Wicked Local, April 14, 2012:  LNR Properties Bill Ryan, Sen. John Kerry, and Tri-Town Development CEO Kevin Donovan tour the new parkway road under construction at SouthField.

April 5, 2012, Weymouth News

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray toured SouthField on April 5 to check on the progress of the development. See the photos and story in the April 11 edition of the Weymouth News.

Special to Banker & Tradesman

March 21, 2012

{Planned Community On Former Naval Air Station Boasts Urban Amenities}

Single young professionals, newly married couples and empty nesters are using public transportation to expand the definition of ‘urban’ when it comes to apartment living. Now, it is the connection to the city as much as the city itself that matters when searching for a place to live. Where the hunt for apartments near Boston workplaces was once concentrated literally in urban neighborhoods, now just as often, the searchers trace the tracks of commuter rail lines to find homes close to the office.

At SouthField, the rapidly growing community taking shape at the site of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station in Weymouth, Rockland and Abington, we are seeing a flood of interest in our homes precisely because they offer a neighborhood, community feel within walking distance of a short rail ride to Boston.

Growing urban rental rates have residents of all ages migrating out of Boston for value and a sense of connection. There is a craving among young professionals and empty nesters alike to maintain the connectivity that city living offers. SouthField provides a healthy place to live, work, shop and play, and allows residents to enjoy the space and freedom that suburban living creates.  The dense urban living feel of SouthField, along with its on-site MBTA commuter rail station and new parkway to Route 3, have drawn urban dwellers to the master-planned community which will feature, at full build-out, 2,855 units of housing options and 2 million square feet of commercial and retail space.  SouthField’s design also includes more than 1,000 acres of neighborhood parks and dedicated open space, a links style golf course, and a $30 million indoor/outdoor sports and recreation complex.

Residents have just started to move in to The Commons at SouthField Highlands, a community of 226 apartment homes and 8,700 square feet of first-floor retail space.  It is located at SouthField Highlands, SouthField’s first residential neighborhood, and is only a short walk to the on-site South Weymouth commuter rail station and just two stops by train to South Station in downtown Boston.

“We chose SouthField because the combination of transit-oriented development and the excitement surrounding this new and vibrant community is unmatched anywhere in New England,” said Rick High, president of John M. Corcoran & Co.

The Corcoran apartment community features 226 studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartment homes with fine interior details and desirable amenities including a fitness center, swimming pool, community room, game room and indoor parking.  In keeping with the “green” vision of SouthField, Corcoran intends to certify the apartment homes with the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy Efficient Design requirements.

Transit Oriented Development is, by its very nature, green, and is a key tenet of every smart growth strategy. SouthField, and developments like it along our T lines and bus routes, cuts down on road congestion, auto emissions and the stress of long clogged commutes.

In addition to easing the commute for residents, many developers design space for on-site retail and office growth in order to create a city-like, walkable lifestyle within the community, creating a truly energy efficient environment.

These green communities, along with apartment complexes and developments like The Commons at SouthField, allow residents to feel a tie to the city without the price tag and cramped living space. Suburban complexes with on-site amenities, retail and office space create a city living feel, and transit oriented designs allow residents to feel as though they aren’t completely without the benefits that only city living can provide.  These suburban complexes, which are popping up all over the Commonwealth, are designed with the urban dweller in mind.

U.S. Rep. William Keating, left, Rep. Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy, and Bill Ryan, spokesman for SouthField developer, at a ceremony to mark the demolition of the aircraft hanger at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station on Friday, March 16, 2012.

Standing in front of the partially demolished hangar, state Highway Administrator Frank DePaola said the remaining parts of the hangar will soon come down to make way for construction of a section of the East-West Parkway.

“I think this project is a great example of where public investment combines with private investment to create a new community and a development that will be a proud achievement for all,” he said. “We’re looking forward to this hangar coming down and construction of the road.”

Gov. Deval Patrick has committed $42.6 million in state aid to construction of one phase of the road project through a bond bill introduced by state Rep. Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy, in 2008, and federal stimulus money.

When completed, the parkway will cut across the former base and provide a main road through SouthField, a new development of more than 2,800 homes and 2 million square feet of commercial space. Homes and apartment buildings are being built on the former base, which closed in 1997.

The former base includes land in Weymouth, Rockland and Abington.

Demolition of the hangar, the most visible reminder of the Navy’s presence, began last month, but it was delayed after the discovery of asbestos around its massive doors. The bulk of the remaining structure was supposed to come down Friday, but was postponed because of the weather, said Bill Ryan, a spokesman for SouthField master developer LNR Property Corp.

U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Quincy, said the hangar demolition marks an important transition for the road project and SouthField.

“This is clearly a very important time where we have finally the tearing down before we do some of the bigger building up,” he said.

March 2, 2012    Boston Herald

SouthField, which has the South Weymouth MBTA station onsite,  is featured in a Boston Herald article about transit-oriented developments.

Boston Magazine, March 2012

SouthField was featured in this month’s Boston Magazine.

With clusters of well-manicured neighborhoods, ample options for recreation and wellness, undisturbed green spaces, convenient public transportation options, and the commercial and retail space already occupied in this emergent development, the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station is a testament to green building methodologies in a mixed-use setting.

SouthField, MA (December 15, 2011) – LNR Property LLC today announced it has closed on the purchase of the final 830 acres of land from the United States Navy at Southfield, New England’s newest community and a national model of smart growth, transit-oriented, green development.

