The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D. Baker GOVERNOR Tel: (617) 626-1000 Karyn E. Polito Fax: (617) 626-1081 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR http://www.mass.gov/eea Kathleen A. Theoharides SECRETARY July 3, 2020 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE NOTICE OF PROJECT CHANGE PROJECT NAME : Suffolk Downs Redevelopment PROJECT MUNICIPALITY : Boston and Revere PROJECT WATERSHED : Boston Harbor EEA NUMBER : 15783 PROJECT PROPONENT : The McClellan Highway Development Company, LLC c/o The HYM Investment Group, LLC DATE NOTICED IN MONITOR : May 20, 2020 Pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA; M.G. L. c. 30, ss. 61- 62I) and Section 11.10 of the MEPA regulations (301 CMR 11.00), I have reviewed the Notice of Project Change (NPC) submitted for this project and hereby determine that it does not require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Project Change Description On January 30, 2020, I issued a Certificate on the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for this project, which required the Proponent to submit a NPC to document transportation and transit mitigation commitments once they had been more fully developed and to provide an opportunity for public review. It required that the NPC provide revised mitigation measures and updated draft Section 61 Findings based on ongoing consultation with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to ensure that delivery of transit improvements occurs commensurate with the scope and scale of project impacts. EEA# 15783 NPC Certificate July 3, 2020 The Proponent has continued to consult with the MassDOT, MBTA, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), the Cities of Boston and Revere, and other members of the Transportation Working Group (TWG) since the FEIR Certificate was issued to refine the transit and transportation mitigation commitments. The NPC included an update on this consultation and provided revised transportation and transit mitigation commitments and revised draft Section 61 Findings. The NPC described limited clarifications and minor modifications in the timing of the transportation mitigation and clarified the use of transit mitigation funds based upon consultation with state agencies, the Cities of Boston and Revere, and other stakeholders. The NPC also provide an update on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) mitigation measures and identified measures, required by the City of Boston’s permitting process, which will require additional analysis of measures to reduce GHG emissions and improve the project’s resiliency. Original Project Description The project includes the construction of a 16.2 million-square-foot (msf) transit-oriented mixed-use development at the former Suffolk Downs horse racing facility. It includes approximately 10.52 msf of development in Boston and 5.68 msf of development in Revere. The building program includes approximately 5.2 msf of commercial office/lab space; 10.15 msf of residential space (10,000 units); 450,000 sf of retail space; and 400,000 sf of hotel space (800 rooms). As summarized below, build out of the project is anticipated to occur in five phases over 15-20 years. Each phase contains two sub-phases of development (one located in Boston and one located in Revere). Development will commence at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Suffolk Downs and Beachmont Blue Line Stations and proceed west across the site. Phase 1 – 2020 to 2024: These initial phases of development in Boston (Phase 1B) and Revere (Phase 1R) are located near the two MBTA Blue Line stations. Phase 1 includes construction of 1.87 msf of residential space (1,870 units); 540,000 sf of commercial office/lab space; 175,000 sf of retail space; 130,000 sf of hotel space (260 rooms); and 2,032 parking spaces (1,930 structured spaces and 102 on-street spaces). Phase 1 will install 1.34 miles of water main and 1.13 miles of sewer main. Phase 2 – 2024 to 2028: This phase includes significant build out of the Central Common to connect Phases 1B and 1R. It also includes development along Waldemar Avenue. Phase 2 includes construction of 2.26 msf of residential space (2,250 units); 770,000 sf of commercial office/lab space; 120,000 sf of retail space; 106,600 sf of hotel space (220 rooms) and 1,847 parking spaces (1,625 structured spaces and 222 on-street spaces). Phase 2 will install 2.08 miles of water main and 2.17 miles of sewer main. Phase 3 – 2028 to 2032: This phase generally includes development of major portions of the street network connecting to the Central Common. Phase 3 includes 2.40 msf of residential space (2,300 units); 1.90 msf of commercial office/lab space; 128,000 sf of retail space; and 4,279 parking spaces (4,130 structured spaces and 149 on-street spaces). Phase 3 will install 0.45 miles of water main and 0.14 miles of sewer