a technical assistance panel report · 2016-06-09 · closer look at storm water management.the...

A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PANEL REPORTAdvancing Resiliency in East Boston

East Boston, Massachusetts

June 2015

URLIB1-44485_TAP Report_2015.indd 1 6/12/15 2:43 PM

A ULI Technical Assistance Panel 2

1. ULI and the TAP Process.......................................................................... 4A. Urban Land Institute (ULI)B. Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs)C. NOAH SupportD. Panel MembersE. TAP Process

2. Background and Assignment .................................................................. 6A. East Boston: Rising Sea Levels and Previous StudiesB. Objectives for the TAP

3. Strengths and Opportunities ................................................................... 9

4. Strategy.................................................................................................. 12

5. Recommendations ................................................................................. 16A. Immediate SolutionsB. Short-Term StrategiesC. Long-Term Solutions

6. Financing Options .................................................................................. 19

7. Community Input ................................................................................... 20A. Educational ResourcesB. Community-led InitiativesC. Job AccessD. Financing

TABLE OF CONTENTS



Under the direction of the Urban Land Institute’s Boston/New England District Council (ULI Boston), the East BostonTechnical Assistance Panel (TAP) convened a panel ofarchitecture, public policy, real estate law, landscape archi-tecture, engineers, and planning professionals. This TAP in-cluded a tour, community meeting, day-long charrette andplanning session, and presentation to community delegates.The panelists focus was on identifying vulnerabilities due torising sea levels and opportunities for resiliency and adap-tation planning. The report that follows summarizes the TAPrecommendations and is composed of seven chapters.

CHAPTER 1:

ULI and the TAP Process gives an overview of ULIBoston and its TAPs and provides a detailed listof participants in the East Boston TAP.

CHAPTER 2:

Background and Assignment gives backgroundabout the vulnerabilities posed in East Bostondue to sea level rise and flooding and briefly re-views existing studies on the topic. This chapteralso reviews the objectives of the TAP, whichwere to consider how public agency needs andassets overlap with community needs and assetsin East Boston, identify what current and futureactions can be taken to address both present andfuture vulnerabilities, and outline policies andfinancial options that exist that can be used topreserve and protect East Boston’s assets.

CHAPTER 3:

Strengths and Opportunities presents the panel’s

observations about existing advantages that canbe leveraged as East Boston stakeholders seekto prepare their neighborhood for the impacts ofclimate change.

CHAPTER 4:

Strategy outlines a framework to help the deci-sion-making process by prioritizing East Boston’smost vulnerable assets.

CHAPTER 5:

Recommendations presents the panel’s sugges-tions for steps to mitigate and adapt to sea levelrise. These recommendations are divided intoimmediate, short-term, and long-term solutions.

CHAPTER 6:

Financing Options discusses potential sourcesof revenues to enact these recommendations.

CHAPTER 7:

Community Input summarizes the neighbor-hood’s priorities in developing a comprehensiveresiliency plan.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



A. URBAN LAND INSTITUTE (ULI)

The Urban Land Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofitresearch and education organization supportedby its members. Founded in 1936, the institutenow has more than 34,000 members worldwide,representing the entire spectrum of land use andreal estate development disciplines, working inprivate enterprise and public service, includingdevelopers, architects, planners, engineers,lawyers, bankers, economic developmentprofessionals, among others.

As the preeminent, multidisciplinary real estateforum, ULI facilitates the open exchange of ideas,information, and experience among local, nation-al, and international industry leaders and policymakers dedicated to creating better places. Themission of the Urban Land Institute is to provideleadership in the responsible use of land and tohelp sustain and create thriving communities.The Boston District Council serves the six NewEngland states and has over 1,200 members.

B. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PANELS (TAPS)

At the TAP, a group of diverse professionalsspecially assembled with expertise in the issuesposed typically spends one to two days visitingand analyzing existing conditions, identifyingspecific planning and development issues, andformulating realistic and actionable recommen-dations to move initiatives forward in a wayconsistent with the applicant’s goals andobjectives.

C. NOAH AND THE KRESGE FOUNDATIONSUPPORT

The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH),an East Boston community development corpora-tion, received a 9-month planning grant fromThe Kresge Foundation in September 2014 toassist the community in making plans for sealevel rise. The grant is part of foundation’sClimate Resilience and Urban OpportunityInitiative, a multi-year program that supportscommunity-based nonprofits as they work withlow-income neighborhoods to create regionalclimate resiliency plans. ULI Boston was askedby NOAH to serve as technical partner andprovide recommendations on how to adaptto changing sea levels.

