By Adam Swift
GreenRoots, Mass Audubon, and The Neighborhood Developers celebrated the acquisition of the Forbes site at the property on Monday morning, marking a significant milestone in a collaborative effort to transform the property into a vibrant community asset.
Together, the three organizations envision a climate-resilient waterfront destination that expands public access to the Chelsea waterfront while creating much-needed open space, affordable homes, community services, nature-based programming, and opportunities for future generations to connect with nature and one another.
In March, Mass Audubon officially took ownership of 18 acres, 11 months after The Superior Court approved the initial offer for the property. The site of the former Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company was placed in receivership at the request of the City of Chelsea in late 2024, a legal step that opened a window of opportunity for the partnership to actively pursue the acquisition of the property.
In the decades before the acquisition and partnership between the three organizations, the Forbes site was on the cusp of major residential development from foreign developers and suffered a major nine-alarm fire in late 2024.
The speakers on Monday noted that the property is now on track to addressing some of the biggest needs for Chelsea residents, from affordable housing to waterfront access to environmental resiliency.
The abandoned industrial site will be rejuvenated to provide open space and waterfront access, increase climate resiliency, and provide up to 225 units of affordable housing. When the project is ready to be open to the public, the community will be able to access nature-based programming, camps for kids, urban bird walks, community events, and recreational opportunities such as hiking and kayaking where Chelsea Creek and Mill Creek converge.
“Today we celebrate this win for the community of Chelsea with the community of Chelsea, because this community is resilient beyond comparison,” said GreenRoots Executive Director Roseann Bongiovanni. “When I went fishing here for the first time I had to trespass to get here, and now, through this partnership, Chelsea kids will never have to trespass again to access the Chelsea Creek waterfront.”
Bongiovanni said that the development and protection of the Forbes site is something that has always been on her and GreenRoots’ radar.
“It is an incredible habitat and it is really awesome to have it, so it was like if we could ever, wouldn’t that be amazing?” she said. “And here we are today.”
The initial purchase price of $8 million serves as a down payment for this multi-year, multi-million-dollar project. The total cost, including real estate, environmental testing, planning and design, and construction, will run an estimated $68 million, according to the project partners. Those project partners, along with Chelsea officials, are pursuing a variety of state, federal, and grant funding (including a federal $850,000 Mystic River Watershed Communities grant) while simultaneously raising private funds and donations.
“This is a crucial milestone on a once-in-a-lifetime project that will be a national model of urban waterfront redevelopment,” said Mass Audubon President and CEO David O’Neill. “Communities like Chelsea have been overlooked and stripped of so many of the positive benefits that nature and green spaces bring, which is why we’re dedicated to and passionate about bringing accessible open space to one of the most densely packed municipalities in the Commonwealth.”
The Neighborhood Developers Executive Director Rafael Mares said the project provides a number of things the city needs.
“Chelsea is an amazing city and we deserve more green space, we deserve more affordable housing – it makes the neighborhood more climate resilient – so all of that can be done in one space at one time, right now,” said Mares.
Mares said that by creating homes alongside open space, the Forbes development can help ensure that Chelsea residents who have deep roots in the city can remain part of its future, while also expanding access to the waterfront to everyone.
The event was also attended by Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Judith Garcia and Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, all three of whom had a hand in securing over $3.5 million in funding for Chelsea Creek Sanctuary.
“It’s been 20 years since it has been a blighted site, and all of a sudden, here come three organizations that have proven themselves able to get things done,” said Garcia. “They said, you know what, we can open the space and we can make it a sanctuary and we can build 225 affordable homes, and I think that is what our residents are clamoring for.”
As a state representative, Garcia said two of the biggest issues she hears about from constituents are housing affordability and access to green space.
DiDomenico said the project is transformational and generational for Chelsea and the region.
“When you have a blighted site that was very, very hard to acquire, and turn it into something spectacular for the community – affordable housing and activating this part of the waterfront that has been largely forgotten,” he said. “So now we are going to clean up this land, create affordable housing, and activate this land for young people and … senior people … so it really is a special, special day.”