Download Session Title: Urban Waterfronts and Marinas Session Leader: Bob

Session Title:
Session Leader:
Urban Waterfronts and Marinas
Bob Goodwin
Presenter:
Presentation:
Tiffany Smythe
Closing the Shoreline: The Conversion of Marinas to Private Residential
Developments in the Northeastern U. S.
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Abstract:
From Boston to Pensacola, news headlines suggest a coastal development trend in which marinas
and boatyards are being converted to private condominium developments. This trend has caused
planners and policy makers to begin discussing the future of marinas, and in some cases – such as
that of one New Jersey town -- to rezone an entire waterfront to exclude condominiums. This
suggests that such development is believed to have negative effects on coastal communities,
specifically on boating access and other activities vital to coastal communities and economies. I
examine the extent of this coastal land use trend in the corridor between Massachusetts and New
Jersey and determine whether such conversions are deemed problematic by policymakers
throughout this region. Quantitative data available through state and town sources is analyzed to
determine the extent of this development trend. Through interviews with state coastal zone
management officials as well as officials from select localities, perceptions of this type of land use
as well as proposed and actual policy responses to such development are explored. Results of this
study will inform coastal professionals’ understanding of this development trend and contribute to
discussion of possible solutions to this land use challenge.
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Abstract:
Meredith Mendelson
The Portfields Initiative: Revitalizing Port and Harbor Communities
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“Portfields” is a federal interagency effort focused on the redevelopment of brownfields in port and
harbor communities with an emphasis on development of environmentally sound port facilities,
community revitalization, and environmental restoration. In addition, by focusing development on
abandoned or underutilized properties in urban centers, the pressure to develop “greenfields” is
reduced. Reuse of these sites can also provide jobs, improve the flow of commerce by enhancing
port infrastructure, and increase the community’s access to, and pride in, its waterfront. Led by the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with partners, including the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and the U.S. Maritime Administration- three Portfields Pilots were selected: New Bedford,
Massachusetts, Bellingham, Washington, and Tampa, Florida. The goals of the pilots is to produce
on the ground results by improving the delivery of partner agencies’ financial and technical
resources and by improving coordination among federal, state and local partners. By building local
capacity and leveraging programs, the pilots are producing new models which may be transferrable
to other coastal communities. This paper will present an overview of the Portfields Initiative and
“lessons learned” from each of the three Portfields Pilots.
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Abstract:
Dennis Ducsik
Waterfronts at Work: the Massachusetts Experience with Flexible Protectionism
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Coastal states everywhere have witnessed steep decline in the amount of urbanized shoreline
devoted to maritime commerce, and Massachusetts is no exception. However, the Commonwealth
has had a unique experience in preserving what’s left of its working waterfronts, made possible by a
unique ability to control development on the filled tidelands prevalent in harbors still having
significant capacity to accommodate water-dependent industry (like Boston, Gloucester, and New
Bedford). These prime port spaces -- known as Designated Port Areas (DPAs) -- are subject to
direct state regulation under the “public trust doctrine”, and since 1984 that legal authority has been
utilized to prevent conversions to non-maritime activity that result in loss of essential port
infrastructure. The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (MCZM), at the forefront of
this effort, believes that port protection is best achieved not through land banking but through a
policy with some flexibility to utilize vacant or underutilized DPA properties for non-maritime
purposes. In fact, with safeguards to prevent significant preemption, use diversification can provide
needed economic or operational support to help water-dependent industry survive in the long-run.
In practice, this policy of “flexible protectionism” is implemented through Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations setting forth an array of use restrictions and
performance standards, which are applied on a default basis unless modified by guidance
stipulated in a DPA Master Plan (prepared by the municipality subject to MCZM approval
standards). The presentation will highlight recent successes in meeting the challenge of DPA
governance within this regulatory framework.
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Amy Blizzard
Access in the Southeast: Local Public Access Issues
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The intent of this panel is to encourage participants to discuss beach access issues in the
southeast. Local jurisdictions are ultimately responsible for the implementation of shoreline
access, and their budgets provide the funds and staff for public access development and daily
maintenance of public access sites. Since local governments are “creatures of the state,”
implementation naturally involves a reciprocal relationship with state governments to provide
grants and technical support, while the state gets successful policy implementation at the local
level. Previous shoreline public access evaluations only showed how well each state agency met
federal objectives. Little attention was given to local government programs, despite
acknowledgement that they are the “primary implementers of state coastal policies and programs”
through land-use powers and infrastructure improvements. Clearly the role of local governments
is important in the provision of coastal management programs. While most states in the southeast
are “high tide” states, public trust interpretations vary, depending on community needs, state
policy, and local issues. It is important to understand local incentives and constraints, and how
states respond to public trust implementation debates such as gated communities, beach
nourishment projects, and the increase in private ownership issues. Once we understand
incentives that determine local implementation, we can provide recommendations for improved
public access policy development and program administration.