WESLEY BEDROSIAN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Mayor Menino (mayor of Boston since July 1993), is sincerely pushing for the redevelopment of East Boston. As we recently discussed, East Boston redevelopment within its tech sector in the termed ‘Innovation District’, the advancement of transportation via the water in Boston will aid in the attraction and investment along East Boston.
In 1995, Mayor Menino tackled a similar initiative, attempting to launch a fluent ferry service that would run from East Boston to Downtown at Boston’s Long Wharf. However, despite the great idea, this was neither the time nor the locations that the ferry needed to be targeting. A 14 month trial run at this idea took place, but with only an average of 1.3 people per trip being reported.
With the new project on the table, Menino views it as crucially important for there to be a ferry system that now will run from East Boston to Fan Pier located in South Boston on the waterfront. The hope is that this new project will prove successful in that it covers a route that is not also easily accessible via subway, this which the plan from 1995 did not take into account. Where there are no logical alternatives for commuting, the propensity for a thriving ferry industry increases.
The real estate prices for renting and purchasing property in East Boston remain fairly low. This new ferry service poses a great opportunity for all individuals, especially young people, to commute from East Boston to the relatively more expensive South Boston waterfront for work or pleasure. The more modern and technologically-minded youth of the changing East Boston today would welcome such a creative and new way of getting from point A to point B in a timely, affordable and convenient manner.
One drawback that is restricting the overall excitement behind these proceedings is that Menino has not publicly released rough figures that will represent the various costs, times of operation, seating capacity of the ferry’s, funding solutions, among other factors. Essentially, as mentioned in the previous blog, the Massachusetts Port Authority has a live request from the mayor pertaining to his hope for a change by assessing a $1-$2 surcharge for all cruise ship passengers whose cruises dock at the Black Falcon Terminal.
What the success-rate of these ferry’s so highly depends on is if they can and if they even should be used during times when they are not operating along the designed routes of ferry transportation. During these other non-commuter hours, perhaps charters or excursions to the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, among other possibilities, would do the city, its locals and its visitors well. We will keep posted on these future plans for Boston as it will undoubtedly alter our traffic patterns and will increase the likelihood of further investment and attraction to East Boston.
More blog posts on this subject:
- Boston Real Estate – East Boston Redevelopment Project
- Boston Tech Sector: More Jobs, Boston’s Economy and Real Estate News
- Kendall Square Neighborhood: MIT Improving Real Estate
- Boston Commercial and Residential Real Estate: Boston Biotech Building Boom
More information: BostonGlobe.com
