Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
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. [email protected] Email: 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. Presenter: Presentation: Email: Abstract: Meredith Mendelson The Portfields Initiative: Revitalizing Port and Harbor Communities [email protected] “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. Presenter: Presentation: Email: Abstract: Dennis Ducsik Waterfronts at Work: the Massachusetts Experience with Flexible Protectionism [email protected] 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. Presenter: Presentation: Email: Abstract: Amy Blizzard Access in the Southeast: Local Public Access Issues [email protected] 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.