D. PANEL MEMBERS

ULI Boston convened a panel of volunteerswhose members represent a range of thedisciplines associated with the planning anddevelopment challenges presented by climatechange, sea level rise and flooding that faceEast Boston.

Disciplines represented include architecture,public policy, real estate law, landscape architec-ture, engineering, and planning. Members wereselected with the intent of convening a robustarray of professional expertise relevant to theNeighborhood of Affordable Housing’s objectivesfor this TAP. The following is the list of panelistsand the land use disciplines they represent:

1. ULI AND THE TAP PROCESS



Wild in Eagle Hill; and Constitution Beach inOrient Heights. Following the tour, the panelistsconvened with community delegates andagency representatives to hear presentations bypublic agencies on the work they have done onclimate resiliency. The panelists and communitydelegates were then able to discuss the presen-tations in greater depth in breakout sessionsthat occurred afterwards.

On April 13, 2015, panelists came togetheronce again for an intensive one-day charrette.Representatives from NOAH were interviewed in the morning to outline some of the criticalissues arising from climate change and sealevel rise. The afternoon was spent developingrecommendations later finalized into apresentation.

The third part of the TAP occurred on May 27,2015 at a community meeting in East Boston,during which panelists presented their findingsto residents, public agency representatives andgovernment officials. As in the first communitymeeting, residents were given the opportunityto discuss the recommendations in detail inbreakout sessions following the presentations.

• Architecture: Jordan Zimmermann, Arrowstreet(TAP Chair)

• Architecture: Nina Chase, Sasaki

• Coastal Engineering: Varoujan Hagopian,GEI Consultants

• Engineering: Paul Kirshen, University of NewHampshire

• Real Estate Law: David Lewis, Goulston & Storrs

• Finance: John Macomber, Harvard Business School

• Civil Engineering: John Schmid, Nitsch Engineering

• Architecture: Gretchen Schneider, Boston Societyof Architects & CDRC

• Policy: Brian Swett, Former Chief of Environment,

Energy, and Open Space, City of Boston

• Landscape Architecture: Bob Uhlig, HalvorsonDesign Partnership

NOAH Executive Director Philip Giffee, Director ofCommunity Building and Environment Chris Marchiand Magdalena Ayed, East Boston CommunityLiaison, served as the primary contacts betweenULI Boston and NOAH.

Sarah Barnat and Ileana Tauscher of ULI Bostonprovided organizational and technical support inpreparation for and during the TAP event. CalvinHennick served as the consulting technical writer.

A special thanks to Arrowstreet for their in-kindcontribution to the report.

E. TAP PROCESS

The East Boston TAP process began on March 25,2015 with a tour of East Boston. The tour includedvisits to four different East Boston neighborhoods:Eagle Hill, Jeffries Point, Maverick, and OrientHeights. Specific sites the panelists visited wereMarginal Street, Piers Park and Clippership Wharf,and the New Street Development in Jeffries Point;Central Square in Maverick; the Condor Street Urban

TAP charrette on April 13, 2015



A. EAST BOSTON: RISING SEA LEVELS ANDPREVIOUS STUDIES

As a dense, coastal neighborhood with alarge amount of low-lying land, much of whichis reclaimed fill, East Boston is particularlyvulnerable to negative impacts from rising sealevels and storm-related flooding. Thus far, theBoston metro area generally – and East Bostonin particular – have escaped the sort ofdisastrous flooding experienced by New Orleansduring Hurricane Katrina and by New York andNew Jersey during Superstorm Sandy. This,in large part, has to do with luck. East Bostonhas missed four 100-year flooding events(defined as an event that has a 1% likelihoodof happening in a given year) because stormsurges hit several hours off high tide.

However, as sea levels rise and as extremeweather events are projected to become morefrequent, large parts of East Boston will verylikely be flooded by extreme events in the futureunless effective resiliency and adaptationmeasures are enacted.

Models project that sea level rise alone will notlead to flooding in the neighborhood before2050. However, when the projected sea levelrise is coupled with a major storm (defined asfive or more feet of storm surge), models projectthat half or more of the neighborhood couldexperience flooding sooner. The situation in2100 is projected to become even more dire,with sea level rise alone causing significantflooding, and a major storm putting nearly theentire neighborhood underwater.

