Ground Broken On New HQ For New Balance

Construction is getting underway on a project that retiring Mayor Thomas Menino says will bring major changes to Brighton.

Officials broke ground Monday on the new world headquarters of the athletic footwear and clothing company New Balance.

The huge new development that will soon rise alongside the Massachusetts Turnpike is called Boston Landing. It's a 14-acre site where old warehouses have been knocked down to make way for office and retail space, a 175-room hotel and open spaces for community use — in addition to a new sports complex.

Menino on Monday called the project transformative.

"It's a game changer, it's a gateway to Brighton-Allston," he said. "This is going to make a big difference to this community, the jobs it's going to create, and a commuter rail — wow, that's very special that [New Balance Chairman James Davis] is going to pay for himself."

Massachusetts transportation officials announced the new commuter rail station last year. New Balance is funding its construction and annual maintenance costs.

The first part of the project is scheduled to be completed in two years.