Reimagining an industrial shoreline along Lower Chelsea Creek in East Boston

Vision Chelsea Creek, a six-month long visioning, planning and engagement process to reimagine an abandoned railway site along the industrial shoreline of Lower Chelsea Creek in East Boston has culminated with the release of an inspiring plan.

Launched in May 2020 by grassroots non-profit The Harborkeepers, the design was completed following a robust community engagement process, in collaboration with landscape architecture firm SCAPE and Cargo Ventures, and with support from Utile, the Boston Society for Architecture and the Boston Society of Landscape Architecture. ​

The project site itself runs parallel with Route 1A along Chelsea Creek and stretches across three neighborhoods: Orient Heights, Harbor View, and Eagle Hill. Currently an industrial shoreline, the newly released waterfront design proposes creating a network of climate-resilient greenways that preserve the working waterfront while offering easy access to the shoreline and linking the three communities. Four strategies are outlined as focus areas for the vision:

  1. A Network of Greenways

  2. A Resilient Edge

  3. An Urban Boulevard

  4. A Working Waterfront

To develop this plan, the project team held a series of public workshops, bringing together members of the public with local stakeholders, funders, industry partners and more. All were encouraged to voice their opinions, concerns, and ideas for how the site could be reimagined. During this process the Boston Waterfront Initiative’s youth employment program, the Waterfront Ambassadors, had a chance to learn about and take part in the process, with a virtual presentation from Harborkeepers Executive Director Magdalena Ayed.

“It was very cool to see the creek from her perspective as someone with so much knowledge and passion for the area,” said Program Manager Sarah Plotkin in August. “Magdalena also joined us again to get the Ambassador's feedback as youth leaders on certain aspects of the Vision Chelsea Creek Project.  Since many of our Ambassadors live near the site in East Boston and Chelsea it was a great opportunity for them to share their opinions as locals and people who will be affected by the project.”

Coastal flood resilience design guidelines for Boston, adopted in 2019 to augment Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Climate Ready Boston initiative, identify waterfront parks and green space as a way to enhance neighborhoods, create access to the waterfront, and bolster resilience to flooding and storms. In its report, Vision Chelsea Creek identifies living shorelines, restored wetlands, soft edges, and permeable streetscapes as potential components to help buffer wave energy and absorb excess stormwater. Climate-resilient green infrastructure options are also being explored by One Waterfront, as The Trustees Boston Waterfront Initiative works to create and manage a series of waterfront parks along Boston’s Harbor, beginning with Piers Park III in East Boston.

Following its publication of concept designs and strategies for Vision Chelsea Creek in January, the design team is continuing engagement efforts, inviting members of the public to join site walks and future focus groups. To stay updated and learn more about this project, visit: https://www.harborkeepers.org/vision-chelsea-creek

To read the report and learn more about the vision for the future of the site, click here.

The One Waterfront Team