“The purchase will allow for the full vision of SouthField as the premier smartgrowth community in the country to be realized here in Massachusetts,” said Kevin Chase, regional vice president of LNR Property LLC.  “SouthField’s first residents have already moved in, and a dynamic neighborhood is quickly taking shape. SouthField will serve as an economic engine for the entire region for generations to come, bringing with it thousands of jobs, new industries and a vibrant residential community.”

Formerly the site of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station, SouthField will feature 2,855 units of housing and 2 million square feet of commercial and retail space upon completion.  The development will also include more than 1,000 acres of neighborhood parks and dedicated open space, a links style golf course, and a $20 million indoor/outdoor sports and recreation complex to be developed by former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette and soccer star Kristine Lilly.

As a national model for smart growth development, SouthField has been designed to promote thoughtful site planning, traditional neighborhoods, natural resource conservation, environmental protection, open space and the construction of green buildings.  It has received numerous accolades for these design principals, including the Smart Growth Award from the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development and the Nicholas Humber Environmental Award for Outstanding Collaboration from the Environmental Business Council of New England.  In 2008, SouthField was designated as an official Growth District by Governor Deval Patrick.

The project will have a total approximate value of $2.5 billion and is expected to result in 6,000 construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs and represents one of the most significant hubs of job growth and economic activity in the Commonwealth.

LNR Property’s investment is one half of a unique public-private partnership that has spurred development on the base.

“The administration of Governor Deval Patrick, as well as the Massachusetts state and federal delegations, have been instrumental in making this day a reality,” added Kevin Chase. “It is a testament to their steadfast support and commitment that the full vision of SouthField is coming to fruition.”

The Patrick administration has invested $45 million to construct the East-West Parkway, a critical regional transit improvement connecting Routes 3 and 18, and the federal government committed $8 million for other transit improvements.

The total public investment has yielded significant third party private investment and spurred an intense period of economic activity at SouthField that is unparalleled anywhere in New England. In addition, SouthField has already produced millions in direct new revenues for the neighboring communities of Weymouth, Abington and Rockland.

SouthField Highlands, the community’s first residential neighborhood located only a short walk to the on-site South Weymouth commuter rail station, is currently under development and is expected to result in a total of 1,400 construction jobs and 80 permanent jobs.

Construction has begun on 226 units of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartment homes being developed by John M. Corcoran & Co.; 60 single family, townhouse and garden court homes are currently being built by two of the South Shore’s most popular custom homebuilders, Whitman Homes and Interactive Building Group; and Rogerson Communities is scheduled to begin construction in 2012 on the 220 unit William B. Rice Eventide senior independent living and skilled nursing facility. These four builders will bring 500 units of housing, valued at over $130 million, to the market in the next two years.

About LNR Property LLC

LNR Property LLC is a diversified, full service commercial real estate asset management, investment and property development company and the world’s leader in special servicing of commercial mortgages.  Headquartered in Miami Beach, LNR employs 600 people and maintains offices in 10 U.S. cities, as well as in London and Frankfurt.

By Bob Salsberg, Associated Press

November 14, 2011 7:19 PM

CLICK HERE to watch video.

BOSTON (AP) — A long-stalled plan to redevelop a former Naval air station south of Boston appears ready to move forward after the U.S. Navy reached final agreement to sell the remaining property it owns for $25 million, Massachusetts officials and members of the state’s congressional delegation said Monday.

The SouthField development calls for construction of nearly 3,000 homes, along with retail and office space. The project is expected to create about 10,000 permanent and temporary construction jobs over the next decade, backers said.

The deal with the South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp. was expected to be formally signed on Tuesday, with a closing scheduled for next month.

Negotiations over the future of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station have dragged on for well over a decade. The station shut down in 1997 after falling victim two years earlier to a round of military base closings by the Pentagon.

South Shore Tri-Town Development, a semi-independent agency, was formed in 1998 to oversee development of the 1,400-acre site. In 2002, the agency picked LNR Property LLC to serve as the master developer for the site.

LNR already has built some homes on the more than 500 acres that the Navy had earlier transferred at no cost, but the sale of the remaining acreage bogged down over environmental and financial concerns.

“Good things come to those who don’t wait but negotiate, and in this case it’s going to mean jobs and economic development,” U.S. Sen. John Kerry said in a statement. “This day is more than 13 years in the making, and I’m as happy about this final agreement as any tough negotiation I’ve experienced in 26 years in the Senate.”

An environmental reuse plan for the former base was approved by the Navy in 1999 but later rejected by state environmental officials. A revised plan won approval in 2008, but the recession and real estate crash complicated negotiations to reach a final sale price, Kerry said.

“We can now bring the full master plan, the full development to fruition, to allow a live-work-play experience that will be very unique in New England,” said Kevin Chase, regional vice president of LNR. The plan calls for a golf course, sports and recreation facility and 2 million square feet of commercial space.

Southfield’s location, about 12 miles from Boston and close to a commuter rail line, will make it an attractive residential option as the housing market begins to stabilize in the coming years, Chase said.

The total cost of the project, including the homes already built, is pegged at about $2.5 billion, the developer said. While most of that will come through private investment, including more than $100 million already invested by LNR, the project received a $45 million grant from the state last year and the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy previously secured $8 million in federal funding for transit improvements.

“Southfield is the largest active development anywhere in this area, and its long term importance to the region and the Commonwealth cannot be understated,” said U.S. Rep. William Keating, who represents the district.

In its heyday, the air station was a training ground for more than 1,500 military personnel and 300 civilian employees.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

Whittington, left, says for her SouthField was “an exciting opportunity to be a part of something new.”