Chelsea, MA The city and parking solution provider InterPark/PreFlight held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Chelsea Creek Waterfront project. The project will deliver a new public access point to the Chelsea Creek waterfront, bolstering the city’s resiliency efforts and paving the way for future commercial development. The ceremony was attended by representatives from the city, project owner InterPark/PreFlight, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), as well as consultants, the design and development team, environmental advocacy groups, and city residents and officials

“This project has been a long time in the making and today marks a significant step forward for our community,” Fidel Maltez, city manager of Chelsea, told the gathering. “This project lays the foundation for something even more transformative…(creating) the framework necessary for PreFlight to redevelop the site, envision new industrial and commercial buildings rising out of the current parking lots – bringing with them good-paying jobs, much-needed tax revenue, and access to our waterfront.”

The existing PreFlight site comprises 22.65 acres – approximately 19 acres of land and 3.5 acres of water. The Chelsea Creek Waterfront Project will transform the site by creating a new walkway that connects the sidewalk at Eastern Ave. to a scenic viewing area along Chelsea Creek. This path will be adorned with native grasses, such as Seaside Goldenrod and Switchgrass, alongside plantings of red maple, pitch pine, and serviceberry, bordered by a nautical rope and post barrier. The destination observation area will further honor the site’s maritime heritage with reclaimed granite block seating and a historic anchor point.

The project is the culmination of years of collaboration and a shared vision between the City of Chelsea and its community, InterPark/PreFlight, Mass DEP, and the environmental agencies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While there are no current redevelopment plans beyond the completion of the access pathway to Chelsea Creek (the project is expected to be completed and open to the public by midsummer), there will likely be commercial development on the site in the near future. 

“We’re never successful as a business unless the community around us is successful, so partnership has always been a big part of what we do,” emphasized Jim Mueller, CEO of InterPark/PreFlight. “This is a complicated site with a complicated history, and we’re trying to figure out a future that balances the needs of all the stakeholders. It’s important for the City of Chelsea in terms of economic development, jobs, and connecting the waterway to the community…but here’s a chance for us to rethink what it could be in the future..” 

The project also aligns with the City of Chelsea’s long-term resiliency efforts to protect against future flooding, reduce the City’s “heat island” impact by adding tree canopy, and to manage stormwater through green infrastructure. 

“Access to the waterfront is finally coming about, and (we’re) really excited about that,” said John Walkey, Director of Climate Justice at GreenRoots, a resident-led organization dedicated to improving and enhancing the urban environment and public health in Chelsea, East Boston, and surrounding communities. “The partnership we have with PreFlight has been fantastic, and they have been greatly supportive of GreenRoots… and the relationships between the state, between the City, and linking those resources up to the community to get public access (to the waterway) has meant a lot.”

“This is a small step, but it’s a tangible step toward the development of this parcel in the future, and that’s something that we’re very excited about and happy to be a part of,” concluded InterPark/PreFlight CEO Mueller.