A Giant New Neighborhood Is Coming to an Old Navy Base in Massachusetts

Two real estate companies have taken over a huge piece of land in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and they have big plans for it. The land used to be the South Weymouth Naval Air Station, a military base that closed about 30 years ago. The companies — New England Development and Brookfield Properties — want to build 6,500 homes and 2 million square feet of stores and offices there. They are calling the project 'The Base,' and leaders say it could be the largest development of its kind in Massachusetts history.

The two companies finished buying the land on June 30, spending $68 million to take control of about 1,300 of the site's 1,400 acres. That means they now own almost all of the land at the old base that has not yet been built on. They plan to start working on roads, water pipes, and other basic infrastructure this fall. Before anything else can be built, the area needs to be connected to a larger water system.

One of the most important early steps is building a 6.7-mile water pipeline. This pipeline will connect the Weymouth area to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which provides clean water to many communities. Without it, only a small amount of housing and businesses can be built on the site. Builders hope the pipeline can be finished by 2031, and an important environmental report about it should be ready by the end of this year.

The project is spread across three towns: Weymouth, Abington, and Rockland. Getting everything approved has taken a lot of work. The companies have gone through many zoning changes — four separate votes in 2023 alone — and have received $35 million in state and local funding to help pay for water and sewer upgrades. A community update from 2022 summed up the challenge in just three words: 'It's Complicated!'

New England Development is known for building shopping centers, like University Station in Westwood and the CambridgeSide mall. Brookfield Properties is a global company based in New York that has built large planned communities all over the country. Brookfield manages about 280 million square feet of real estate around the world. Its related company, Brookfield Asset Management, controls $1 trillion in assets — which is an almost unimaginably large amount of money.

Leaders in Massachusetts are excited about the project because the state has a serious housing shortage. Many people cannot find affordable places to live, and some have even thought about leaving the state because costs are so high. House Speaker Ron Mariano, whose district includes Weymouth, said this development is exactly the kind of project Massachusetts needs right now. Governor Maura Healey agreed, saying the project will create jobs and lower housing costs for people on the South Shore.

The old base is not completely empty today. It already has a sports complex, more than 70,000 square feet of commercial space — including an aircraft hangar used for entertainment — and about 1,274 homes that were built years ago. When the full project is done, supporters say it will bring in big tax money for the three towns. Weymouth could receive about $14 million a year in new tax revenue, while Rockland and Abington could each get around $5 million. The developers also plan to set aside about 880 acres for wildlife, parks, and open space for the public to enjoy.

No one knows exactly how much the full project will cost, but earlier estimates put it at around $1 billion — and construction costs have gone up a lot since then. It also is not clear exactly how long everything will take to build, though one environmental study from 2024 estimated it could take 12 to 15 years to complete. Even so, developers say they are ready to move forward and believe 'The Base' will bring lasting benefits to the region for generations to come.