Vision Project for the Future Campus

Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is planning for its next 50 years by building contemporary facilities on its Charlestown Campus that prepare its diverse learners for local and global innovation economies. 

Background 

BHCC’s Charlestown Campus is ideally situated: 32 acres at the doorstep of Boston’s world-class academic, research, and technology clusters and accessible by multiple forms of transportation including its own Community College stop on the MBTA Orange line. The majority of BHCC’s Charlestown facilities are outdated, inefficient, and in poor condition and no longer meet the needs of the communities they serve. 
 
BHCC is an engine of equity and economic development and provides access to higher education and upward mobility to underserved communities. The College also partners with key industries like healthcare, technology, biotech, and the care sector to promote a skilled and inclusive workforce.  

The Vision Project seeks to bring BHCC into the 21st century and beyond, leveraging the development of BHCC’s 32-acre Charlestown Campus through a public-private partnership to create new, state-of-the-art college facilities within a new mixed-use district. BHCC has a unique opportunity to bring the world to its campus, and to foster partnerships between public higher education and the local knowledge economy while creating the skilled and diverse workforce of tomorrow, all in a location and facilities that are worthy of its students’ ambitions and potential. 

Why A Public-Private Partnership

Campus with Outline

BHCC is advancing the Vision Project in cooperation with the State’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) through a Public-Private Partnership (P3). A public procurement process will select a developer who will then design, permit, finance, and construct new BHCC facilities within a dynamic, inviting district and at little or no cost to the Commonwealth. 

A Public-Private Partnership approach, selected through a public procurement, was authorized by the Asset Management Board (AMB) on November 3, 2022 and will be a collaboration between the College and DCAMM, and closely coordinated with the State Executive Office of Education, Department of Higher Education, and Executive Office of Administration and Finance. 

Vision Project Goals

BHCC has identified six goals to help it remain a vibrant part of the City of Boston and Charlestown neighborhood: 

  1. Create a modern, urban community college facility within an inviting and dynamic district with minimal funding from the Commonwealth.
  2. Leverage the College’s new facilities within its redeveloped campus to provide essential educational programming that meets workforce demands.
  3. Through BHCC’s accessible, connected, and central Charlestown Campus location, ensure equitable learning and work opportunities for BHCC’s diverse students.
  4. Foster public-private industry partnerships within a modern, redeveloped campus and beyond.
  5. Elevate the future campus as a community-based, social-service hub connected to the Charlestown community and to other regional networks.
  6. Provide the resources and opportunities that result in student success and leadership in diverse careers across industries, and in communities across greater Boston.   

Engagement and Stakeholders 

BHCC began the Vision Project in late 2019 in cooperation with College leaders, faculty, staff, and students to evaluate needs and examine possibilities for the College’s future. In 2022, the College began public engagement with neighbors, workforce partners, elected officials and government leaders, and the communities that the College serves. The College heard about the importance of community input, the importance of shared community spaces and programming, and a desire to build close relationships between BHCC and the surrounding community. 

The College and DCAMM will continue to engage with stakeholders regularly as the Vision Project continues.     

Timeline and Next Steps 

Timeline 1.Campus with Outline 2. Campus with Outline 3. Master plan design, and permitting 2026-2028 4. Construction commencement 2029 5. College facility is delivered 2032. 6 Private development complete 2040

BHCC and the DCAMM are in the initial phases of a multi-year process beginning with a public procurement that aligns with Vision Project goals.  

In June 2024, DCAMM and the College issued an Offering Memorandum [link] 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. Following the Offering Memo, DCAMM and BHCC will issue a call for offers in the coming months. Interested parties may visit the DCAMM website for more information.

The College and DCAMM are preparing to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2024. Partner selection, design, and permitting are expected to take 3-5 years with construction expected for 10-15 years beyond. 

The selected developer will be expected to go through the City of Boston’s typical permitting process, which includes opportunities for public input to help shape the project. 

Questions or comments? Please contact visionproject@bhcc.edu 

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