Chamber, MAPC to Chart Redevelopment Opportunities on South Shore

August 5, 2020 : Banker & Tradesman

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission plan to partner on a survey of potential development sites in the area of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station, using a grant from the chamber and from MassDevelopment.

The study will produce a high-level assessment of water and wastewater supply and demand dynamics for a number of potential growth areas in the South Shore region, the chamber said. This will include parts of the city of Weymouth and towns of Hanover, Hingham, Norwell and Rockland. This assessment will help to determine where water and wastewater infrastructure could be expanded to allow for more commercial and residential development, the chamber said.

The study is being funded with a $75,000 grant as part of MassDevelopment’s Site Readiness Program, which aims to boost the state’s inventory of project-ready sites. The chamber is also chipping in $25,000 via its own economic development corporation.

​“We are proud to partner with MAPC in their mission to promote smart growth and regional collaboration across the South Shore,” Peter Forman, president and CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “The work they do is essential for the region and is a perfect complement to our ongoing comprehensive economic and community development plan South Shore 2030.”

The chamber has been working to build more support locally for transit-oriented development, particularly housing development, from Canton and Quincy to Plymouth since 2018.

A new master developer was chosen for the stalled South Weymouth airfield development – now called “Southfield” – in January. And a mixed-use redevelopment of the former Hanover Mall began in February.