On Tuesday, the city’s Planning Department welcomed residents to a meeting to gather ideas for rehabilitating the Chain Forge building, also known as Building 105, in the Navy Yard.
According to Tuesday’s presentation, the historic building opened in the Navy Yard in 1904 and provided almost all of the chains the United States Navy used through World War II before it was transferred to the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 1975.
In more recent memory, the Chain Forge building was set to be redeveloped into a hotel and include several other amenities. However, in January, the Planning Department (then known as the Boston Planning & Development Agency) notified the community that the project would not proceed because the redeveloper defaulted on its ground lease.
Now, the process of getting another project going at the historical site is underway. Specifically, the Chain Forge building is undergoing a disposition process in which the Planning Department will take feedback from the community to develop a draft request for proposals (RFP).
After a draft RFP is developed, it will be reviewed, and a final RFP will be created and eventually released for developers to view and submit proposals. If there are submissions, those will be reviewed, and a proposal will be chosen, and eventually, a developer will receive tentative and then final designation.
It should be noted that the process outlined above includes extensive community involvement, review, and input.
“Our goal is to work with the community every step of the way and deliver a more affordable, equitable, and resilient use to Boston,” said Yoon Cha, a Real Estate Development Officer at the Planning Department.
As part of the meeting, Cha provided a site overview, discussed the challenges of rehabilitating the building, and analyzed the potential rehabilitation options with pros and cons before welcoming attendees to offer their ideas.
Regarding the site overview, Cha informed attendees that the building cannot add on-site public parking because of its historical designation and how it is situated. However, she did note that the building has parking allocated in a nearby garage.
Cha also emphasized the need for ground-floor activation and retail in the Navy Yard and the number of available opportunities, considering the proximity to several industrial uses.
Moreover, the property’s zoning prioritizes ground-floor activation. Cha also said the development would have to preserve the historically significant portions of the building.
Other important zoning information includes that ground-floor uses may be restricted due to the building’s location in a flood plain and that a public use is recommended for the rehabilitation.
After providing a brief overview of the site, Cha outlined some of its challenges, one of which is historic preservation.
“As a nationally registered historic monument, the building has to retain its historical character. Which might make it difficult to add floors or windows to achieve the density or square footage needed to adapt the building into new uses,” said Cha.
While historic preservation presents a challenge, there is a silver lining in the potential use of historical tax credits. It should be noted that the project previously slated to be built received these tax credits from the state.
“We’re pretty optimistic that a new developer will be able to apply for the same,” said Cha.
Another challenge is flood resiliency. Specifically, the building is in a flood hazard area, so the ground floor has to be raised, depending on the use. For example, a residential use might lose up to a floor of units because of this.
Finally, environmental remediation is a hurdle at the site. Several contaminants, such as asbestos and PCBs, have been present.
“Throughout the years, there have been significant clean-up efforts, but our capital construction team anticipates there’s still a lot more work yet to be done,” said Cha.
To help with the clean-up effort, the Planning Department is applying for the Federal Brownfields Remediation Grant and has earmarked funds to stabilize the building structurally.
Moving toward the analysis portion of the presentation, Cha noted that while there were issues getting a project built in the past, things are different now for a few reasons.
The first reason she mentioned was market conditions. “Many of the business sectors in Boston are showing really strong recovery after Covid, whether it’s hospitality, retail, and housing. Lab and office might be an exception, but overall, the fundamentals have been very strong,” said Cha.
She also stated that the Chain Forge building offers an opportunity to enter a real estate market in Boston that has a high barrier to entry.
Another reason mentioned as to how the rehabilitation could be more viable than it has been in the past is financial leverage.
“Given the historical and cultural significance of the Chain Forge and the exceptional challenges that lie ahead, we’re actively looking for ways to make the project more financially viable,” said Cha.
She reiterated the points about applying for the Federal Brownfields Remediation Grant and putting funds toward structural stabilization but also indicated the Planning Department is looking for other grant opportunities.
Further, during the analysis, Cha offered some pros and cons for different uses that could be employed at the building.
A hotel would offer public use, but the pool of hotel developers and operators is small. Commercial use could provide the community with things they need, like a grocery store, but there are questions about whether there is enough demand and traffic for that type of use.
While residential uses are needed in the city, the site lacks parking, has limited access to public transit, and could be affected by the aforementioned challenge with the flood hazard area.
Finally, an institutional use could attract several different establishments, like museums or art venues, but there needs to be interest and funding.
Following the presentation, several attendees voiced their opinions regarding what they wanted to see at the site. Ideas ranged from affordable grocery stores and restaurants to art venues, a recreational facility, or simply a place residents could use as a place to gather.
As the discussion continued, it became clear that one of the prevailing ideas was to have a mix of uses at the site.
“Certainly, I think all of us are envisioning mixed-use on the site… so even if there’s a cultural use, maybe there’s some synergy we could do with food options, maybe small retail or other amenities, so that definitely a possibility here,” said Cha.
Ultimately, attendees shared many ideas during the meeting, and the Planning Department wants to hear from residents. To provide input on the Chain Forge rehabilitation process, email [email protected].
The Planning Department hopes to have another meeting similar to Tuesday’s and another to review a draft RFP before the end of the year so that a new RFP can be released in the first quarter of 2025.
There are also plans for a meeting in mid-October to review the Federal Brownfields Remediation Grant application.
To learn more about this process and view a recording and the presentation from this meeting when they are posted, visit https://bit.ly/ChainForge.
“We very much want this to be an open and collaborative process, and we are seeking your feedback as Charlestown residents on the neighborhood’s priorities, your thoughts on the feasibility of different uses, considerations for design and preservation, and any other creative suggestions you might have,” said Cha.