The companies planning to turn the old L Street power plant into a large mixed-use development say they are looking at three possible routes for a new bus line to get South Boston residents to and from downtown - including a possible express bus down Summer Street - and that they are hoping they can get it running in the first quarter of next year.

In a presentation filed with the BPDA this week (4.7M PDF), Hilco Redevelopment Partners and Redgate Capital Partners said they would pick up the costs of the service - although they added they are working with the T to enable CharlieCards on whichever route is chosen.

The developers are making the commitment to the new transit option now, even though they say it would likely take them 10 to 15 years to fully build out their L Street Station project of 1,344 apartments and condos, a 155-room hotel and retail and office space. The project is still going through the BPDA approval process.

In their presentation, they note that the 7 bus, which serves the area, is already packed to the gills during rush hour. They say they've already been "developing and testing ideas for better bus service," and that, as a private concern, they have more flexibility to just drop a new bus line down than the T.

One of the proposed lines would be an express bus from City Point to downtown via Summer Street, another would provide more stops on a longer route via West 1s and A streets and a third would run along D Street.

The developers say that in addition to bus service, they are planning a number of other steps to reduce the traffic impacts of their project, including nearly bike-rack space for nearly 1,800 bikes, lockers and showers for bike riders, BlueBikes stations, space for car-sharing services such as Zipcar, preferential parking for carpool/vanpool and electric vehicles, curbside space for taxis and ride-hail services and a full-time transportation coordinator. They have also committed to extensive work to redo sidewalks around the site.