Marina Bay Painters — Former Naval Air Station Squantum site, Dorchester Bay

Marina Bay occupies the land of the former Victory Destroyer Plant and the later Naval Air Station Squantum. Background accounts on Wikipedia, citing Senate hearings and Boston Globe reporting, say the air station closed in 1954, the surplus base was auctioned in 1956, and the City of Quincy approved a mixed-use project in 1985. Construction ran in phases until the early-1990s recession stalled it; the original developers went through bankruptcy and building resumed under other management. The same article describes housing complexes that include detached, townhouse and low-rise apartment units.

The city's 2019 hazard mitigation plan calls Marina Bay a planned development made up primarily of multi-unit condominium buildings and large housing clusters, with marinas, restaurants and shops along the shore. It sits on the Squantum peninsula, with Dorchester Bay to the north and west and salt marsh between it and Squantum Point.

Census Tract 4173 covers Marina Bay plus a few Squantum village streets, so its numbers blend the two, and the oldest units in it most likely belong to the Squantum side. The median building year is 1995, 88.7% of the 2,250 units were built in 1980 or later, and only 3.9% date from 1939 or earlier. Two-thirds of units (66.7%) are in buildings of 50 or more units, and 42.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.

The association controls the outside

In a Massachusetts condominium, the master deed under MGL Chapter 183A defines what belongs to the unit and what is common area, and common expenses are split by percentage interest. If your deed makes siding, hallways and lobbies common area, the board decides on those, and your own project stays inside the unit. Read the deed and rules before scheduling.

Building management requirements

Before booking, ask management whether the building wants a certificate of insurance naming the association, a reserved elevator, or set work hours; our Quincy condo painting page explains how those steps fit into a job.

Mostly outside the lead rules, but check

Because federal and Massachusetts lead-safe rules apply to housing built before 1978, a unit in a post-1980 building generally falls outside them. The tract does contain a small number of older units, so confirm your building's year before work starts.

A coastal floodplain address

The city plan lists Marina Bay itself among assets in the 100-year coastal floodplain, and 26% of developed parcels in the Squantum Point/Marina Bay planning area sit in coastal flood hazard areas. For owners of townhouses or detached units who handle their own exteriors, plan for siding and trim on the bay side to need washing and closer inspection of caulked joints before each repaint.