ONE WESTPORT

WhatisONEWestport?

PROPOSED REVISIONS OF ONE WESTPORT

PROPOSED REVISIONS OF ONE WESTPORT

WESTPORT - BALTIMORE

Issues

• A 43 acre parcel on the Westport Waterfront, i.e., the western shore of the middle branch of the Patapsco River in South Baltimore City.

A combination of for-sale townhouse, multi-family apartments (affordable and market-rate), senior apartments, retail, office, public parks, waterfront promenade, and a multi-purpose public recreation field.

ONEWestportMission

• To create a new development that complements and supports the exisiting communities in the middle branch of the Patapsco River.

To develop the site with multiple developers from around the country.

To re-develop and re-vitalize homes and businesses in the exisitng community by integrating the area into the site design.

• To upgrade the existing light rail station and create an active multi-modal hub for all of Westport and the middle branch communities.

Existing Site Conditions

Existing CSX freight rail line and light rail line propose a significant barrier between waterfront re-development and the existing community.

Current development plan proposes a railroad crossing as primary connection to the existing Westport community.

• Current development plan proposes a large dock landing and “hard” shoreline to support it in the mixed-use commercially focused district. The prioritized uses of commercial/retail spaces have not identified.

ProposedSolutions

• Create a pedestrian bridge from the intersection of Cedley Street and Kent Street to the east-side sidewalk of New Kloman Street. Connect to the north entrance of a new elevated lightrail station. Bridge the intersection of Cedley Street and Maisel Street with a pedestrian bridge to the south entrance of the new elevated lightrail station.

Convert the “hard” shoreline and dock in commercial district with a continuous “soft” shoreline that is accessibile from commercial area and proposed African-American Heritage Trail.

• Design and orient commercial spaces in-line with projections for employment growth in South Baltimore. Prioritize arts/entertainment, health/medical, and information sectors.

I-295

PROPOSED BY ONE WESTPORT

Shoreline Townhouses Relocated

“Soft” Shoreline Preserved

AA Heritage Trail Supported by Waterfront Park

Hovercraft Landing

Pedestrian Bridges

Elevated Light Rail Station

These proposed revisions seek to address the existing barriers between the Westport waterfront site and the community. Through the creation of pedestrian bridges and an elevated light rail station the existing community will no longer have to rely on using the CSX railroad crossing parallel to Kloman Street, currently the only access point to the site. The revisions also incorporate a hovercraft landing, extending the waterfront’s “soft” shoreline, and setting proposed residences back from the waterfront by moving the proposed public park to the shoreline. A SOUTH-FACING SECTION THROUGH KENT STREET - WESTPORT, BALTIMORE

PROPOSED REVISIONS OF ONE WESTPORT

Cherry Island Wetland Park

by Alex Cartwright, Cece McCrary, Yining Wang

Cherry Island, the land mass bounded by the Delaware River, Brandywine River, and Shellpot Creek, was once almost entirely wetland. Over the last two centuries Shellpot Creek has been redirected, filled, and cast aside. Today, Cherry Island Marsh is all but forgotten, buried under refuse, roads, and sewage, and is mostly disconnected from its life source. Wetlands persist on the site, but much of the wetland habitat has been lost and that which remains is degraded.

Like much of the Atlantic Coast, this site will experience inundation due to sea level rise. The primary design condition considered in this project is 4ft of sea level rise around the year 2100, based upon the latest report from NOAA. In this scenario, the banks of the Brandywine Creek will overflow and the low-lying areas of the former Cherry Island Marsh that have not been elevated will be inundated, including many current commercial and industrial land uses such as the Norfolk Southern Edgemoor Railyard, an asphalt plant, chemical manufacturing along the Brandywine, the Howard Young Correctional Institution, and portions of the Hay Road Power Complex. The Amtrak maintenance facility is not projected to be persistently inundated but is currently, and will increasingly be, threatened by storm surge and is already in the 100-year and 500-year floodplains.

Sea level rise threatens the future of vital salt marsh habitat throughout major estuaries in the northeast like the Chesapeake and the Delaware with studies predicting 20% to 90% total wetland loss. The Mid-Atlantic in particular is experiencing sea level rise at a faster rate than the rest of the country due to land subsidence. Furthermore, Delaware is the lowest state in the United States, with almost a quarter of the land area in the state designated as wetlands. When the seas rise, where will these marsh go? Cherry Island has the potential to host substantially more marsh habitat than it currently does and can be designed to allow for successful migration of mashes in the future.

Data and other materials analyzed for this project include historical topographic maps, histories and ethnographies of the Wilmington area, geology and soils, land cover and land use, transportation networks, flora and fauna comprising persisting ecosystems, and state and federal policies that interface with infrastructure and environment in the region.

Site Analysis

The analysis for this project began through investigations of historical USGS topographic maps, which trace the disappearnace of Cherry Island Marsh as Shellpot Creek was rerouted and the area was diked and developed. Further analysis included site visits as well examining the presence of existing wetlands, land ownership, and predicted sea level rise impacts in a four feet rise scenario, estimated to occur between 2070 and 2100.

Several section drawings were produced to better understand the topography and the interaction between infrastructure and land cover.

Proposed Interventions

The analysis led to the development of several site interventions that restore hydrologic and ecosystem connectivity, while planning for a future where people can visit and engage with the site. Removal of noxious land uses in the historic creek path and the re-establishment of Shellpot Creek are the first interventions proposed. The construction of a porous freeway base under I-495 and the elevation of the freight rail yard and lines allow for habitat connectivity and increased resilience for these assets. Subsequent land bridges built over the freeway allow for safer relationship between wildlife and vehicles and additional habitat connection.

These proposals are replicable at other sites that are situated near shorlines where transit infrastructure faces flood vulnerability and has displaced habitat and ecosystems. Funding through BIL programs such as PROTECT and the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program specifically targets interventions such as those included in this project.