A South Weymouth Naval Air Station redevelopment plan is back in play

South Weymouth Naval Air Station is back in the news. The developers’ proposal to turn the long-abandoned 1,450-acre base, which closed in 1995, into a mixed-use development complete with greenways, is now in play.

At a planning meeting in mid-March, Brookfield Properties and New England Development – acting jointly as lead developer of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station project – presented a land use redevelopment plan set updated for the base at the Southfield Redevelopment Authority (SRA).

The SRA Board voted unanimously to endorse and approve the updated proposed plan. More importantly, the Southfield Redevelopment Authority supported changes that would give the core development team the flexibility to build more homes, or fewer, depending on market conditions.

The proposal gives the 13 million square foot development potential for 8 million square feet of retail space and 3,855 residential units. The exact ratio of commercial to residential, however, will be determined by what is most financially viable as plans progress and construction begins.

The proposal includes maintaining the current “green” buffer zones and some interior green spaces. The adjoining area developed around 2011, which brought 1,275 homes to Southfield, will remain as is, according to this latest plan.

The proposal from Brookfield Properties and New England Development follows an ambitious proposal from LStar Ventures in 2015 to turn the site into a high-tech “smart city”.

However, within a few years, LStar’s plan turned into a messy tangle of financial troubles and lawsuits, and he was officially scrapped by the SRA, leaving the field clear. In 2019, Brookfield Properties and New England Development stepped in.

The initial approval of the Brookfield Properties and New England Development proposal is just one small step in reclaiming the derelict space, which will involve a years-long process.

Following an additional public meeting with the Planning Board and Weymouth City Council on March 29, the process moves to a zoning review with Weymouth in April. Next, town meetings with neighboring Rockland and Abington are scheduled to take place this fall.

“This is the first step in a long process in which we will work closely with the municipal authorities of Weymouth, Rockland and Abington,” John Twohig, executive vice president of New England Development, said in a statement. sent by email.

More information about the project can be found at reimaginethebase.com.