Southfield

[smw2340]

New master planned community at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station...

www.southfield.com

[smw2340]

New master planned community at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station...

www.southfield.com

http://www.patriotledger.com/articles/2007/07/26/news/news06.txt

Recent article I was trying to link to as well. Having trouble with the Ledger's website, so hopefully this link works....

[vanshnookenraggen]

Wow, that actually looks really nice. The renderings remind me of Celebration, FL or something.

Edit: Also, really good scale.

[czsz]

Multi-level townhomes, lofts and condominiums in the heart of the community are reminiscent of Boston's Back Bay. Oriented to streets and intimate pedestrian lanes, these special two- and three-bedroom homes will offer the energy and convenience of urban life with considerable amenities.

Can someone get them to help develop the Seaport?

[atlantaden]

Can someone get them to help develop the Seaport

Land prices on the Seaport are probably way too high to build single-family and townhomes even on zero line plots. Maybe Northpoint in Cambridge would be more feasible for this sort of development. This type of development (without the golf course) is springing up all over Atlanta and they're beautiful! Hopefully, people will realize that they don't need an acre of yard to be happy; that they can live in a really nice home/townhome without all the fuss of keeping up a yard. Instead they have a community pool/tennis courts/club house to hang out at. Van mentioned Celebration, the Disney development. It was started in 1994, other states have been doing this sort of thing for years! Massachusetts could use many more of this type of development though not lots of land left to build on and too many towns would fight it. Good for Weymouth...and for Westwood that's doing something similar though not as extensive.

[vanshnookenraggen]

Looking at the site plan again I was a bit chagrined to see that there were traditional office parks in the mix but then I found out that those only represent what is already there.

I do wish that the "town center" section would be closer to the train station, but perhaps that would allow unwanted people entering and lord knows we can't have that! :roll:

[smw2340]

They will have a free shuttle bus that will serve the Commuter Rail station, so access to the town center should be easy. And it looks like it would be just a short walk (less than 0.5 miles?) from the T Station.

http://www.southfield.com/MasterPlan.aspx?Goto=explore

[smw2340]

Progress being made on this project. Some photos on the website showing a few good pics...

http://southfield.com/ConstructionUpdate.aspx

[Ron Newman]

Does this new name, Southfield, indicate that the long-term plan is to break it off as a separate town (as may some day happen to Devens)?

[smw2340]

I don't think so. From what I've heard it'll be more of a section of Weymouth. Not sure if they are going to try and carve it out as its own municipality.

[Suffolk 83]

Moguls hot for studio site
Eye $200M complex at Weymouth air base
By Scott Van Voorhis
Sunday, February 24, 2008 - Updated 2h ago

The Bay State could take a major step toward becoming Hollywood East under a detailed proposal to build a $200 million movie production complex on the South Shore barely 10 miles from Boston.

Seeking to build political support and persuade the state to expand existing tax credits, a team of Hollywood film moguls is flying into the Hub this week for meetings with state lawmakers and the development firm that controls the former naval air station in South Weymouth, industry sources said. TV series, such as ?Boston Legal,? that now fly into Boston to shoot scenes, and then fly back to Los Angeles to do production work, could instead stay here year-round, pumping millions more into the local economy, said Earon.

?It could move all the TV series that are based here, but not shot here,? he said.



Principals from Culver City Studios, Ray Art Studios and Sunset Gower Studios will make the rounds, detailing Culver City?s plans to build a 30-acre campus- style studio complex complete with sound stages at the former military base. The plan is also expected to include a hotel and other development.

The construction of a major studio complex could put the state?s already fast-growing film industry into overdrive, experts say.

While more big-budget movies are being shot in Massachusetts due a landmark industry tax incentive bill passed in 2006, a studio complex could become a year-round hub for the film industry.

In fact, top Hollywood movie producers and actors, especially those with Boston ties, would likely move back to the area from Los Angeles if a studio complex were built here, argued William Earon, a managing director of Coastal Capital Partners and a key consultant and architect of the Bay State?s tax incentives for the film industry.

