776 Summer

The former Boston Edison L Street Station located at 776 Summer St. is being transformed into a 1.68 million-square-foot mixed-use district that includes lab/research and development, office, residential, hotel, and retail/civic space. The site’s redevelopment will reposition a dormant coal-fired power plant, located along the Reserved Channel, into a vibrant extension of the South Boston neighborhood. The 15.2-acre site is highly complex and sits on filled tidelands. VHB provided due diligence services, site/civil engineering, transportation planning and design services, and permitting to plan and design public access to a site that was historically inaccessible. The transportation plan includes a variety of transit modes—buses, ridesharing services, biking, and walking—to minimize the use of cars, creating a more sustainable and resilient district. The new development will preserve the site’s history and character through the adaptive reuse of four magnificent turbine halls. Public areas will feature outdoor public open spaces, dining, direct waterfront access, arts and community programming, and a retail corridor—creating a vibrant “live, work, play” environment.