Daniel Johnson to lead $69 million American Seafood Exchange Project

By D.C. Denison, Globe Staff

Daniel Johnson of IN-SITE LLC, Project Advisory will serve as project director for the American Seafood Exchange, a $69 million project planned for Boston’s Seaport District, the company announced today.

Johnson, who has overseen numerous large-scale industrial projects, will guide the seafood processing and distribution center from its current stage – planning and permitting – through its opening. He will lead the project team through all aspects of the development process, including market analysis, design and construction, and final tenant lease agreements.

In March of 2011, the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the tentative designation of American Seafood Exchange’s project for parcels M & N of its Marine Industrial Park at 3 Dolphin Way. The 422,000-square-foot seafood processing and cold storage facility is expected to revitalize Boston’s seafood processing industry and re-establish the city as a working port. American Seafood Exchange will include a public display auction, public cold storage, fresh transfer and public packing houses and retail space in close proximity to Logan International Airport, Conley Cargo Terminal and the interstate highway system, which will allow fisherman to bring the catch to the customer in record time. It is expected to create more than 300 union construction jobs and up to 1,500 permanent jobs, and to stimulate region-wide job growth in the seafood industry.

The project will also utilize cutting-edge green building technology and sustainable design, aimed at meeting LEED certification and directly reflecting the vision of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s “Innovation District” initiative. Johnson will lead a team that includes CBT Architects and Strekalovsky Architecture as project architects; Brooks & Crowley as legal counsel; Cambridge Systematics as transportation consultants; Barclays Capital and Cushman & Wakefield as real estate and equity sourcing advisors; Noble & Wickersham as environmental permitting consultant; and Atlantic Management as co-developer with American Seafood Exchange for the Project.

Johnson guided the development process for Boston’s 400,000-square-foot International Cargo Port at 88 Black Falcon Avenue, a $53 million long-term ground lease project with Massport. Throughout his 25-year career, he has executed major industrial projects in logistically challenging urban environments including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, among others – and near international airports. He has also managed development of port-related facilities in the Caribbean.