Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Introduces Transformative Redevelopment Opportunity at Bunker Hill Community College

Boston, MA — Today, the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) and Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) unveiled an Offering Memo detailing the state’s vision for a public-private partnership that will revitalize BHCC’s Charlestown campus and create cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities for the community. This development project will deliver a reimagined mixed-use district, including housing and commercial uses, as well as new, high-quality academic facilities for Massachusetts’ largest community college. 

DCAMM and BHCC are seeking a partner for the creation and implementation of a master redevelopment plan that meets the goals for the site, which include delivering new facilities for the College and creating private industry connections that drive student workforce opportunities. The partner will be expected to complete the redevelopment under a long-term ground lease with the Commonwealth. Interested parties are encouraged to review the Process Overview—which includes Selection Criteria— as detailed in the Offering Memo, and to register with the Newmark Virtual Deal Room as listed on DCAMM’s website.

“Our community colleges are important anchors for our communities, offering high-quality and affordable education while also contributing to our local economies. This project is an opportunity to revitalize the Bunker Hill campus while also bringing new housing and businesses to the neighborhood,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We recently celebrated BHCC’s 50^th anniversary, and today we reinforce our commitment to a bright future for this institution.”

“Bunker Hill Community College—like all of our public colleges and universities—not only offers a top-notch education but also drives economic opportunity and workforce development," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Our project on the BHCC campus will bolster the College’s positive impact on our state while creating an opportunity to contribute to our administration’s housing development goals in this exceptional location.”

“Our students deserve facilities that match their aspirations,” said BHCC President Pam Eddinger. “We envision our future campus as a community hub that supports students’ needs, celebrates their diversity, and positions them as leaders in the next-generation workforce.”

“A strong public educational system is critical to our state’s economic vitality—creating career pathways for individuals and a trained, qualified workforce for our businesses,” said Secretary of Administration & Finance Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. “We look forward to unlocking unprecedented opportunities for the countless stakeholders who will benefit from the revitalization of Bunker Hill Community College.”

“DCAMM is proud to partner with Bunker Hill Community College as we embark on a redevelopment that will meet the College’s capital needs while decarbonizing the campus and benefitting the entire region,” said DCAMM Commissioner Adam Baacke. “We are grateful for the visionary leadership of President Eddinger and the BHCC team as we release this Offering Memo previewing the unparalleled potential of this site for transformative redevelopment.”

"The Healey-Driscoll Administration's investments in Massachusetts' community colleges have been extraordinary,” said BHCC Board Chair Bill Walczak. “We look forward to having a new, state of the art Bunker Hill Community College within a campus that offers students opportunities for learning, internships, work, and recreation.  These investments in education and workforce development will benefit generations to come."

“I am looking forward to seeing the impact this public-private partnership and redevelopment project will have on Bunker Hill Community College, enabling students, educators, and the wider community to spend time in newer, modern, and more sustainable learning and workforce environments,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.

“I commend the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Bunker Hill Community College for being forward-looking about which facilities will best serve students and the surrounding community for many years,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “I’m excited to see this significant redevelopment project move ahead and look forward to the many new opportunities it will create.”

Founded in 1973, Bunker Hill Community College—the largest community college in Massachusetts—is at an inflection point. Driven in part by MassReconnect, the Healey-Driscoll administration’s program providing free community college education to students aged 25 and over, BHCC is experiencing unprecedented demand while confronting significant deferred maintenance and capital needs. The Healey-Driscoll administration’s vision for this redevelopment entails state-of-the-art new academic infrastructure that addresses capital needs, facilitates industry alliances, and promotes economic, environmental, and social initiatives.

This redevelopment opportunity benefits from BHCC’s exceptional urban location and proximity to public transportation—just north of downtown Boston, within a mile of the world-renowned life science and technology cluster of Cambridge’s Kendall Square, and walking distance to Cambridge Crossing, a new mixed-use complex anchored by global life science organizations.

The genesis of this redevelopment was a Vision Project BHCC started in late 2019, which included soliciting community input from College leaders, faculty, staff, and students. In 2022, BHCC initiated public engagement with neighbors, workforce partners, elected officials and government leaders, and the communities that the College serves to further inform this process. 

Following today’s Offering Memo release, DCAMM and BHCC will advertise a call for offers in the coming months. Interested, prospective developers will have the opportunity to visit the BHCC site by request. All tour requests should be directed to: Michael Byrne and Lauren Donahue at Newmark: Michael.Byrne@nmrk.com and Lauren.Donahue@nmrk.com. 

About DCAMM 

The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance works with state agencies to create and manage forward-thinking, sustainable buildings to meet the needs of the citizens they serve. DCAMM oversees the Commonwealth’s capital assets, totaling over 65 million square feet and including all state buildings except authority, county, municipally owned, or other non-state buildings occupied by state agencies. DCAMM partners with fellow agencies to help them meet their strategic needs with fiscally responsible building and real estate solutions and supports the growth of the Commonwealth’s economy by actively engaging with private sector partners to make it easier to do business with the Commonwealth.

About Bunker Hill Community College

With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). 

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