main. Phase 4 – 2032 to 2036: This phase includes build out of parcels along Tomasello Drive. Phase 4 includes 2.42 msf of residential spaces (2,400 units); 2.0 msf of commercial 2 EEA# 15783 NPC Certificate July 3, 2020 office/lab space; 27,000 sf of retail space; and 4,972 parking spaces (4,835 structured spaces and 137 on-street spaces). Phase 5 – 2036 to 2040: This phase is located wholly in Boston and includes build out of parcels at the entrance of the project site off of Route 1A. Phase 5 includes construction of 1.20 msf of residential space (1,180 units); 163,400 sf of hotel space (320 rooms); and 690 parking spaces (670 structured spaces and 20 on-street spaces). As described in greater detail in the FEIR Certificate, the project will construct infrastructure and provide mitigation and public benefits concurrent with each phase of development. Project Site The 161-acre project site is located within a densely developed urban area in East Boston (109 acres) and Revere (52 acres). It is generally bounded by the Lee Burbank Highway (Route 1A) and fuel storage tank farms to the west; a shopping plaza to the northwest; Route 145 (Revere Beach Parkway/Winthrop Avenue) and the Crescent Beach neighborhood to the north; the MBTA Beachmont and Suffolk Downs Station, Blue Line tracks, Bennington Street, and Belle Isle Marsh to the northeast and east; and Waldemar Avenue and the Orient Heights neighborhood to the south. The site includes access drives, a grandstand and clubhouse buildings, a one-mile racetrack for thoroughbred racing, a manmade pond (Horseshoe Pond), horse barns and stables, 3,028 surface parking spaces, and other infrastructure. Site access is provided from Tomasello Drive. Refer to the FEIR Certificate for a more detailed description of the project site. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Environmental impacts remain unchanged from those previously identified in the FEIR. Construction of the project will result in the following: 109 total acres of impervious area (including creation of 14 new acres); 13,820 total parking spaces; generation of 72,316 adjusted average daily vehicle trips (adt); use of 2.7 million gallons per day (mgd) of water and generation of 2.46 mgd of wastewater. It will also impact the following on-site wetland resource areas: Inland Bank (4,340 linear feet (lf)), Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW) (2.70 acres), Land Under Water (LUW) (31,340 sf), Riverfront Area (1.48 ac), and Land Subject to Coastal Storm Flowage (LSCSF) (92.37 acres). Construction of off-site transportation improvements will impact the following: Riverfront Area (18,000 total sf), LSCSF (15.5 acres), Filled Tidelands (7 acres), Designated Port Area (DPA) (13.8 acres), and Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) (53,000 sf). Measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts include: redevelopment of an existing site in close proximity to transit; $41 million of roadway improvements at more than 30 locations; $20 million transit mitigation package; development of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program; on- and off-site pedestrian and bicycle improvements; provision of a 40-acre publicly-accessible open space network; Low Impact Development (LID) measures; incorporation of energy efficiency measures in certain buildings to reduce the project’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and construction of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays. 3 EEA# 15783 NPC Certificate July 3, 2020 Portions of the project site and the majority of buildings will be raised to establish a first-floor elevation that is designed to withstand the effects of sea level rise (through 2070) and the project will incorporate other measures to improve the project’s resiliency and ability to adapt to the effects of climate change. Jurisdiction and Permitting The project was subject to preparation of a mandatory EIR pursuant to Sections 11.03(1)(a)(2), 11.03(3)(a)(1)(b), 11.03(6)(a)(6) and (7) of the MEPA regulations because it requires State Agency Actions and will result in: creation of 10 or more acres of impervious area, alteration of greater than 10 acres of any other wetlands, generation of 3,000 or more New adt, and construction of 1,000 or more New parking spaces at a single location. It also exceeds ENF thresholds pertaining to wetlands, wastewater, transportation, historic and archaeological resources, and ACECs. Construction of the project, including on- and off-site transportation improvements, will require multiple Vehicular Access Permits from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Access Permits from DCR. The project may require one or more Chapter 91 (c. 91) authorizations and one or more 401 Water Quality Certification(s) (WQC), and a Beneficial Use Determination (BUD) from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).