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NEW BEDFORD — A marine industrial hub. A “boat-to-table” restaurant. A public fish auction hosting culinary seafood experiences.
These are just a few of the proposals submitted in May to MassDevelopment to redevelop a central but “underutilized” strip of New Bedford’s waterfront: the State Pier. After many false starts and a bitter power struggle between state and city politicians, each side has expressed relief that the long-awaited overhaul is moving forward.
“I want to salute the business community for mobilizing to shake up the static condition of that pier,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said, speaking in May at a gathering for businesses to present their development proposals to MassDevelopment, state legislators and the public. “You have the city and the port authority’s full support on this.”
Seven separate proposals from businesses, nonprofits, and coalitions are vying to secure a slice of the 8-acre wharf.
MassDevelopment will select a combination of the proposals. Under its guidelines, no person or entity can gain exclusive use of the pier, and only up to 20% of the pier may be used to support offshore wind operations.
Last year, MassDevelopment selected a proposal drawn up by a coalition of businesses to redevelop the State Pier that included local restauranter Steve Silverstein, Coast Line Transfers and BASE seafood auction. However, plans fell through after the group demanded that MassDevelopment lengthen the terms of the lease and spend public funds on structural repairs.
Elected officials criticized MassDevelopment at the time, claiming the selection process lacked transparency. State legislators from the region wrote a letter asking MassDevelopment to “undertake a determined and serious public engagement” process that would allow public comment. MassDevelopment re-issued a request for proposals. Many of the same businesses resubmitted their proposals in this round.
MassDevelopment has set up a committee to review the new proposals. In addition to state officials, the committee includes New Bedford Port Authority Director Gordon Carr and Massachusetts Maritime Academy VP of Operations Capt. Allen Metcalfe.
The committee will evaluate factors such as pedestrian access to downtown, local support, financial feasibility, and the amount of public funds required. It will also evaluate whether the proposals expand the pier’s capacity for shipping and commercial fishing.
A deadline for the committee’s decision has not yet been set.
“We want to have an open and transparent process,” MassDevelopment president and CEO Dan O’Connell said at the presentation. “We really want to see this be a successful process for everyone.”
The proposals include:
Fish auction, seafood market, tours and more
The Buyers and Sellers Exchange (BASE), the main seafood auction in New Bedford and much of the East Coast, is seeking to partner with the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center in their proposal to build a public-facing seafood hub. It involves building a 40,000-square-foot seafood auction house on the southeast tip of the pier that would be accessible for public view. It also includes a seafood market and an office for hosting seafood industry tours and culinary experiences, according to the proposal.
BASE would centralize its operations at the new facility, moving from its current location in the South End industrial complex. The proposal aims to drive more tourism to New Bedford and improve the visibility of the fishing industry in the nation’s top-earning commercial fishing port.
“This project … will transform the New Bedford State Pier into a hub of economic and educational activity around fishing, auctions, markets and tourism,” Cassie Canastra of BASE and Laura Orleans of the Fishing Heritage Center wrote in their presentation.
Boat-to-table restaurant
Servedwell Hospitality, which operates many iconic New Bedford restaurants, including The Black Whale and Cisco, submitted a proposal to build another restaurant on the southwest corner of the pier called “The Homeport.” Servedwell, a family business with deep roots in New Bedford, currently employs over 500 people. Owner Silverstein said the restaurant would include a large roof deck and views of the fishing fleet, and would serve fresh “boat-to-table” seafood.
“Our claim to fame, I believe, is our hospitality, and we would bring that calling card to this restaurant also,” Silverstein said.
Ferries, cruise lines and schooners
Cuttyhunk Ferry & Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey
The Cuttyhunk Ferry Company, the island of Cuttyhunk, the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey submitted a joint proposal built around maintaining the ferry and schooner tours that have long operated on the State Pier.
As part of the proposal, the Buzzards Bay Coalition is seeking to build a ticket booth and educational facility for both the M/V Cuttyhunk Ferry and the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey. The aim, according to the proposal, is to “celebrate the historic, cultural and recreational values of exploring Buzzards Bay and Cuttyhunk Island.” (The Buzzards Bay Coalition owns and manages 55% of Cuttyhunk Island for conservation of public beaches and trails.)
