New Bedford State Pier redevelopment proposals released. What you need to know.
NEW BEDFORD —The Cuttyhunk Ferry Co.'s future ferrying people, mail, groceries and other goods to tiny Cuttyhunk Island depends on how the State Pier is redeveloped.
Capt. Jono Billings and wife Sue have been leasing space for a ticket office on State Pier - 66B State Pier - for 20 years to provide the ferry to the mile-and-a-half by three-quarter-mile island with a year-round population of two dozen or so.
The population grows to about 500 during the summer.
MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, manages the eight-acre pier property, which is owned by the state.
It's currently considering a second round of requests for proposals to redevelop State Pier.
Proposals could be for portions of the existing site, or to undertake a larger-scale redevelopment of the entire site.
Who has submitted development proposals
The RFPs were released Wednesday. They were submitted by:
Cuttyhunk to continue providing ferry service to the island;
Servedwell Hospitality for a 6,500-square-foot restaurant;
BASE Seafoods for seafood auction and off-loading facility, as well as the location of the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and seafood market;
Coast Line Transfers for leasing and transformation of the East Wharf and Buildings 1 and 2, aiming to revitalize cargo operations and expand offshore wind support hub;
American Cruise Lines for New Bedford Cruise Gateway – a new facility designed to connect historic downtown to the water through the development of mixed-use recreational and commercial tourism facility;
New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal and PACE for supporting the offshore wind industry with a marine warehouse and technical training facility;
Seastreak Ferries for continued use of the North Wharf and East Wharf and development of a café and merchandise retail space.
How will selections be made
An internal MassDevelopment review committee will consider the proposals and announce a selection this month or in April. It could reject all proposals or extend the target deadline.
MassDevelopment is limiting communication with the press.
Its RFP states, "No respondent shall hold any press conference, issue news releases, or make announcements concerning its position in this subject / process prior to MassDevelopment’s public release of this information; thereafter any such press conference, release, or announcement shall be made only after obtaining the written approval of MassDevelopment."
The eight-acre pier includes 1,600 linear feet of wharves, and 76,000 square feet of primary warehouse structures. The warehouse space includes 26,000 square feet that is refrigerated, and 6,000 square feet serving as the Seastreak Ferry Terminal Offices and Passenger Services.
Town of Gosnold supports Cuttyhunk Ferry
The Cuttyhunk Ferry is a whale-watch-style vessel with a capacity of 149 that can reach the island in an hour.
It has a fully licensed beer and wine bar, as well as an espresso bar. Light snacks are available.
From May to October, it makes two to three trips per day out to the island. That number dwindles to twice a week during the winter months.
It's estimated up to 20,000 people make the trip out to the island per year through Cuttyhunk Ferry. An adult round trip is $62, and it's $48 for children 12 and under. There's no charge for children 2 and under and leashed dogs.
Cuttyhunk Ferry is available for charter groups, including local schools.
It also brings over U.S. mail, UPS shipments and building supplies for the residents.Cuttyhunk is part of the town of Gosnold, the state's smallest town. It consists of the Elizabeth Islands: Nonamesset, Uncatena, Weepecket, Gull, Naushon, Pasque, Nashawena, Penikese and Cuttyhunk.
Town government is located on Cuttyhunk.
And town government doesn't want to see the ferry go.
The Vineyard Gazette reported that the select board voted late last month to band together with Billings, along with the Buzzards Bay Coalition, on the application.
Select board member Gail Blout and Buzzards Bay Coalition President Mark Rasmussen did not return requests for comment. A person in the selectmen's office said MassDevelopment's RFP guidelines prohibit comment.
Billings has also declined to comment.
Initial process criticized for lack of transparency
The first RFP process came under heavy criticism for lack of transparency from Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, and New Bedford-area delegation Reps. William Straus, Tony Cabral, Chris Markey, Chris Hendricks, and Paul Schmid.
Montigny stated when the RFPs were released to the public Wednesday, “I’m glad that MassDevelopment agreed with my calls for a robust public forum for these proposals and has announced that the submissions will be presented publicly for open comment and debate. It’s critical that the community have an avenue to express their views as the State Pier represents a generational opportunity for economic development and vibrancy of the future of New Bedford."
Montigny added, “The waterfront has always been the beating heart of the city and it has long been my vision and effort to develop the pier in a way that maintains and strengthens that tradition. A mixed-use development plan is the best path to economic development and job creation."
Straus stated after the RFPs were released Wednesday, "While I am pleased that MassDevelopment is beginning to appreciate the value of transparency and public input regarding the future of State Pier, there is more that is required before I will be satisfied that the process is a fair and open one. The ‘gag order’ imposed by MassDevelopment on respondents remains in place and they are apparently only allowed to speak publicly at a yet, unscheduled event structured by MassDevelopment."
Douglas Robinson, MassDevelopment director of Government Relations, had stated in an email to the New Bedford delegation Wednesday, "MassDevelopment will convene with a review committee, and it will give respondents the ability to publicly explain their projects to an open audience at the appropriate time."
City spokesperson Jonathan Darling stated, “Over the past several years the city has conducted extensive public engagement in conjunction with its efforts to advance the redevelopment of State Pier. As far back as 2016, multiple public discussion sessions, involving hundreds of waterfront stakeholders, were held to inform the findings of the Waterfront Redevelopment Plan, a detailed, comprehensive blueprint that continues to guide port development, including the central waterfront area and State Pier. In light of that robust history of outreach and feedback, the city’s expectation is that the additional public input process being contemplated will only further validate the city’s vision for State Pier, and confirm what we have long known, namely, that our approach to State Pier is the right one for our working waterfront, for our downtown, and for the entire region.”
Who was Taber's Wharf Partners
Taber’s Wharf Partners was provisionally selected to redevelop the site by MassDevelopment in December 2022.
The deal fell through in August 2023 when MassDevelopment ruled there were unacceptable aspects to the proposal. They included a 10-year exclusive use period for Taber’s Wharf Partners prior to a 35-year lease.
Taber’s Wharf Partners' proposed redevelopment of the property included seafood auction and processing, street-side retail and restaurants, support of off-shore wind, and continuing support of current uses where feasible, according to MassDevelopment.
Taber’s Wharf Partners included as a team Buyers and Sellers Exchange (BASE), Raw Seafoods, Servedwell, Crowley Wind Services, and Coast Line Transfers.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: What's next for New Bedford State Pier redevelopment
