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Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park Flood Mitigation Planning & Feasibility Study
The Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park (RLFMP) is one of the more vulnerable areas of the city to current and future coastal flooding events. The City of Boston publications Climate Ready Boston (2016) and Coastal Resilience Solutions for South Boston (2018) (CRS South Boston) outline the extent of the need for increased flood resilience and propose district-scale design options for increasing resiliency.The report identifies current flood pathways and those that will be more prominent as soon as 2030 with a 1% chance of storm events and 9 inches of sea level rise. Early flood pathways include the northeastern edge of the RLFMP to the east of Drydock 4, which combines with flood pathways from Seaport Boulevard to the west of the park and a pathway at the North Jetty. Another flood pathway westward from Pier 10 affects transportation routes in the Park.
The RLFMP Master Plan Update (FMPU) underscores that by the nature of its purpose to connect water-dependent industry to the water, the RLFMP is vulnerable to climate-related impacts, especially sea level rise and more intense coastal storms. Planned improvements to infrastructure and proposed development within the RLFMP should incorporate current and future climate risks and vulnerabilities.
The RLFMP Flood Mitigation Planning & Feasibility project refines the coastal protection options developed through CRS South Boston and advances the Master Plan sustainability and resilience vision. The project aims to develop a feasible and implementable stakeholder-supported flood mitigation solution for the RLFMP that can protect against current and future coastal flooding and sea-level rise while also supporting marine industrial uses and ship-to-shore transfer of goods.
The Study started in the Spring of 2023 and is conducted by the Coastal Resilience Delivery Team with technical support from a consortium of consultants including Arcadis, Woods Hole Group, One Architecture, and Childs Engineering. The project team has completed existing conditions analysis; conducted risk and vulnerability assessments; analyzed alternative district-scale coastal resilience strategies and alignments, and is closing in on preferred alternatives. Throughout this process, the team has been working closely with various project stakeholders including Massport, various marine-dependent businesses, RLFMP Business Association, and tenants.
Transportation Advisory Committee
The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) was formed through the review and approval process of the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park Master Plan Update (FMPU).
The TAC will comprise appointees from the City of Boston PLanning Department, City of Boston Transportation Department, Massport Authority, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the RLFMP Business Association, and the Seaport Transportation Management Association.
The FMPU outlines a strategy for attracting development for general industrial and commercial uses in a manner compatible with water-dependent industrial uses to a portion of the RLFMP while maintaining two-thirds of the Designated Port Area (DPA) tideland area in maritime industrial use or reserved for such uses.
Attracting such general industrial and commercial supporting uses is critical and necessary to create a sustainable maritime industry and support water-dependent industrial uses at the Park over the long term.
The BPDA has already established a Maritime Capital Reserve Fund to which revenue generated by proponents of non-water dependent use projects will fund water-dependent infrastructure improvements including transportation infrastructure. In addition, the FMPU identifies a formulaic approach by which transportation mitigation payments will be calculated for each new general industrial project to fund roadway infrastructure and transit-oriented projects to offset the impacts of new trip generation to the Park.
The TAC was established to advise the City on transportation infrastructure improvements needed to support future development at the RLFMP.
The TAC will review proposed development projects, provide feedback on each project’s transportation analysis and impacts and monitor the implementation of the transit and roadway infrastructure improvements identified in the FMPU.
Proponents for new general industrial and commercial projects are subject to Large Project Review, a Special Review Procedure (SRP) with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) along with individual Chapter 91 licensing.
As required though the MEPA SRP, proponents shall provide a copy of their transportation analysis to the TAC prior to filing a Project Commencement Notices (PCN). The TAC will review the project’s traffic impacts and determine appropriate mitigation measures to be implemented to minimize impacts to freight, the roadway network in general and transit facilities. The TAC will also provide input and guidance on each five-year update by the City to MEPA required by this SRP, including input on the scope of the updated traffic analysis.
The five-year Final Master Plan Update update shall include a comparison of cumulative impacts of projects approved and/or constructed as compared to FMPU, review of mitigation completed and outstanding, and any additional mitigation required.
The TAC will meet at least twice annually to review and guide the Planning Department and as needed for projects undergoing permitting review in the RLFMP.
Community Engagement
Thursday, May 4, 2023 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
The BPDA submitted an application to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) for a Consolidated Written Determination pursuant to 310 CMR 9:00 related to the Final Master Plan Update ("FMPU") for the RLFMP. The purpose of this license application is to secure a Consolidated Written Determination (“CWD”) that allows for the redevelopment of certain parcels proposed in the RLFMP FMPU that are ineligible for authorization under the existing Master License #10233 to be licensed individually upon request. These specific parcels, detailed in Section 4 of the application, are anticipated to be redeveloped in phases over a period of years. The CWD will enable the DEP to regulate the future build-out of the RLFMP and ensure that impacts of individual projects are addressed in individual licenses.
Notice of Consolidated Written Determination and License Application pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 91 Waterways License Application Number 22-WW14-0012-APP
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Upon submission of the Final Master Plan Update (FMPU) for the RLFMP to the State of Massachusetts, the BPDA hosted a virtual site visit for State Agencies and community members.
Summary & Goals
An important component of the planning for the South Boston waterfront is the protection and enhancement of Boston’s RLFMP for maritime industrial and industrial activity. In furtherance of this goal, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) developed a master plan in 1999 that established a framework for future development within the RLFMP and included a specific process for review of future projects under the MEPA and chapter 91, while also providing a flexible framework to attract new and existing industries that can provide attractive job opportunities for Boston residents.
An updated RLFMP master plan offers an opportunity to analyze the changes and challenges to this part of the Boston Harbor and to plot out a course for the next ten years. Since the Master Plan was finalized and the Master Chapter 91 License was issued, there have been numerous changes made to the RLFMP. Examples range from investments in seafood processing and motor freight facilities to a dramatic increase in new job growth sectors of life tech, green tech, and other research and development tenants. This district is undergoing an extraordinary transformation into a varied mix of uses including industrial and port operations predominating in the eastern areas and mixed commercial and residential uses in the west. While there are many successes in the RLFMP, there remain numerous vacant, undesignated or underutilized parcels and structures. There is also significant maritime infrastructure that has degraded to a point where it is very difficult to attract maritime industrial uses.
Long-range plans for the RLFMP call for a mixture of maritime industrial and related uses such as seafood processing, cruises, bulk cargo operations, and waterborne cargo warehouses supported by the necessary road and utility infrastructure, waterfront marine infrastructure, and future direct rail access. Because of the RLFMP’s proximity to deep draft navigation channels (40-foot deep berthing), designated truck routes including the South Boston bypass road, the interstate highway system, and potential rail connections, as well as its distance from residential neighborhoods, the site is well suited for these uses. Other uses for backland parcels include general industrial, manufacturing, research and development, and supporting commercial uses.