Also worth noting is an increase in precipitationand intensity of rainfall, which will necessitate acloser look at storm water management. TheBoston Water and Sewer Commission found thatannual rainfall could rise from the current 52inches per year to 65 inches per year by 2100.

Fortunately, a number of organizations havealready invested considerable time and effort instudying this looming problem, laying animportant foundation for this report. A list ofprevious studies can be found in Appendix A.

2. BACKGROUND AND ASSIGNMENT

Lunar High Tide behind Shaw’s site is Designated Port Areause requiring marine business at the water’s edge.



B. OBJECTIVES FOR THE TAP

The panel of experts was tasked with adressingthree key issues during the TAP.

1. Consider how public agency needs and assetsoverlap with community needs and assets inEast Boston

2. What current and future actions can be taken toaddress both present and future vulnerabilities?

3. Identify policies and financial options that existthat can be used to preserve and protect EastBoston’s assets

In addition to these questions, The KresgeFoundation has outlined three focus areas thatserved as a guide for panelists as they devisedresiliency strategies:

1. Mitigation, including a reduction in energy useand a transition to clean renewable energysources

2. Adaption, including preparation for climatechange as it specifically relates to the EastBoston community

3. Social cohesion, including forging connectionsamong individuals and networks to foster equity

Located throughout the report are a series ofmaps created by the panelists, which serve asa visual guide to flooding risks. The maps show7 feet of sea water. This depth was chosen tosimulate a storm surge at high tide in 2050. Bythis year, sea level is projected to rise 2 feetand a predicted storm surge at high tide inEast Boston is 5 feet, totalling 7 feet above thecurrent sea level.

Both the report and presentation can be foundonline at http://boston.uli.org.

Panelists touring Jeffries Point.



Map of Police Stations and Utility Substations Location

Map of Police Substations and Utility Substations with 7 Feet of Flooding

Fire Stations

Police Stations

Electrical Substations

Power Plants

Power Generation

Fire Stations

Police Stations

Electrical Substations

Power Plants

Power Generation

Flooding2050+ Major Storm (7ft)

Assets in Flood Plain

Floodwater Entry



The panel identified a number of neighborhoodfactors working in East Boston’s favor asstakeholders seek to address rising sea levels.These include:

CONNECTION TO METRO BOSTONINFRASTRUCTURE

The entire metropolitan region depends oninfrastructure that either sits in, runs through, oris connected to the neighborhood of East Boston.This includes Logan International Airport as wellas MBTA infrastructure, major roads and threeharbor tunnels.

OVERLAPPING AGENCY INTERESTS

A number of public agencies have an interest inprotecting their assets in East Boston fromflooding and other impacts of sea level rise (seemaps on page 11). These agencies includeMassport, the MBTA, the Massachusetts Depart-ment of Transportation, Boston Water and SewerCommission, the Massachusetts Water Re-source Authority, and utility companies. While itmay be difficult for any one of these individualagencies to enact neighborhood-wide change,all of the agencies working in concert to protecttheir overlapping interests and to collaboratewith the community could be extremely power-ful.

CLEAR NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES

East Boston sits on a peninsula, creating adistinct geographical boundary between theneighborhood and the rest of Boston. This clearboundary will help the neighborhood’s stakehold-ers focus their efforts.

FINITE SET OF KNOWN VULNERABILITIES

Thanks to previous and ongoing studies,locations vulnerable to flooding have beenidentified. The number of known vulnerabilities isfinite, meaning that neighborhood stakeholderscan focus their efforts as they seek to eliminatethese stress points.

HISTORY OF SUCCESSFULCOMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

There is a long history of successful communityengagement on issues of environmental justice.As a community affected by Massport, MassDOTand the MBTA, there is a strong culture ofcommunity activism. Well-attended and produc-tive workshops on climate change and sea levelrise have been held in the recent past by a jointteam from NOAH, the University of Massachu-setts-Boston, MIT, the University of New Hamp-shire, and the University of Maryland.

HISTORY OF SUCCESSFULAGENCY ENGAGEMENT

Neighborhood stakeholders also have a history ofsuccessfully working with area agencies onissues of importance to the neighborhood.

