Teamwork transforming the Chelsea waterfront

Cleanup of eyesore park was catalyst in making Admiral's Hill area desirable

Construction continues on a 168-unit luxury apartment complex on Admiral's Hill that is expected to be completed by next spring. (Photos by Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Despite the sweeping views of Charlestown and the Boston skyline, Admiral's Hill resident Jack Fraser kept his blinds closed for most of the first nine years he lived there.

That's because he and other residents of the former naval hospital site in Chelsea were uncertain whether the day's panorama in the state-operated Mary O'Malley Park across the way would be G- or X-rated, due to shady activities ranging from drug deals to public drunkenness.

"You look out the window and see someone urinating in front of you, that's not very pleasant," said Fraser, president of the Admiral's Hill Homeowners Association, and a 12-year resident. "You could see drug deals, homeless people living in the woods, the park benches were broken, there was sex going on in the woods. . . . I thought about moving. These are great apartments and great town houses, and to have that happen on the outside you think, you know, 'What the hell?' "

Located in the city's largest accessible waterfront area, Admiral's Hill became the home of mainly market-rate condominium developments that officials hoped would bring more revenue and prosperity to one of the state's poorest communities.

It has taken almost three decades, but the vision for the area appears to be nearing completion, thanks in part to a chain of events during the past four years that started with the cleanup of the park, and continues with the construction of a $70 million high-end residential complex scheduled to open next spring.

City Manager Jay Ash remembers taking a field trip as a Chelsea High School senior to Admiral's Hill and listening as then Mayor Joel Pressman described the city's expectations for the site. Ash said he was skeptical - nothing that ambitious had ever been attempted in Chelsea. He was also surprised.

"I grew up in the city, and didn't know I grew up in a waterfront community," Ash recalled. "It's pretty cool to have seen it before during that field trip and understanding what the city's vision was, and now completing it myself."

Getting to this point was a long road littered with multiple landowners, bankruptcy, foreclosure, and a lawsuit from Admiral's Hill residents blocking construction of what they deemed a too-large multiuse development that went in the face of the neighborhood's character.

"Over the course of 10 years, I talked to as many as four or five different developers, but there have been dozens of developers in and out over a 30-year period looking to do things down there," Ash said.

Fraser knew Admiral's Hill wasn't living up to its full potential, so with the help of the 900 residents and donations from waterfront businesses, he formed the Friends of Mary O'Malley Park to restore it.

By cutting down several trees and overgrown bushes, the Friends got rid of the concealed spots favored by drug dealers. With the help of City Councilor Ron Morgese, the Friends got the attention of state Department of Conservation and Recreation officials, who would later partner with the Friends, Fraser said. City officials and community groups worked with local companies to reduce nusiance odors, and embarked on several "cleanup days" for the river.

On a recent walk through the park on the restored waterfront walkway, Morgese beamed as he described the return of birds and fish to the portions of the Mystic and Island End rivers where the park sits. As he continued to walk, a group of children enjoyed the playground completed by the state, a man played with his dog on the tennis courts being renovated by the state, joggers passed by, and people enjoyed their lunches while sitting on the grass.

"This is the centerpiece of the whole area," Morgese said. "This area was zoned industrial. There were coal and tar odors, and the morning dew left a black film on cars. Now that's all gone."

Ash and Morgese said they want to talk to a couple of private businesses along the waterfront to see if they would work with the city to widen a narrow portion of the walkway that leads to the Admiral's Hill Marina. Kevin Saba, owner of the marina since 2000 and formerly of the lot where Texas-based developer JPI is building 168 high-end apartment units, said the reactivation of the waterfront was key in attracting JPI.

The company has already made improvements for the public, including the current construction of a trellis walkway connecting the waterfront to Commandants Way, and a completed boardwalk connecting the marina to a vacant lot.

The city is awaiting word from the state for funds to convert the lot into the Island End River Park. Ash said he'll then talk to the owners of the adjacent parking lots to provide access to the park from Beacham Street, completing the city's vision of opening up the waterfront from there to the Tobin Bridge.

"When you're walking on the boardwalk toward the marina, it's sort of a resort feel," Saba said. "That's one of the things that excited me about [the property], to have the city recognize the diamond in the rough this area was."

Saba is also working with JPI to convert a portion of the paved walkway to brick, and is in talks with four restaurant operators to take over a portion of the marina office building.

"Anybody who's been active in real estate in Massachusetts certainly knows about Admiral's Hill and the success of Admiral's Hill," said Thomas N. O'Brien, executive vice president and managing partner at JPI. "I grew up around here and I knew the 'before' as well. That kind of improvement only happens through a real team effort from the city, the state, and private interests."

The apartments will average about 960 square feet, with rents of about $1,800 a month for a one-bedroom unit and $2,200 for a two-bedroom, O'Brien said. It will also feature environmentally friendly construction, an outdoor courtyard, workout facilities, and a library for tenants.

Ash said JPI's development will be "the crowning jewel," and that combined with the upcoming construction of a nursing care facility will complete the 30-year-old goal of building about 1,400 residential units at Admiral's Hill.

"Before I took that trip with the mayor, I'd never stepped foot in Admiral's Hill," Ash said. "That park was nonexistent 30 years ago. There's been an evolution."

Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com.