The Impact Advisory Group (IAG) for the Gillette Redevelopment met with representatives from parent company, Procter & Gamble, and Boston Planning Department (BPD) for the second in a series of meetings about the razor company’s iconic headquarters’ upcoming reinvention on May 27.

The plan for the 31-acre campus is to create a mixed-use, climate-resilient waterfront community consisting of more than 1,800 residential units,15 acres of public realm improvements, including cultural and community gathering spaces, and the creation of over 10,000 permanent jobs.

The IAG had a few key concerns, chief among them, housing. Members want the required number of affordable units to be built on-site, in South Boston, rather than paid out to the Inclusionary Development Policy Fund.

“I think it’s really important for a commitment to be made now because we have just seen too often over and over and over again where developers have given us a promise…and then they come back and say ‘no, they can’t afford it,’ ‘they don’t want to,’ whatever,” said Donna Brown.

“That’s a really critical thing right now because we will not have any kind of diversity – economic, racial, ethnic, anything, [in that area] without a commitment to affordable housing on-site.”

Procter & Gamble Head of Global Grooming Communications, Kara Buckley, said that though it is too early to get into specifics, they have recognized the desire for housing to remain on-site. 

“I do want to acknowledge that we’ve registered that and are looking to follow the inclusionary development policy, and then we’ll share more details as we get further into the process,” she said.

Members also called for a clearer definition of the differentiation between civic and cultural spaces and for space to be allocated equitably to both.

“I’m making a pure distinction because they get coupled all the time, and I think due to the enthusiasm of the artists, the civics gets washed away,” said Sara McCammond. “We are a community and a neighborhood…that is in desperate need of civic space.”

Suggested civic spaces could include police and fire stations, a community center, or a public library. Many of these resources are clustered on the opposite side of South Boston.

Building heights, shadows, and preserving the architectural integrity of the community were also raised as concerns. Opening the civic and park spaces onto A St and having parks open earliest in the development process was also suggested.

The conclusion of the public comment phase is June 12, but will likely be extended by BPD to accommodate ongoing public meetings about the site. Comments can be left here or sent directly to Sarah Peck at [email protected].

A virtual public meeting and Q&A session are scheduled for May 29 at 6 p.m. The full presentation of the campus plan can be found here.