3. STRENGTHS AND OPPORTUNITIES



HISTORY OF EXTENSIVE STUDYAND PLANNINGA number of different organizations havealready conducted extensive research in EastBoston. The reports produced by these agenciesrepresent a tremendous resource that thecommunity can draw on as it prepares for theimpacts of climate change.

DIVERSE POPULATIONHistorically and currently, East Boston has had apopulation made up of people from a variety ofethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Thisdiversity can be leveraged by including thevoices of people from all different backgroundsin the planning process, which will providemultiple perspectives on the issues at hand.

EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE OFCOMMUNITY ORGANIZINGWith the existence of strong neighborhoodgroups like NOAH, a community organizinginfrastructure is already in place.That infrastructure will be essential asstakeholders work to educate residents andbusiness owners on proposed adaptations.

RECENT INFLUX OF CAPITALEast Boston has recently seen a flurry of newdevelopment, especially along the waterfront.This new development is supported by “institu-tional grade investors” and developers who areinvested in the neighborhood and whoselong-term success depends on the long-termviability of the neighborhood.

STRONG POLITICAL CAPITAL

In part because of these regional connectionsand proximity to downtown, significant politicalwill exists to ensure the continued success ofthe East Boston neighborhood. Historic activismand strong political leadership is evident.

PROXIMITY TO DOWNTOWN

East Boston sits close to Downtown Boston,making it a highly visible neighborhood andgiving it tremendous opportunity in the regionaleconomy.



City of Boston

City of Boston Parks

Mass Bay Transit Authority

Mass Turnpike Authority

MassDOT

City of Boston

City of Boston Parks

Mass Bay Transit Authority

Mass Turnpike Authority

MassDOT



Floodwater Entry

Public Agency Assets

Public Agency Assets with 7 Feet of Flooding



Working with information provided bycommunity members, panelists identified anumber of valuable assets in the East Bostonneighborhood that they feel warrant protectionfrom flooding and sea level rise. The panelistsalso created a framework for the communityto use as a way to organize their efforts aroundprotecting these assets, which is describedbelow.

In the following three matrices, which serve asliving documents, panelists outlined three timeframes:

A. Assets that need to function during an event

B. Assets that need to be available within 72hours of the event

C. Assets whose protection requires long-term planning so that they are the anticipatedsea level rise by 2050

Within those time frames, panelists designatedassets as either low or high priority and low orhigh cost in terms of capital investment. Here,

“priority” does not designate a level of impor-tance. Panelists recognize that all of the assetsthat appear in the matrices are of high impor-tance to the community. Rather, priority relatesto those assets which need to be available incases of life or death. For example, emergencyservices and clean drinking water necessitatehigher prioritization than the protection of publicamenities, like parks.

Prioritization of assets provides a roadmap todevelop a resilience strategy and timely alloca-tion of financial resources.

4. STRATEGY

Underutilized waterfront at East Boston Shipyard.

Public agencies meet with East Boston residents for aworkshop on climate resiliency



HighLow

High

Low

• Major Roads • Fire Station & Ambulanceaccess to residents shelteringin place

• Stormwater Drainage• Potable Water

• Functioning Sewer System • Phone Service• Program for potable water resources when direct wateraccess is compromised

• Basement waterproofing measures in place or basement

allowed to flood with minimizeddamage

Priority

Cost ofProtecting

A. ASSETS AVAILABLE DURING AN EMERGENCY EVENT



HighLow

High

Low

• Access to Jobs• MBTA• Evacuation routes• Heating/Air conditioning

• Massport runways• Main access roads• Pump Stations• Utilities (Electrical

and Natural Gas)• Tunnel Access• Access to Local hospitals

or clinics

• Access to food(Grocery stores or other)

• Access to CommunityCenters/Shelters

Priority

Cost ofProtecting

B. ASSETS AVAILABLE WITHIN 72 HOURS OF EVENT



Priority

Cost ofProtecting

HighLow

High

Low

• Piers • Massport• MBTA• Tunnel Access• Evacuation Routes• Utilities• Pump Stations• Fuel Tanks• Homes

• Belle Isle Marsh• Condor Urban Wild• Community Gardens• Bike Routes• Water Transit• (New or Revised) Harbor

Access Routes for recreationand transportation

C. ASSETS AVAILABLE / PROTECTED AS SEA LEVEL RISES 2050



The panel divided its recommendations intothree parts:

1. Immediate steps that can be taken byindividual residents, businesses, andproperty owners working in conjunctionwith a neighborhood group like NOAH

2. Short-term strategies that, while morecomplex than the immediate steps, can beimplemented at a lower cost than long-termmeasures

3. Permanent strategies that require additionalinvestment, as well as partnerships be-tween public and private entities

1. IMMEDIATE STRATEGIES

Boston Architectural College HuxtableFellows: A toolkit of individual property solu-tions is being created for homeowners andbusiness owners looking to become moreresilient. It was created through the HuxtableFellow audit of East Boston housing stock andone-on-one surveys with residents. The toolkitincludes resources related to flooding, heat andcold.