?If built, the studio will create thousands of high-paying jobs in the commonwealth in an industry that did not exist before,? Earon said. ?We will become the fourth film state in the country, behind California, New York and Louisiana.?

This week?s visit by the Hollywood heavy hitters, who have already been in talks with the land development company for months, is expected to give a major push to the South Weymouth proposal.

As they meet with lawmakers, the film chiefs are expected to push for passage of a key state proposal crucial to sealing the deal. The proposal, put forth by state Rep. Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy), chair of the House financial services committee, provides tens of millions in tax incentives for the construction of a studio complex.

The bill is not restricted to South Weymouth and, in fact, another group of filmmakers wants to build a studio complex in Plymouth. Plymouth Rock Studios, helmed by former Paramount Pictures executive David Kirkpatrick, is pursuing plans for a large-scale film studio and multimedia production campus on 1,000 acres of land owned in South Plymouth.

?We are hoping this will take off,? Mariano said. ?This is an opportunity to build an industry that doesn?t exist (here).?

Backers of the South Weymouth proposal note it has key advantages over the Plymouth proposal because of its proximity to Boston and Logan International Airport.

But not all the competition is local. Rhode Island lawmakers are eyeing their own package of tax incentives to spur the development of a film complex in that state. If the Ocean State passes its plan first, it could gain a crucial advantage, developers warn.

?I would like to see Massachusetts become the first New England state to build a major studio,? Earon said.

Massachusetts could transform its fledgling film business into a major industry if it succeeds in securing a major studio complex.

The studio complex could employ 1,200 to 1,500 technicians, producers, directors and other specialists, with salaries in the $75,000 to $150,000 range, industry experts said.

TV series, such as ?Boston Legal,? that now fly into Boston to shoot scenes, and then fly back to Los Angeles to do production work, could instead stay here year-round, pumping millions more into the local economy, said Earon.

?It could move all the TV series that are based here, but not shot here,? he said.

[Suffolk 83]

I thought the airbase already had a firm master plan? the area is huge so maybe this can be fit in?

one thing that pisses me off though is the democrat from Quincy pushing this.... just a couple years ago the Quincy Shipyard was up for sale, and from what I understand, a shipbuilding company and a movie production studio both outbid Quirk autos but Quirk still won... creating zero new jobs, can't help but think somebody got their palms greased there.

[12345]

You beat me to it, the surprising thing is there's another studio being planned in plymouth.

[czsz]

?We will become the fourth film state in the country, behind California, New York and Louisiana.?

Louisiana? What?

a shipbuilding company and a movie production studio both outbid Quirk autos but Quirk still won... creating zero new jobs, can't help but think somebody got their palms greased there.

Another well-connected provincial retarding this area's potential.

[briv]

I heard there are something like 20 major films currently under production in or around Boston. This along with these new studios being built hopefully helps grow a vital local film-making community.

[Ron Newman]

This is one of the industries our state should be aggressively pursuing, rather than casinos.

[daimio1]

why isn't the city of boston in on this one? last time i checked there was more then 30 acres of "empty" land sitting down on the waterfront. somewhere around d st and summer st look like a good location.

[czsz]

Movie studios aren't the most city-friendly uses - they contain a lot of big, blank walls and need acres of flat space. The convention center contributes enough of that to the SBW.

[smw2340]

[QUOTE=Suffolk 83;46176]I thought the airbase already had a firm master plan? the area is huge so maybe this can be fit in?

The commercial aspect of the project is probably flexible to allow a certain amount office/commercial space. It says 2 million square feet, so they could probably fit the movie studio stuff within that.

[nico]

Figured Emerson would love to have a studio close by. What's going to replace the Bayside Expo Center?

[GW2500]

This whole movie studio stuff is pretty exciting if you ask me. If built its implications for the economy and culture could be very benefitial. It would also help increase Boston's profile on the national and international level.

