A Very Slowly Forthcoming Southie Development Will Include a Big Food Hall

Over the past few years, mixed-use developments have been popping up all around Boston at a quick pace, nowhere more so than in the Seaport District, the northern section of South Boston. Another such project is currently in the works, and although the timeline is long, South Boston’s L Street Power Station redevelopment will eventually feature nearly two million square feet of space for retail, residences, hotel rooms, office space, parking, and one of Boston’s new favorite things: a food hall.

Located at 776 Summer St., just across the Reserve Channel from the eastern tip of the Seaport District, the L Street development will occupy the site of the New Boston Generating Station (previously the South Boston Edison Power Plant). Under the direction of Redgate and Hilco Redevelopment Partners, the site will undergo decommissioning from its use as an industrial power generation site, and four historic turbine halls will be preserved for use in the new project.

A representative for the developers provided the following statement on plans for the L Street Station food hall:

The L Street Station Redevelopment has proposed a food hall and market that would provide fresh food as well as prepared food and drink in a beautifully renovated historic turbine hall. The turbine hall was originally built in the early 1900s and features Italian glazed tile and large clerestory windows and directly fronts the proposed public waterfront open space. Local purveyors and restaurants would be featured along with opportunities for performance and other activities.

The growth of this site will play out over the course of 15 years, beginning in 2019. The developers plan to coordinate with the MBTA to add bus service to the area as portions of the project debut. While its completion remains in the distant future, interested parties can keep tabs on progress through the L Street Station official site and Instagram account, and Eater will provide updates on the food hall development.

Long before then, Boston will see a number of other food halls debut. High Street Place, for one, is slated to open in downtown Boston in spring 2019, connecting the buildings at 160 Federal St. and 100 High St.; it will house over 20 vendors. In Fenway, Time Out Market — part of a growing international chain of markets connected to the Time Out media company — is also looking at a 2019 opening at 401 Park, the rebirth of the Landmark Center. It may include around 16 food vendors, as well as multiple bars and a cooking school. And in Dorchester, demolition is now underway at the former Boston Globe printing plant, which will become the Beat, potentially featuring a 100-seat restaurant, a multi-story atrium with food vendors, a microbrewery and beer garden, and space for food trucks to “dock” outside. Construction could take a year or more, so that’s more likely a 2020 opening.

• South Boston’s Biggest Development in Ages Draws Opposition [Curbed Boston]
• L Street Power Station [Official Site]