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.
Community Engagement
Previous Events
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Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park Flood Mitigation Planning & Feasibility Study Virtual Open House
July 11, 2024
Project Documents