[Suffolk 83]

i dont really care all that much about Boston's profile, but the possibility of diversifying the local economy is very exciting. It could help make MA's economy more resistant to downturns... although it seems as if Hollywood as big business is in a steady decline that I don't really see an end to.

I believe there's already a southfield ma, so that doesnt look to be a goal to answer an earlier question. Also, Weymouth isn't exactly a snobish town I wouldn't expect there to be a motive to keep unwantons out. Though a new enclave might take on its own personality.

[smw2340]

Some more recent news about the movie studio going here, as well as news on the state funded parkway cutting across the property:
http://cbs4boston.com/video/?id=61918@wbz.dayport.com
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/27/governor_names_former_air_base_a_growth_district/

[smw2340]

Why did someone delete the SouthField thread and place my latest post in this thread instead? Whats going on????

[briv]

Sorry smw. I mistakenly merged this thread with the movie studio thread. It should be back the way it was now.

[smw2340]

Sorry smw. I mistakenly merged this thread with the movie studio thread. It should be back the way it was now.

Thanks! I thought there was a conspiracy for a minute!

[Suffolk 83]

Found out some interesting news from a Weymouth "Town" councilor. Southfield will basically be its own municipality. Its run my a company called L & R which the navy sold the base to. They own all the rights to the land until 2053. They get all the taxes, the "Tri-Town Council"(Weymouth, Abington and Rockland) is getting nothing for the next 50 or so years. L & R is going to have its own police, fire, schools, trash etc etc. I don't think its really its own town because its getting turned back over to the towns eventually. Also the toxic waste cleanup the Navy was never the responsibility of the Navy, L & R is going to have to take that beast on itself...
Gov. Patrick was down there last week I believe I saw some articles about that. I believe the state is pledging funds for the main artery thats going to connect it directly to Rt. 3.

[Ron Newman]

Doesn't the state legislature have to approve creating any additional political subdivisions such as this?

[SeamusMcFly]

http://www.southfield.com/

http://www.ssttdc.com/

http://www.lnrproperty.com/

The above are the links to follow for more information about this development.

It's LNR Property Corporation btw, not L & R. They are the developer. The above is the first time I have heard anything along the lines of LNR running the development as some kind of semi-autonomous township prior to turning this over to the towns in 50 years. I can't claim that I have read every piece of paper work on this, but I have been following it somewhat closely for the last decade plus. Where did this tidbit come from?

I had originally been tracking this project as a way to move back to Rockland, but unfortunately, I want a yard if I'm going to live in the suburbs.

Looks like there is 42.5m in state funding for the new east/west parkway.

[pelhamhall]

The *$#%@ Massachusetts legislature is going to repeal all the tax incentives that have led to so much Hollywood money coming to Boston.

So kiss all these movie productions good-bye. It was fun though to see a little taste of what could happen if Massachusetts at least pretended to be a pro-business state, huh? While the ignorant Legislature harps on the taxes they can reap from these people by repealing the film tax incentives, they are ignoring the economic development that this industry could have brought to the state. I would guess that all these studio development proposals go nowhere now.

Canada has similar climate and terrain and once again the pendulum has shifted in their favor, away from Massachusetts - many of the movies that we did get in the past couple of years were going to be filmed in Ontario.

[Riverworks]

Proof?

[MrsBrady]

Found out some interesting news from a Weymouth "Town" councilor. Southfield will basically be its own municipality. Its run my a company called L & R which the navy sold the base to. They own all the rights to the land until 2053. They get all the taxes, the "Tri-Town Council"(Weymouth, Abington and Rockland) is getting nothing for the next 50 or so years. L & R is going to have its own police, fire, schools, trash etc etc. I don't think its really its own town because its getting turned back over to the towns eventually. Also the toxic waste cleanup the Navy was never the responsibility of the Navy, L & R is going to have to take that beast on itself...
Gov. Patrick was down there last week I believe I saw some articles about that. I believe the state is pledging funds for the main artery thats going to connect it directly to Rt. 3.

