If done right, a proposed expansion of South Bay Mall would rejuvenate more than 10 acres of land along Dorchester’s northern edge, say the district’s city councillor and a key member of one of the area’s civic associations.

Edens, the operator of the South Bay Center has proposed the construction of several six-story buildings with roughly 115,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, a movie theater, a hotel with up to 200 rooms, some 500 units of multifamily housing, and two parking garages, all marbled by new roadways, sidewalks, and open space.

The project, initially outlined in a letter of intent filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) on Feb. 11, would fill in a 10.2 acre parcel of land between South Bay, and Enterprise, Boston, and Howell streets that today consists of a concrete plant, vacant buildings, and surface parking lots.

“I’m excited that people actually want to be in Dorchester,” said City Councillor Frank Baker on Tuesday. “For years, it’s been a no-man’s land down there.”

Almost two years ago, abutting civic associations came together to create “Citizens Connect to South Bay” and wrote a master plan for the 10.2 acres.

“The initial letter of intent is in line with a lot of the concepts of the charette discussions” held by the citizens connect group, said Desmond Rohan, an executive board member of the McCormack Civic Association. The Citizens Connect group is back up and running in response to the Edens expansion proposal.

Baker, whose district includes South Bay, said he hopes the community outreach process is “intensive and extensive. I hope they cover all the bases and we can work toward something that people are happy about.”

Added Rohan: “What we did not want to happen was to have mall expansion further segregate the neighborhood. We want the neighborhood to extend itself into the mall. Right now Boston Street is like a wall.”

The biggest outlying concern is traffic, Rohan said, and ensuring any new development does not exacerbate an already crowded commute on Boston Street. “There is no easy access point,” to South Bay, he noted. “We wanted to expand the neighborhood in a gradient from residential to mixed use to commercial. Blend the neighborhood into a commercial area. And I believe that’s what they’re looking to do.” Rohan said that Edens reached out four months back to see the master plan completed by the group in May of 2013. “The feedback was that they liked what they saw.”

When asked if the Olympic 2024 plans, which include the proposed Midtown Stadium site across Interstate 93 from South Bay a stone’s throw from the Athletes Village on Columbia Point, had come up, Rohan said no. “This has been in the works with Edens long before the Olympics,” he said. “This will move forward regardless but it will enhance the traffic into the mall should the Olympics come.”

Baker seconded Rohan’s reaction: “I think we have to be careful that we don’t use the Olympics as a way to develop or not develop something,” he said. “Edens is looking to get a project done and that’s going to happen whether the Olympics comes or not. As a city that’s how we should be handling things.”

Information about upcoming meetings can be found at facebook.com/CitizensConnectToSouthBay.