Understand Individual Vulnerabilities Further:Already, extensive work has been undertaken tohelp stakeholders understand the dangersposed to East Boston by sea level rise. This workshould continue – for example, by tracking alleyflooding in order to more firmly establish whichareas are most prone to flooding. The housing

typology analysis currently being completed bythe Huxtable Fellows will also aid in improvingthis understanding.

Simple Flood-Proofing Programs andEducation: Individual property owners could beequipped with flood kits that include sealants,mold-testing kits, and other materials to helpprepare for, prevent flooding, and speed recovery.Educational pamphlets (printed in multiplelanguages) could also be distributed to encourageresidents to take simple flood-preparation steps

– for example, keeping their vital documents in awaterproof bag that they can take with them inthe case of a flood evacuation.

“Check-the-Neighbor” Program: During timesof crisis, it can be difficult to ascertain whetherthe elderly, people with disabilities, and othervulnerable populations are in need of help. Thedistribution of simple signs that can be displayedin residents’ windows – one side to ask for help,the other to announce that all is well – will allowthese residents to quickly communicate whetherthey are in need of assistance. Because 30% ofhouseholds are linguistically isolated (no Englishspoken), signs would need to have phrases inmore than one language.

Move Hazards out of Flood Plain: Effortsshould be made to move hazardous materials outof low-lying areas that are prone to flooding.

Basement Cleaning Program: NOAH or anotherneighborhood organization could spearhead aprogram to encourage and assist individualproperty owners in cleaning out their basements,removing trash, old furniture, and hazardousmaterials like paint and other chemicals. Such

5. RECOMMENDATIONS



a cleaning program would make it easier toaccess basements in order to install flood-proofing materials, and would also help tomitigate damage in the case of a flood.

Engage Local Contractors to UnderstandBest Practices: As property owners performmaintenance and complete upgrades to theirstructures, they will often rely on contractors foradvice on best practices. Therefore, it will behelpful for neighborhood groups to work withcontractors to ensure that they understand bestpractices for flood mitigation – including stepssuch as installing additional vents in buildingsand using mold-resistant materials.

Install Flood Vents in Basements: Once base-ments are clear of hazards and utilities, vents canbe installed for water to flow in and out ofindividual basements in an emergency event.Allowing water to enter the basement can reducedamage to foundations by equalizing flood waterpressures.

Food Delivery: Devise a network for food deliv-ery through grocery and local convenience storesin the event of a major storm to make sure thatresidents have access to food and water.

Check-in/Follow-up Programs: If the neighbor-hood does establish new programs such as abasement clean-up program or a contractoreducation program, a follow-up process shouldalso be established to ensure that any positivechanges enacted are maintained over time.

Continued Community Engagement:The community will benefit from continuedengagement by NOAH and its collaborators,including workshops and meetings conductedin multiple languages.

2. SHORT-TERM STRATEGIES

Develop Mitigation Plan: The creation of awhole-neighborhood flood mitigation plan couldlay out a comprehensive set of modifications thatwould allow floodwaters to be diverted to specificlocations.

New Development Flood Control: The newlarge-scale, mixed-used development beingconstructed on the East Boston waterfront offersan unprecedented opportunity to protect thelarger neighborhood. Agencies, city officialsand residents should encourage coordination,incentives and regulations to enhance the newdevelopments protective nature. Some measuresthat would protect both individual properties andthe rest of the neighborhood include adjusting thegrade of the land and installing sea walls.

Water Storage in Low-Lying Areas:Identify naturally low-lying areas where watermight be stored during floods. These areas mightbe allowed to flood on their own, or water mightbe diverted to the areas, depending on theirlocation. Such areas might include undevelopedgreen space such as the East Boston Greenway.

Temporary Floodwalls: While not a permanentsolution for sea level rise, products such asAquaFence can be installed temporarily to holdback flood waters from a storm event.

