MassDevelopment GE 2.7 acre parcel, which includes the two historic Necco Court buildings and the adjacent GE Headquarters parcel, will create a vibrant expansion of the Fort Point neighborhood. GE will continue to complete the HarborWalk improvements and the renovation of the Necco Court buildings including the green pedestrian bridge. GE plans to move employees from nearby Farnsworth Street into the refurbished Necco Court buildings later this year.

Both newly acquired parcels are part of the City of Boston's Imagine Boston 2030, 100 Acres Master Plan for Fort Point, South Boston Municipal Harbor Plan Amendment, South Boston Coastal Resilience Report and Resilient Boston Harbor vision. 

This is a significant moment for the future growth and mixed development of the Fort Point neighborhood. The 100 Acres Master Plan is the culmination of over five years of collaboration between residents, property owners, and City and State agencies. Two core principles of the plan essential to the neighborhood are one-third housing development with an expansion of artist housing and on-site affordable units, and the creation of the Fort Point Park and Channel Park on the properties. The parks play a critical role in the City's coastal resilience solutions to protect the neighborhood from sea level rise and flooding. The need for civic community space is also well documented in the neighborhood.