By Adam Swift
One of the goals for city leaders in 2025 is to improve Chelsea’s commercial base. During the December planning board meeting, the board recommended approval of a zoning change that would allow seafood processing in the city’s industrial district. Boston Processing, which currently operates in South Boston and Cambridge, is looking to move its operations to the former Signature Bread facility on Justin Drive. “This could kick off other businesses looking at Chelsea as a possibility,” City Councilor-at-Large Leo Robinson said at the planning board meeting. Robinson said the city has also had some talks with another storied New England company about a possible relocation to Chelsea. “Myself and the city manager have been pitching Hasbro to look at some Chelsea sites,” said Robinson. “Hasbro and other companies might want to look at Chelsea, and it could provide some meaningful jobs.”
The longtime Rhode Island-based toy manufacturer is considering a move from a Pawtucket headquarters, but Rhode Island leaders have been working to incentivize keeping the company in that state. “We are really focused on building housing in the city; we hear a lot of the outcry from residents about the need for housing in the city,” said City Manager Fidel Maltez. “But the administration, we are also really focused on expanding on our commercial and industrial space, particularly in areas that have nothing now. So in the waterfront area, on Williams Street, on Marginal Street, on Eastern Avenue, there are a significant number of parcels that are really underutilized or have nothing on them.
“Our focus in 2025 is going to be to get a lot of investment from commercial entities, from industrial entities, and the real focus of that are jobs,” Maltez continued.
“A lot of Chelsea residents need jobs that are close to them, and a lot of businesses need proximity to Boston, proximity to the airport, really good access to public transportation, and they need a really healthy supply of workforce. These are things we think Chelsea can provide and not a lot of communities around us can say the same thing.” Maltez said Chelsea aims to use that competitive advantage to attract companies like Hasbro, as well as other organizations.