So this is how rumors get started I guess. Southfield will not have its own schools, fire dept, police, etc. It's part of Weymouth and will use Weymouth's services.

They even mention Weymouth schools on the Southfield web site:
http://www.southfield.com/AreaSchools.aspx?Goto=live

[Ron Newman]

So, which Weymouth town councilor did this (seemingly erroneous) report come from?

If Southfield overlaps into multiple municipalities, are all the residential units in Weymouth? Or have they made an arrangement so that all the children go to Weymouth schools even if they actually live in one of the other towns?

[Suffolk 83]

Just because its on the website doesnt make it necessarily true... that said maybe my informant was wrong. I don't know. He was pretty clear to me, and he certainly has inside knowledge about the whole process. Sorry about the L & R LNR confusion, this is spoken word, it happens.

I'm not going to give away his name on here, that's just not fair. I'll talk to him and maybe he'll post on here himself a la Ned Flahery. He did also tell me that he was causing such a disturbance in the process, LNR asked for a personal meeting between him and company reps. I don't see him being this screwed up in his story, but who knows. I wouldnt believe that website either

[Ron Newman]

If he's a public official talking about a development project in his town, I don't see any reason to keep his name secret.

[tobyjug]

Disclosure: I represent parties associated with this matter.

I do not betray any confidences when I say that the rumor is not new. Keep in mind that one would need an exhaustive legislative process for the rumor to become fact. Similar discussions (and rumors) attended the closure and transformation of Fort Devens. As of yet, "Devens" has not attained the status of the Commonwealth's 352nd municipality, despite its earlier beginnings.
Lennar might or might not want incorporation, but ultimately it will be up to the legislative delegations of the affected communities to set the tone.

[Suffolk 83]

If he's a public official talking about a development project in his town, I don't see any reason to keep his name secret.

This isn't coming out of thin air. I see no reason why you need a name. This was a private, casual conversation between myself and him, and I didn't ask him if I could tell the world about it. That's fine if you don't want to believe it, but I'm not giving away his name unless I ask him first. Its really not that important you're not going to know who the man is anyway. Tobes pretty much just backed what I said up, don't question my shit, there's absolutely no reason for me to make things up.

[Boston]

http://www.southfield.com/index.aspx

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/05/23/air_base_developers_vow_to_stay_aloft/

[Equilibria]

The "Commonwealth Ave-like" park reference made me chuckle. I mean, it's a nice little boulevard thing, but come on...

[12345]

DTZ FHO Partners hired to lease Southfield development

DTZ FHO Partners was hired by LNR Property Corp. to lease the 1.7 million-square-foot SouthField Corporate Center.

The corporate center is part of the 1,400 acre-mixed use development called SouthField located at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. In addition to the corporate center, the development will include two million square feet of office, manufacturing and R&D space.

SouthField is a mixed-use, transit-oriented development located 12 miles from downtown Boston. When complete, SouthField will include a total of 2,855 high-end residential units, a 48-acre recreation complex, a science center for biotech research and a village-style retail district.

The SouthField development was been selected to participate in the U.S. Green Building Council?s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Neighborhood Development Pilot program for Silver certification. The project was also recognized by the state as being a smart growth development.

LNR Property Corp. is a commercial real estate firm headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. LNR has developed and repositioned of more than 1,000 properties in 33 states during the last 15 years.

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/07/07/daily23.html?surround=lfn

[palindrome]

Officials, developers tout first home construction at SouthField
By Christian Schiavone
The Patriot Ledger

After years of delays and false starts, it is the first permanent structure to be constructed on the former base since it closed in 1997.

During an event to mark the beginning of so-called vertical construction on the base, developers and public officials said the home is a major step toward the goal of building 2,850 homes and 2 million square feet of commercial space, including a movie studio.

...


Full article: http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x198684525/Officials-developers-tout-first-home-construction-at-SouthField