PLYMOUTH, MA-A former rope factory on the waterfront is due for a mixed-use, transit-oriented makeover. Developer JD Cordage LLC is planning to turn the former mill complex into a mix of office, retail and residential space. There will also be a marina and pier that will open up a section of waterfront which has been closed to the public for more than a century. The total for the 1.5-million-sf project is estimated to be $375 million.

"The goal is to create a real sense of place and community based on the pier and the waterfront," Joseph Jannetty, a principal with the development firm tells GlobeSt.com. "It will take the excitement of that waterfront to the neighborhood."

The site will be converted into 60,000 sf of service-oriented retail, 350,000 sf of office and medical space and up to 675 residential units. A former Wal-Mart will be demolished and replaced with a new building containing shop space and residential units. Plans also call for the construction of a marina and a 40,000 sf, two-story pier along the waterfront, which will house marine uses and possibly a restaurant, Jannetty says.

"We want to maximize the benefits and open the waterfront to the public." He notes that a new boulevard entrance will be created to highlight an adjacent marina, which is also part of the development plan. Linking the complex to Plymouth Center and an on-site commuter rail station will be a walking and biking trail which will be constructed along the complex's 3,000 feet of shoreline.

The project, still in its preliminary phases, needs permitting approvals, Jannetty notes. Once ok'd by the town, construction could begin in two years. Build out is anticipated within seven to 10 years, he estimates.

The property, once the home to the world's largest maker of rope and twine, was acquired by JD Cordage LLC five years ago and converted into 350,000 sf of commercial space called the Cordage Commerce Center. Jannetty says current tenants--including Jordan Hospital--will be part of the new development's mix of users.