Partnership Celebrates Major Milestone in Transforming Chelsea's Forbes Site
From left to right: Roberto Jimenez, Chelsea City Council President; State Representative Judith Garcia; Senator Sal DiDomenico; Rafael Mares, Executive Director of The Neighborhood Developers; Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director of GreenRoots; David O'Neill, President of Mass Audubon; Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; and María Belén Power, Undersecretary of Environmental Justice & Equity.
A major milestone has been reached in the effort to transform the long-abandoned Forbes site in Chelsea into a vibrant community asset that combines permanently protected open space, climate resilience, and affordable homes.
In March, Mass Audubon officially acquired the 18-acre property, marking a significant step forward in a partnership with GreenRoots and The Neighborhood Developers (TND) to reimagine the former industrial site as the future Chelsea Creek Sanctuary. The acquisition came 11 months after the Superior Court approved the initial offer for the property, following the site's placement into receivership at the request of the City of Chelsea.
To celebrate the occasion, representatives from all three partner organizations welcomed more than 50 guests to the property, opening the gates for many attendees to experience the site for the first time in nearly two decades. The celebration was joined by Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Judith Garcia, and Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, whose support helped secure more than $3.5 million in funding for the Chelsea Creek Sanctuary project.
The vision for the site includes permanently protected open space, restored waterfront access, improved climate resilience, and up to 225 affordable homes. Once complete, the property will offer nature-based programming, educational opportunities, community gathering spaces, hiking and kayaking access, and other recreational amenities where Chelsea Creek and Mill Creek meet.
"This is a crucial milestone on a once-in-a-lifetime project that will be a national model of urban waterfront redevelopment," said David O'Neill, President & CEO of Mass Audubon. "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 bringing accessible open space to one of the most densely populated municipalities in the Commonwealth."
For GreenRoots, the project also represents decades of environmental justice advocacy and a long-awaited return of the Chelsea waterfront to the community.
"Today we celebrate this win for the community of Chelsea with the community of Chelsea, because this community is resilient beyond comparison," said Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director of GreenRoots. "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."
For The Neighborhood Developers, the project represents an opportunity to address two critical community priorities at once: expanding access to high-quality open space while creating affordable homes that allow Chelsea residents to remain in the city they call home.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reclaim a long-neglected site and return it to community use in a way that reflects Chelsea's needs and aspirations," said Rafael Mares, Executive Director of The Neighborhood Developers. "By creating homes alongside open space, we can help ensure that Chelsea residents who have deep roots here can remain part of the city's future, while also expanding access to the waterfront for everyone."
The partnership is committed to ensuring that Chelsea residents help shape the future of the site. Over the coming year, the community will have multiple opportunities to participate in public engagement and provide input as planning continues.
Initial work will focus on stabilizing the site, including repairs to the seawall, environmental assessments, debris removal, and evaluating existing structures before future redevelopment begins.
The acquisition marks the beginning of a long-term investment in Chelsea's future. The total project, including environmental remediation, planning, design, construction, and public amenities, is expected to cost approximately $68 million. Project partners are pursuing a combination of state, federal, philanthropic, and private funding to bring the vision to life.
The Neighborhood Developers is proud to partner with Mass Audubon and GreenRoots on this transformative project and looks forward to working alongside Chelsea residents to create a waterfront destination that benefits generations to come.
To learn more about this project and how you can get involved, visit: https://www.chelseacreeksanctuary.org/
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GreenRoots is a women-led, resident-led grassroots organization with a track record of more than 30 years of significant environmental justice and public health victories in the frontline communities of Chelsea and East Boston. Our mission is to achieve environmental justice and greater quality of life through collective action, unity, education and youth leadership across neighborhoods and communities. GreenRoots programs engage and empower residents hyper locally in Chelsea and East Boston, but the organization’s policy, advocacy and coalition work is positively felt throughout the state and beyond.
Mass Audubon is the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England. Founded in 1896 by two women who fought for the protection of birds, Mass Audubon carries on their legacy by focusing on the greatest challenges facing the environment today: the loss of biodiversity, inequitable access to nature, and climate change. With the help of our 160,000 members and supporters, we protect wildlife, conserve and restore resilient land, advocate for impactful environmental policies, offer nationally recognized education programs for adults and children, and provide endless opportunities to experience the outdoors at our wildlife sanctuaries.
