In South Boston, “Gillette: World Shaving Headquarters” has lit up the night sky in blue and red neon letters for more than a century. You can’t miss the razor company’s factory complex, now owned by Procter & Gamble, while driving north on I-93. Gillette has been in South Boston since 1904. But recently, Procter & Gamble announced plans to relocate Gillette’s manufacturing facilities to suburban Andover, opening up large swaths of land to development within walking distance of transit, not far from downtown and the Seaport. CBT Architects, Gillette/Procter & Gamble, and developers shared a masterplan this month that would deliver 20 new buildings and “contiguous, usable green open spaces,” totaling 5.7 million square feet of development, to the 31-acre site. CBT is the masterplan architect; other firms on the project team include developers Leggat McCall Properties, Greenberg Traurig, VHB, and Buro Happold. New pedestrian and cycling paths will line the waterfront. (Courtesy CBT Architects) Boston Mayor Michelle Wu supports the project—the development team filed a comprehensive Planned Development Area (PDA) Master Plan with the Boston Planning Department (BPD) on April 11. Kishore Varanasi, CBT senior principal, told AN “the masterplan for Gillette’s longstanding industrial campus is designed to create a destination accessible to all on Fort Point Channel, on one of the most special waterfronts in Boston.” “The vision works hand-in-hand with other improvements along the channel, including introducing new streets and plazas that open up to a 6.5-acre climate-resilient waterfront park,” Varanasi continued. “In fact, nearly half of the 31-acre site features public streets, sidewalks, parks, and open space. It was important for us to think about this as a way to connect this site to the neighborhood beyond.” A Vibrant, Connected, Waterfront Destination The Gillette site’s masterplan calls for 1,800 housing units spread across the nine buildings, and 3.5 million square feet of office and R&D space in the remainders. There will be a 250,000-square-foot hotel, and 200,000 square feet for retail and restaurant space. Parking will be primarily below ground. In regard to urban design, the masterplan prioritizes a few key things. New streets create better connections between the neighborhood and the waterfront, for instance, which will be programmed with year-round activities and experiences. There will also be pedestrian and cycling paths. Nearly half of the site will be allocated for public use, including parks and waterfront access. Site planning takes into account rising sea levels by incorporating wetlands. (Courtesy CBT Architects) Plans for the site were first shared by Gillette in 2023. That year, Gillette said it hoped to retain 750 corporate workers in South Boston, while its manufacturing positions would move to the suburbs. Several community meetings followed in the next two years, culminating in the masterplan’s recent release, Gillette said. “Community input was important in establishing priorities for the site,” Varanasi elaborated. “The most consistent feedback emphasized the desire for a vibrant, distinctive waterfront destination. When completed, we will meet that goal with an interconnected system of versatile open spaces where people can walk, bike, exercise, play, and appreciate the stunning city views from the waterfront.” CBT Architects is also behind a transformative redevelopment plan for Mary Ellen McCormack, a nearby South Boston public housing campus, together with Winn Companies. In scale, CBT’s redevelopment plan for the Gillette site is rivaled by only a handful of other projects in Greater Boston today, including Dorchester Bay City, a 21-building complex in Dorchester by DREAM Collaborative and Stantec. For the Gillette site, the PDA Master Plan now awaits approval and feedback from BPD.