Waterfront Regulations

Chapter 91 - Massachusetts Waterfront Act

Waterfront Regulations

Article 97 - Massachusetts Constitution

“The people shall have the right to clean air and water, freedom from excessive and unnecessary noise, and the natural, scenic, historic and aesthetic qualities of their environment”

Clean Water Act

“The objective of this Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.”

Chapter 91 - Massachusetts Waterfront Act

Chapter 91 was made for the protection and promotion of public use of a city or town’s tidelands and waterways. This regulation guarantees private users to access waterways, and to have all serve a proper use for the public. It may also be worth evaluating traffic laws and maritime regulations to determine if policies could be implemented to reduce idling times for road and maritime vehicles along the coast. This neighborhood contains the largest proportion of unemployed individuals, adults that lack English proficiency, and family households compared to the rest of Chelsea.

Much of the current zoning features underutilized waterfront industrial zones at risk from flooding. these industries produce pollutants that not only are absorbed into the soil but are washed out into the harbor. While rising sea leevls and storm surges have become more pressing of an issue, these polluted zones can cause negative health effects for the community. Floods can wash the pollutants further inland, spreading the footprint.

There are over 10,000 industrial, logistics, and industrial service-type businesses in Suffolk County and Middlesex County.1 By comparison, there are only 118 water-dependent businesses—as defined by the DPA regulations—located in the 2 counties – 1.1% of all industrial-type businesses. 58% of these businesses are related to the seafood industry as processors or wholesalers with wholesaling representing 64% of these businesses. From prior work for the Boston Marine Industrial Park (BMIP) plan, these businesses are located exclusively in Boston and the BMIP due to the proximity to Logan Airport in order to receive or send shipments of seafood via air cargo with minimal delay.

Designated Port Areas

Designated port areas are legal areas created to protect the operational features of a city’s coast for industrial use. Industrial-centric industries are those dependent of the advantages the harbor brings, such as commercial fishing, shipping, or vessel related marine activity. These areas allow specific industrial uses to take advantage of the water-table and overpower it’s ecological operation. As a consequence, majority of Chelsea’s coastal land use is limited and consumed by water-dependent industrial (WDI) uses.1 Dimensional standards for building zoning is also included within the Chapter 91 Jurisdiction. Fr waterdependent industries, such as those requiring direct access to water. Chapter 91 regulates building heights, public open spaces on the parcel, Harbor walks, and ground floor zoning uses. Non water-dependent industries include those that may be on DPA land but do not rely on the location’s proximity to water e.g., retail, hotels, offices, restaurants, and residences.

We are accomplishing every goal and every strategy on every site - just not with every tool in every given instance. These strategies are meant to break at the seams between each tool and hinge into another configuration if another parcel project inquires more strategies.