Pier 17

Following the reveal in today’s Times of the long-awaited plans to redo Pier 17 and the South Street Seaport, we chatted with Michael McNaughton, a vice president with developers General Growth Properties, about the company’s plans for the site.

The planned redo of the site comes more than two decades after developer James Rouse, who pioneered the “festival marketplace” that helped revitalize places such as downtown Boston and Baltimore’s waterfront, installed the seaport-themed retail hub on the pier.

Mr. McNaughton was blunt in criticizing the marketplace as it stands today.

“You have a three-level mall basically encompassing the entire area of the pier, which, once inside, you honestly have no clue what city you might even be in the United States,” he said.  read more »