Community Revitalizgtion
BROWNFIELPS SUCCESS IN NEW ENGLAND
RIVER'S EDCE
MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS
Property Details
Property Address: 177 Corporation Way (now River's Edge Drive),
Medford, MA 02155
Property Size: 200 acres
Former Use: Industrial
Contaminants Found: Petroleum/petroleum products, lead, arsenic,
poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Current Use: Office buildings, riverfront park, boathouse, and luxury
rental apartments
Current Owner: Preotle, Lane & Associates affiliate
Project Partners
Mystic Valley Development Commission; Cities of Everett, Maiden and
Medford; Maiden Redevelopment Authority; Massachusetts Department
of Environmental Protection; Massachusetts Highway Department;
Preotle, Lane & Associates; Shadley Associates; Tufts University;
Criterion Development Partners; Department of Transportation (DOT);
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Department of
Energy (DOE); Army Corps of Engineers; National Science Foundation
(NSF); Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Drivers for Redevelopment: Plans to develop River's Edge were
first envisioned in 1994 and reflected the cities' goal of centering
development on the then-burgeoning telecommunications industry.
When that industry began to decline, the Mystic Valley Development
Commission (MVDC)—an organization formed to redevelop sites
in parts of Maiden, Medford and Everett, Massachusetts, along the
Maiden River—revised project plans in 2004. The new River's Edge
project shifted focus to bringing jobs and recreational opportunities
to more than 200 acres of underutilized riverfront land in the three
cities. The communities are located five miles from Boston along
the polluted and underutilized Maiden River. The area is heavily
urbanized and there is no greenspace available for new development.
The three cities have demonstrated unprecedented cooperation
to combine resources and collaboratively pursue redevelopment
solutions to revitalize their industrial and commercial economic base.
Property History: The Maiden River is regarded locally as an
industrial river due to its historic use by factories along its banks to
transport goods and materials and, often, to dump waste. The property
was home to 14 industrial buildings used for manufacturing or
storage. These past industrial uses left a legacy of polluted sediments
in the Maiden River, which is contaminated with oil, organic material,
coal tars and PAHs.
Project Results: In September 2008, the 10-acre Park at River's
Edge opened and includes a mile of paths, 100 yards of granite
seat walls, 44 benches, 40 lights, an irrigation system fed by well
water, 8,000 plants, and 1.5 acres of new or restored wetlands. As
Funding Details
EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants:
EPA Brownflelds Cleanup Grants:
Other EPA funds:
DOT funds:
HUD funds:
DOE Sustainable Development funds:
Army Corps of Engineers funds:
NSF Partnerships for Innovation funds:
EDA funds:
State funds:
Tufts University:
$1,450,000
$480,000
$195,000
$6,525,000
$2,119,000
$100,000
$175,000
$600,000
$766,000
$51,316,876
$3,000,000
Project Highlights
Involved innovative tax-sharing agreement among the three cities and
one-stop permitting that erases municipal boundaries in the project area
Removed over 1,500 tons of abandoned tires, rubber, metal and other
debris; treated and removed acres of invasive species along the water's
edge; and capped the existing soil with 50,000 cubic yards of clean soil
Added more than 8,000 plants including approximately 2,000 plants in
the 1.5 acres of wetlands which were created or restored
Crushed and recycled more than 7,000 cubic yards of concrete onsite to
be used for parking lot and roadway base
Achieved LEED pre-certification at the gold level; the first office
building to achieve this for core and shell in Greater Boston
part of the redevelopment, the 9,000-square-foot Tufts University
Boathouse opened in 2006. The boathouse includes unique features
such as a butterfly roof, glazed walls, bamboo floors, and a L-shaped
deck that emphasizes views of the river. The $200 million Phase
I of the project, when completed, will include three contemporary
office buildings totaling 410,000 square feet and approximately 220
luxury rental housing units, with 15 percent of the units set aside as
affordable housing. Construction of the initial office building began
in January 2008 and has received pre-certification at the Gold level
as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core and Shell
(LEED®-CS) project from the U.S. Green Building Council. The office
building is expected to be completed in January 2009.
Project Timeline
1994: TeleCom City project developed
May 2006: Tufts Boathouse opens
December 2007: Rivers Edge receives LEED Gold precertification
January 2008: Construction of the first office building begins
April 2008: Construction of the first residential units begins
September 2008: The Park at River's Edge opens
January 2009
Local Contact: Beth Debski, Maiden Redevelopment Authority, 781-324-5720, edebski@maldenredevelopment.com
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