As Massport's board of directors is bringing in a new CEO for the powerful agency, that incoming chief will step into a complex arrangement of property management in the Seaport, where Massport and the Boston Planning and Redevelopment Authority overlap in overseeing billions of dollars in development and economic activity.
Last
week, the board selected Richard Davey to replace former CEO Lisa
Wieland, who left for a job in private industry last year.
Davey currently works as president of the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority in New York City, but the former Back Bay resident previously
ran the MBTA in 2010 and 2011 and served as Department of
Transportation Secretary under former Governor Deval Patrick from 2011
to 2014.
The new CEO will oversee operations at Logan Airport, Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport, as well as ports in Boston.
That
means the massive operations in the Seaport, including the Boston Fish
Pier, Flynn Boston Cruiseport and the Conley Container Terminal,
covering more than 400 acres on land and sea.
But
the Seaport is also the province of the BPDA, which controls large
development in the area and also owns significant chunks of land. While
Massport owns 25 acres of the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park, the BPDA's
Economic Development and Industrial Corporation controls the rest of that area.
"The
BPDA and Massport have collaborated on the planning and buildout of the
South Boston Waterfront District including the alignment of planning
visions, Seaport Public Realm Plan and Commonwealth Flats Master Plan,"
BPDA spokesperson Brittany Comak said in a statement.
"The
BPDA informs urban design, transportation, and climate resilience of
nonport related projects on Massport property. This partnership
continues into the [Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park] where Massport leases
BPDA property and operates adjacent port facilities including the Cruise
Terminal."
Besides
the Marine Park land and water, Massport owns property in several areas
in the Seaport. It owns about 11 acres in the middle of the region, in
plots around the Mass Pike. It owns 25 acres around E Street, Summer
Street and Pappas Way. And it owns 61 acres on the south side of the
Reserved Channel, covering the Conley Terminal.
And
as a property owner, Massport also leases space to developers. Pappas
Enterprises and Oxford Properties are planning to develop a mixed-use
project on six acres off Pappas Way, according to filings with the BPDA,
and Oxford Properties has already developed lab space on Massport's
Summer Street holdings.
"Massport’s
real estate portfolio in South Boston includes both commercial
mixed-use office, hotel, residential, and maritime industrial
properties,” according to Massport spokesperson Jennifer Mehigan.
“Massport
manages these assets around three objectives: support Massport’s
maritime mission, both financially and operationally, stimulate economic
development for the Commonwealth and local communities by stimulating
jobs, tax payments, etc., and create accessible and inclusive spaces and
events on its waterfront property," The agency has four hotels and three residential projects under lease in addition to its pier and port activities.
The
Seaport's transformation from industrial area to a mix of industry,
residences, office, lab and recreation space means many groups are
invested in the region. Massport works with various agencies to meet
everyone's goals, Mehigan said, "Massport
and the City, as well as various State partners, share the goal of
meeting the needs of multiple stakeholders and industries located within
the South Boston Waterfront. For several decades, Massport has worked
with the BPDA to plan for the buildout of the South Boston Waterfront
toward this end," Mehigan said.
"Massport
and the BPDA, along with relevant State agencies, meet regularly to
discuss policies and projects in the Raymond Flynn Marine Park.
Massport’s particular interests in the park focus on supporting the
growing demand for cruise operations at Flynn Cruiseport Boston,
promoting the well-established South Boston seafood industry cluster,
and protecting and improving essential truck routes serving the port."