Time to talk about post-Bayside Dot
The Corcoran Jennison Cos., which own the Bayside Exposition Center, have scheduled a public meeting Wednesday to discuss the future of the area with Dorchester residents and businesses.
The meeting comes in light of a recent proposal by Corcoran Jennison to close the facility and invest $1 billion in residential, retail, and office development in the area.
The plans would create a new neighborhood on the waterfront in Dorchester Bay, located near Carson Beach and the JFK/UMass subway station.
"The Dorchester community has always been important to the Corcoran Jennison companies," said spokeswoman Catherine O'Neil, who noted that chief executive officer Joseph E. Corcoran was born in Dorchester.
"It's no accident the companies' headquarters are located in our neighborhood," she said.
The reaction to the proposal has been mostly positive, though city officials acknowledged that public meetings will be important to deal with a variety of issues that are likely to come up.
City Council president Maureen Feeney, whose district in Dorchester includes the Dorchester Bay area, said she is pleased about the plan and the public discussions.
"Rarely do we have an opportunity to create this kind of new, dramatic, and expansive development on the waterfront in Dorchester," said Feeney in an e-mail.
"I applaud the developers of Bayside for presenting such an exciting mixed-use project to the community. Certainly, we look forward to discussing critical issues like traffic, density and building height, but I think we can all agree that this is a very exciting opportunity for our community."
The Boston Redevelopment Authority praised the plan in a statement to the Globe.
"The Bayside Expo Center land has the potential to be an incredible redevelopment opportunity for Dorchester and the entire Boston community," the BRA said.
Corcoran Jennison hopes to file plans for the 30-acre area with city and state agencies by September. The project could take 6 to 10 years to complete.
According to company officials, the project was prompted by the opening of the larger Boston Convention and Exposition Center more than three years ago.
That state-subsidized facility has been cutting into the Bayside Exposition Center's trade show business.
"We are looking forward to the input of Dorchester residents and local businesses," O'Neil said.
"We expect June 20 to be the first of many healthy dialogues about the future of our neighborhood."
