About The Neighborhood: Climate Action Plan & Joy of Kayaking

On September 4th, there will be a Climate Action Plan (CAP): Virtual Public Share Back Session at 6pm. The focus of this event will be on reflecting back on public input and sharing how that feedback has been integrated into the CAP, along with an overview of our early draft strategies . The draft 2030 Climate Action Plan lays out a roadmap for 2026-2030 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to climate impacts including coastal and stormwater flooding, and ensure that the benefits of climate action — clean air, good jobs, healthy homes, and vibrant green spaces — are shared by all.  Register here.

The Joy of Kayaking is taking place on Saturday, September 5th on the Fort Point Channel and in the Seaport from 10am to 3pm. Please extend a warm welcome to the over 400 Roxbury and Dorchester residents who will be exploring Boston's waterfront by land and sea. The Channel will be active with kayakers courtesy of Piers Park Sailing Center, and paddlers with Ohana dragon boat team.

Urban Design & Climate Resiliency: 244 - 284 A Street

updated 10/09/20 with link to meeting video. The presentation link added 10/08/20

The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) will be hosting their third 244-284 A Street (former Channelside parking lot) Public Community meeting on October 7 from 6 pm to 8 pm. This meeting will focus on urban design and climate resiliency.  

Through multiple initiatives, the City of Boston (including the Boston Water & Sewer Commission's new inundation modeling) is preparing for 40 inches of sea level rise by 2070. What sea level rise and stormwater management techniques will be deployed? How will these solutions interact with adjacent 15 and 5 Necco, the Gillette campus and the inner neighborhood? How will climate resiliency be incorporated into the design of the three proposed new buildings? What more will we discover about the building massing and height, extreme heat and wind conditions and shadows? 

BPDA staff will be joined by colleagues from the City of Boston Environment Department and staff from the Boston Water & Sewer Commission. 

In the Urban Design discussion, understand the development's compatibility with its surroundings in terms of massing, height, materials, ornamentation, landscaping, and access. 

244 - 284 A Street: Urban Design & Climate Resiliency

Wednesday October 7, 2020

View Presentation

View Meeting Video

Next meeting:  Tuesday, October 20th on Ground Floor Uses and Watersheet Activation from 6 pm to 8 pm. 

After learning about the proposed development in this phase of public meetings, there will be the opportunity to file written comments and ask for more information and analysis. Your comments and questions will form the scope of work for the Project Impact Review that is the an in-depth specific filing responding to what is being presented this Fall.

Note: Due to the large scale of this project (6.5 acres, office, residential and life sciences plus Fort Point & Channel parks), it is being broken down into several topic specific meetings. 

originally published 10.05.20

Waterfront Parks: Part Community Space, Part Climate Change Protection

You may have heard of Resilient Boston Harbor, Mayor Walsh’s plan for protecting Boston’s neighborhoods from sea level rise and flooding due to climate change. The plan includes a comprehensive vision for coastal resilience as well as neighborhood specific plans.

A major part of the vision for South Boston is designing waterfront parks that are community gathering spaces, which will serve double duty by providing flood protection for the surrounding neighborhood. The first South Boston park undergoing such a transformation is Moakley Park. 

Attend the premiere of resilient designs for South Boston's Moakley Park and help select winning design options for the park on:

Thursday, March 21, 2019 

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Iron Workers Local 7 

195 Old Colony Ave

R.S.V.P.

Stay tuned for the awarding of the Fort Point 100 Acres Open Space System Request For Proposals by the Boston Planning & Development Agency.  The chosen consultant will lead community engagement in the development of concept design and programs for the future Fort Point Park and Channel Park. 

100 Acres Master Plan Waterfront Parks

Related Posts

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES PREPARATIONS AHEAD OF ANTICIPATED COASTAL STORM

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced preparations underway ahead of the anticipated coastal storm and flooding that is expected to begin on Friday. As part of this storm, three high tides are expected to occur in Boston on 

High Tides

Friday, March 2,2018  at 11:15 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. 

Saturday, March 3. 2018 at 12:05 p.m.

Along with heavy rain and sustained winds of 20-40 miles per hour (MPH) with gusts up to 65 MPH.

I encourage all residents to be mindful of the storm and encourage employers to take the weather into consideration, which will mostly impact the coastal areas of our city," said Mayor Walsh. "As we saw with the coastal flooding in the Seaport in January, there is a need to proactively plan for our changing climate, which is why we're integrating climate resilience into all aspects of city planning moving forward, beginning with a Climate Ready project in South Boston."

Fort Point/ Seaport Neighbors: The Channelside (aka Gillette) Parking Lot will be closed Friday, March 2nd due to flooding of the Fort Point Channel. Please find alternative parking for any cars parked in areas prone to flooding. Read Flood Protection Tips.

Below are the various watches that are in place for Friday through Saturday:

• Coastal Flood Watch in effect from Friday 9 a.m. until Saturday 2 p.m.;
• Areal Flood Watch in effect Friday 7 a.m. until Saturday 7 a.m.;
• High Wind Warning in effect from Friday 10 a.m. until Saturday 10 a.m.

