The Boston Redevelopment Authority has named a new Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) Chief of Staff, and announced plans to move forward on multiple projects.
The BRA board approved Acting Director Brian Golden’s recommendation of Heather Campisano, current Deputy Director for Development Review, as BRA/EDIC Chief of Staff. Campisano kickstarted her career as a BRA intern for 14 years in the Development Review Department. She was named Deputy Director for Development in 2006.
Last week, BostInno first reported that the BRA’s Business Development Division would be dismantled and “several other positions in divisions across the agency will be eliminated,” according to a source’s statement.
In addition to naming a new EDIC chief of staff, the BRA approved $60 million of new development projects in Charlestown, East Boston, and West Roxbury; and approved requests to advise and issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to redevelop a Parcel V-1 in the Boston Marine Industrial Park, which contains about 105,000 square feet of land and 47,000-square-foot structure.
A new art research and office park for Charlestown’s Hood Dairy site will cost $25 million. This project will redevelop an existing warehouse at 500 Rutherford Avenue, and construct a 61,000-square-foot, one-story addition at the site. In total, the Hood site is slated for nearly 1.2 million square feet of development.
Plans for a new charter school in East Boston will move forward. Excel Academy plans to build a 70,000-square-foot mixed-use building on two acres of land, and designate roughly 24,000 square feet of space for an outdoor courtyard. Excel Academy also plans to relocate its Orient Heights middle school students to the East Boston site, once completed. The project is set to break ground this spring.
Located at 15 Bellevue St. in West Roxbury, a YMCA will undergo a complete $10 million renovation, and see an existing 16,000-square-foot pool and gymnasium facility demolished. The former Federal Post Office adjacent to the site will be replaced with 24,000 square feet of updated YMCA space. The project is expected to cost $10 million.
Images via the BRA