Minor Re-Grading of Land: On individualparcels owned by public agencies or privateentities, land may be re-graded, or features suchas berms may be installed, in order to prevent



flooding to the parcels.

Bury Utility Lines: East Boston utility linesare above ground, which is extremely hazardousin the event of a storm or flooding. Moving linesunderground means a lower likelihood of powerand telephone outages.

3. LONG-TERM STRATEGIES

Regional Efforts: Agencies should collaborate toalign resiliency strategies on a regional basis inorder to coordinate rather than duplicate efforts.As it stands, many agencies have authored reportson resiliency and are investing time and moneyinto solutions. Cross pollination of these effortswill be more effective.

Develop and Implement Contiguous WaterfrontFlood Protection Plan: A long-term plan willcover all aspects of the waterfront, includingparcels owned by individual property owners,larger companies, and public agencies.

Flood Walls: A series of seawalls in specificlocations around East Boston could offer protec-tion for agency assets as well as neighborhoodresidents. NOAH and other organizations shouldwork with Massport and other agencies to identifyareas which a sea wall offers protection formultiple stakeholders.

Revise Zoning and Height Restrictions:The prevalence of basement apartment units inEast Boston presents a considerable challenge assea levels rise and flooding becomes more likely.

However, building owners are unlikely to give upthe right to rent out these spaces without resis-tance. In order to encourage owners to phase outthese units, the City may offer incentives, such asallowing owners to increase the height of theirbuildings.

Promote Resilient Residential Buildings:New residential growth can be incentivized to bedesigned to flood in a way that doesn’t put resi-dents at risk. Buildings that are designed to floodnot only protect residents of the building itself, butthey also protect other areas of the neighborhoodby providing a space to which water can bediverted.

Encourage Use of Local Contractorsfor Development: Local contractors are often thesource for homeowners’ knowledge on buildingimprovements and available systems. Training andhiring local contractors to work on projects in EastBoston provides local jobs and presents anopportunity to integrate best practices for sustain-ability and resilience into the neighborhood.

Conduct Progress Check-ins: Panelists suggest-ed that progress toward long-term goals should becontinuously monitored, and perhaps evaluatedthrough a formal process once every five years.



Many infrastructure improvements requirelong-term investment strategies and publicprivate partnerships. To simplify the process ofdetermining how to finance specific resiliencyinitiatives, panelists have outlined some sugges-tions found below. The panelists discussedfinancing options that are directed specifically atresiliency, as well as options which use existingfinancing structures to fund improvements thatcould include improved resiliency.

District Improvement Financing (DIF):A DIF program allows cities to fund public works,infrastructure, and development projects byallocating future tax revenues collected from apredetermined district to pay for project costs.The new development on the waterfront pro-vides a significant opportunity to direct newproperty tax revenues to further strengthen theEast Boston neighborhood.

Infrastructure Investment Incentive (I-Cubed):A program created to finance new publicinfrastructure improvements that are necessaryto support private economic developmentprojects. Financing of the projects comesthrough a cost sharing agreement between thestate, municipality and private developer. Theprogram is funded through future job taxes andis intended for new developments that createjobs.

Chapter 23L: Legislation that allows a propertyowner to finance public infrastructure throughthe tax-exempt bond market. This can becombined with other financing programs suchas DIFs and I-Cubed.

Financing Options for Individual Homeowners:The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Cityof Boston through the Mass Save program andDepartment of Neighborhood Development’s

Home Center offer free energy audits and minormodifications (such as LED light bulbs) to homeowners, and also provide low- or no-interestloans for homeowners wishing to rehab theirhomes as more energy efficient. Many of theseenergy efficiency measures also increaselong-term resiliency.

User Fees: Travelers flying in and out of LoganInternational Airport would be beneficiaries ofany infrastructure improvements protecting theairport and East Boston from rising sea levels.Even a small resiliency fee paid by each travelerwould have the potential to raise a large sum ofmoney each year. Similarly, developers might beasked to pay such a fee when obtaining buildingpermits if their projects do not meet resiliencystandards.

Matching Funds: Once project plans are inplace, city, state, federal government, or founda-tion matching funds should be leveraged.

Army Corps of Engineers: Funding is availablethrough Army Corps for specific resilient infra-structure projects.

Natural Hazard Mitigation Plans: Both theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)and the Massachusetts Emergency Manage-ment Agency (MEMA) have access to funds thatcould potentially be used for resiliency projects.