The City will continue to monitor the storm throughout its duration. In preparation for the storm, Boston is taking the following proactive steps:

• Boston Water & Sewer Commission (BWSC) is cleaning out low-lying areas of debris that could clog catch basins and restrict the flow of water through underground systems.
• Boston Police Department (BPD) is prepared to institute barriers in areas that will be most affected by flooding, and redirect traffic as needed.
• Public Works Department (PWD) will have loaders available to remove debris.
• Several city departments, including BWSC, BPD, EMS and 311 will have extra support available to assist.

The City encourages residents to be aware of the upcoming weather, and understand their risk of flooding by looking at the latest FEMA flood maps: https://msc.fema.gov/portal.

The City is currently pursuing a Climate Ready project in South Boston that is analyzing the current and future flood risks to the neighborhood, with the input and feedback from residents, businesses, landowners and developers. Next week the City is hosting a community open house to share conceptual designs of flooding solutions. The event will be held on Tuesday, March 6 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Children's Museum. More event details & R.S.V.P.. 

About Climate Ready Boston

Climate Ready Boston is the City's initiative to develop resilient solutions to prepare Boston for rising sea levels, extreme heat and increased weather events. Climate Ready Boston is aligned with Imagine Boston 2030, Go Boston 2030, Resilient Boston, and other planning initiatives to ensure that climate adaptation supports the Mayor's goals for economic growth and social equity across the city.

Climate Ready Boston is led by the City of Boston in partnership with the Green Ribbon Commission and with support from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the Barr Foundation.

Climate Ready Boston To Focus On Fort Point Channel & Harbor

South Boston is expected to experience more coastal and stormwater flooding due to climate change. Remember the flooding and ground water rise from King Tides over the past two years?

The City of Boston is exploring solutions to decrease these risks as part of the Climate Ready South Boston initiative.

Add your on-the-ground perspective to the neighborhood’s resiliency

by completing this community survey.

In 2016, Climate Ready Boston released a comprehensive report of risks and protection strategies for a climate-impacted city like Boston. Last weekend, the City released study results and recommendations for East Boston and Charlestown. The City kicked off Climate Ready South Boston on October 4, 2017.

South Boston faces increased climate risks going forward. From now to 2050, nearly a quarter of South Boston’s land area will be exposed to a 1 percent annual chance of coastal flooding event, with some areas along the Fort Point Channel exposed to even higher probability events. Some streets and highways are also expected to be exposed to low-probability coastal flooding in the near-term, with those likelihoods going up as time goes on. Protecting South Boston also protects the connected neighborhoods of South End, Roxbury, and Dorchester from future flooding risks.

The City is committed to finding both short- and long-term solutions to coastal flooding and other impacts from sea level rise, and currently studying the issue to explore potential ways to minimize or eliminate flooding challenges, with a focus on key floodwater entry points into the neighborhood.

For the South Boston Waterfront the flood entry points are: along the edge of the district, including flooding from Fort Point Channel, Boston Harbor, and the Reserve Channel. The low-lying nature of the South Boston Waterfront likely requires flood protection connections to high ground across Fort Point Channel. Potential flood protection solutions include a floodgate aimed at preventing storm surge from flowing into the South Boston Waterfront from Fort Point Channel. The gate could be placed at a number of locations, including the Northern Avenue Bridge, Seaport Boulevard Bridge, Congress Street Bridge, or Summer Street Bridge. In addition to a gate across Fort Point Channel, flood protection solutions would require either a barrier system to connect to high ground south of West Broadway, perimeter protection near the Reserve Channel, or a gate across the Reserve Channel. (source: Climate Ready Boston report)

You can read more about neighborhood climate risk and resilience in the South Boston section of the Climate Ready Boston report here.

Take the survey and add your voice to this critical discussion about how to prepare Fort Point and the whole city for a more resilient future. Sign up for our Greenovate email list to stay up-to-date on details for the December community open house. Greenovate will also be a featured speaker speaker January 30, 2018 Fort Point Neighborhood Gathering hosted by the Fort Point Neighborhood Association.

originally published 11.1.17

Questions on Boston's Climate Action Answered

Mayor Walsh's Civic Academy returns for a second session. This time examining the city's environment and energy department's work on creating a Climate Action Plan for the City of Boston.

The Climate Action Plan will provide tangible steps and a long-term vision for making Boston greener, healthier, and more prosperous. From creating local and clean energy, to preparing for climate disasters like Superstorm Sandy, to making sure Boston waste gets recycled and reused, the strategies of the Climate Action Plan are the result of over a year of public process and thousands of personal interactions with Bostonians. Come hear about the Climate Action Plan and ask questions on:

Monday November 17th 6:30-8:00 pm

New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf

In a continued effort to bring more transparency and accessibility to city government, Mayor Walsh created the Civic Academy Program; with the goal of delivering a wider range of information to all residents in Boston, representatives from various departments as well as cabinet members will be in attendance to answer questions and engage with residents. 

Please call the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services with any questions or concerns about the Civic Academy Program at 617-635-3485.