Charter Companies outlines mixed‑use Brockton Yards plan for 45‑acre CSX site; estimates $500 million private investment

Charter Companies told the Finance Committee on April 7 that its conceptual redevelopment plan for the 45‑acre Trout Brook/CSX site — often called Brockton Yards in planning materials — envisions transit‑oriented mixed‑use development, daylighting part of Trout Brook and a multi‑acre linear park.

Ed Starczyk, Charter’s director of development, said the firm has been the preferred developer since late 2023 and has spent about 16 months on assemblage and environmental due diligence. Charter described the site as 45 acres bounded by Elliot Street, Court Street and the commuter rail; the footprint includes 11 parcels owned by seven different landowners. Charter presented a concept that clusters four‑ to five‑story multifamily buildings near the commuter rail to maximize transit access, townhomes nearer residential neighborhoods to the east, and roughly 40,000 square feet of ground‑floor retail and service uses. The firm estimated conceptual build‑out could represent about $500,000,000 in private investment and said work would create construction jobs with a local hiring preference.

Starczyk described environmental conditions as varied: some areas will need significant remediation while other parcels show typical urban industrial impacts. Charter said it plans to daylight Trout Brook where possible, remove invasive species, create public walkways and a shade pavilion, and pursue MassWorks grants to fund public‑street and infrastructure work that Charter intends to turn over to the city once complete. Charter said its goal is to close on critical parcels by the end of the year and potentially begin assemblage later in the summer.

Committee members asked about environmental sampling and CSX cooperation. Charter said it has been in productive discussions with CSX, expects to complete incremental sampling once title is taken and aims for residential‑standard regulatory closure within roughly 12 months of acquisition. Councilors also asked about acquisition costs and Charter said it expects to finance purchases through private capital and investor partners; Charter indicated it would be the entity to acquire the land and assemble the project rather than the city assuming purchase risk.

The committee voted to recommend the update favorably to the full council.