PACE Now: Property Assessed Clean Energyfinancing options can include resiliency im-provements. This program offers low-costfinancing and tax incentives.

Green Bonds: Green bonds work like normalbonds, except they are used to finance climatechange mitigation and adaptation programs.Massachusetts began issuing green bonds in2013.

6. FINANCING OPTIONS



On May 27, 2015, panelists presented prelimi-nary findings in a community meeting attendedby East Boston residents, NOAH representatives,government officials, and public agency affili-ates. After the presentation, panelists held amoderated Q&A session followed by breakoutdiscussions. Many of the residents’ prioritiessurfaced as a result of these talks, whichpanelists feel should act as a starting pointfor any future community plans.

A. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

First and foremost is the availability of educa-tional resources specific to storm preparationand a strategy for disseminating that informa-tion. Because of East Boston’s cultural diversity,materials must be made available in differentlanguages, specifically Spanish, Portuguese andArabic. A multi-generational approach is neededas well, starting with educating children inschools to creating networks of volunteers whocan reach older residents.

The types of educational resources residentswould like to see are individual property solu-tions that are simple and affordable. Emphasiswas placed on storm preparedness rather thanplanning for longer-term sea level rise sinceevents like Hurricane Sandy make disasterplanning seem more pressing.

B. COMMUNITY LED INITIATIVES

There is a general distrust of the developmentprocess in East Boston and with the state of thecity’s preparedness for major storms. As a result,residents value community-led initiativesbecause they feel they align with their specific

needs. For any processes that are not commu-nity led, it is crucial to engage residents so thatthere is a higher likelihood of success inadopting new plans.

C. JOB ACCESS

The winter of 2014-2015 wrought havoc onEast Boston. Many residents were stranded andunable to get to work when public transportwas shut down. As a result, many people losttheir jobs for not showing up. In a low-incomeneighborhood where many residents work inservice jobs with hourly, often minimum-wagepay, being off the job can have significantconsequences. Therefore, plans must addressjob security so that residents do not face thethreat of unemployment.

D. FINANCING

There are two tiers to financing resiliency thatresidents should have information on. The firsttier is educating community members aboutindividual solutions that are affordable andcost-effective. The second tier is transparencyabout financing infrastructure improvementsthat are resilient. There is recognition that thereare more creative ways to think about financingclimate preparedness. Even if these options donot apply to individual actions, residents wouldlike to play a part in deciding how to advocatefor regional approaches to financing publicinfrastructure.

7. COMMUNITY INPUT



Tunnel Entry

Commuter Line Stop

Blue Line Train

Silver Line Bus

Roads

Evacuation Route

Ferry



Floodwater Entry

Tunnel Entry

Commuter Line Stop

Blue Line Train

Silver Line Bus

Roads

Evacuation Route

Ferry

Map of Transit – MBTA, Major Roads, Tunnel Entry/Exit

Map of Transit with 7 Feet of Flooding



APPENDIX A

The Changing Northeast ClimateUnion of Concerned Scientists, 2006

Climate Adaptation Challenges for Boston’s Water and Sewer SystemsBoston Water and Sewer Commission, October 2014

Climate Conservation Priority AreasTrust for Public Land, March 2011

Enhancing Resiliency in BostonA Better City, February 2015

Greenovate Boston: 2014 Climate Action Plan UpdateCity of Boston, 2014

HAPI Climate Change, Health and PlaceHarvard Graduate School of Design, September 2014

Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate PlanMassachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, December 2010

Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation ReportExecutive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Adaptation Advisory Committee,September 2011

Metro Boston Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy ReportMetropolitan Area Planning Council, June 2014

North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study: Resilient Adaptation to Increasing RiskU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, January 2015



Pragmatic Approach to Climate Change AdaptationMassachusetts Water Resources Authority, March 2014

Preparing for the Rising TideBoston Harbor Association, February 2013

Region 1 Mitigation Planning WebliographyFederal Emergency Management Agency, April 2014

Resiliency MassportMassport, March 2014

Sustainable Design and Climate Change AdaptationMassachusetts Department of Transportation, October 2014

Urban Implications of Living with WaterULI Boston/New England, October 2014

2014 Sustainability ReportMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Spring 2014

APPENDIX A


a technical assistance panel report · 2016-06-09 · closer look at storm water management.the...

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