The 149-passenger Cuttyhunk ferry has wharfed at the State Pier for two decades, providing access to the state’s smallest town, Cuttyhunk, which has a summer population of 500.
“The M/V Cuttyhunk Ferry is the island’s only connection to the mainland, providing transport for residents, but also day trip tourists, postal service, food and freight delivery,” the applicants wrote.
Seastreak Ferry
The Seastreak Ferry submitted an independent proposal built around maintaining its ferry services to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket departing from the pier’s north and east wharf. The proposal includes building a cafe and merchandise building next to the current ticket office.
The company began running seasonal services from New Bedford in 2004 and has recently expanded to a year-round operation. In 2023, more than 175,000 people used the ferry service, according to the proposal.
Seastreak operates 10 ferries and recently built what the director described as the largest high-speed passenger vessel in the country. The company said it has been expanding its services to accommodate increased tourism and tradespeople who live on the South Coast but work on the islands, where there is a shortage of skilled labor.
American Cruise Lines
American Cruise Lines submitted a proposal to develop the State Pier into what it described as a “New Bedford cruise gateway.” New Bedford is already a destination for the boutique cruise company’s tour route along the coast of Massachusetts. Its cruise ships docked in New Bedford 25 times and the company stated it plans to double the number of dockings in New Bedford by 2025.
“We focus on smaller towns with rich history,” the company stated in its presentation. “Each time we increase our dockings, the economic impact we leave on the city increases exponentially with guests patronizing local businesses.”
The proposal seeks to expand its footprint in New Bedford by building a public park and welcome center on the southern side of the pier. The plans also include building pedestrian access from downtown Union Street and a turnaround area for buses to take cruise passengers on excursions in New Bedford. The vessels planned to dock in New Bedford are 241-feet long and can accommodate 109 passengers.
Offshore wind
Coast Line Transfers, LLC
Coast Line Transfers, a vessel operation and port logistics provider, submitted its proposal for expanding marine industrial activity on the State Pier. The company would operate the pier as an open terminal and sublet space and wharfage to operators of commercial shipping vessels and crew and support vessels for the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry.
“We want to turn it into a vibrant hub for marine industrial use,” said Ed Anthes-Washburn, managing director of CLT and former director of the New Bedford Port Authority. “We want to rejuvenate cargo offloading in the facility. We want to leverage the expertise we have in the offshore wind industry and continue to develop that.”
The plans include developing a 2.3-acre section of the pier into offices and facilities for marine industrial use. The proposal would maintain ferry services like the Seastreak and would continue to operate the cold storage facility that has already been built on the property.
Foss Offshore Wind & P.A.C.E.
Foss Offshore Wind partnered with P.A.C.E., the local anti-poverty community action agency, in a proposal to expand the Port of New Bedford’s offshore wind capabilities and the public’s access to jobs in the burgeoning industry.
The partnership seeks to obtain the 20,000 square-foot building on the northeast section of the pier. According to the proposal, Foss would use the bulkhead for offshore wind vessels, commercial shipping and transient dockage for fishing vessels. P.A.C.E. would use the second floor of the building to host an educational facility and pre-employment program for careers in the offshore wind industry.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for the citizens of this area to become trained in this industry,” said Andrew Saunders, president of the New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal. On the proposal, he said he and P.A.C.E. “worked to complement all the present users of the pier . . . and not displace anyone.”
Foss was involved in the massive demolition of the former Cannon Street Power Station, which is now being developed into a laydown yard for the offshore wind industry.
The Foss-P.A.C.E. plan would maintain ferry services like the Seastreak. It also leaves room to coexist with other businesses that submitted proposals, including the BASE seafood auction house and the Homeport restaurant.
MassDevelopment’s committee has not yet set a deadline to select a proposal.
“This can has been kicked down the road for decades,” Mayor Mitchell said. “Deadlines have to be put in place . . . We are prepared to move all of this forward, as we have been for the last decade.”
Email waterfront reporter Will Sennott at wsennott@newbedfordlight.org
