Boston Developer Pitches Biotech Space To Save Seaport Drydock

BOSTON, MA — Boston developer Cronin Group on Monday revealed plans to save one of the few remaining dry docks along the East Coast by building biotech lab space nearby.

The development would revolve around the Boston Ship Repair drydock in the Seaport. The developer wants to build about 900,000 square feet of biotech lab space, including space set aside for engineering, manufacturing, electrical and carpentry workshops.

CEO Jon Cronin, who built the nearby 150 Seaport Boulevard mixed-use building, has already acquired the 24 Dry Dock Ave. building. It is now home to space for biotech businesses, including ARCpoint Labs. As part of the acquisition, Cronin agreed to fund a shuttle that would run between Nubian Square in Roxbury and the Seaport.

The shuttle will "ensure access for underserved communities seeking access to the neighborhood and its surrounding areas for work and pleasure," according to a Cronin Group news release.

Cronin has also acquired the actual dry dock space nearby along with North Atlantic Ship Repair. The company estimates it'll take up to seven years to complete the biotech developments surrounding the dry dock, which employs up to 200 people when ships are in for repair.

“We are building something that addresses the concerns people have about the homogeneity of the Seaport,” Cronin said in a news release. “This is a unique opportunity to deliver on a vision of resiliency and sustainability in the properties we are building, creation of equal access to the neighborhood, provisioning of open space and creation of good jobs."