Water-oriented concerns on either side of rotting Navy Yard pier submit radically different proposals

A marina on one side of the unused, decaying Pier 5 at the Charlestown Navy Yard and a non-profit sailing program on the other side last week submitted the only two proposals to the city for redeveloping the site.

The owners of the Charlestown Marina, on Pier 6, say they would simply tear down the entire pier and replace it with a new floating extension of their existing marina.  Officials at Courageous Sailing, which offers sailing classes on Pier 4, though, would team with two real-estate investment firms to rebuild the pier as a public series of indoor and outdoor facilities aimed at water-related education and public events  - including an exhibit hall and a six-lane floating harbor swimming pool and a stepped sitting area for gazing across the harbor.

This is the second time that what is now the Boston Planning Department has solicited proposals for the pier. At first, the city looked to put housing on the site, but in 2021, the then BPDA rejected the three proposals it got - two of which called for what would have been the city's first floating housing complexes, one of which called for a more traditional building on pilings. The city said it wasn't ready for floating apartments and that the more traditional building might not be able to resist rising seas.

Charles and Ann Lagasse, who own the Charlestown Marina, submitted a plan to tear down the existing pier and replace it with  "a new series of publicly available floating docks and wave attenuators that extend off the existing dockage at Pier 6," with roughly 45 slips. 

Pier 5 is not viable for any land-based development, with virtually no access from the land side. Our proposal is for a simple marina expansion that meets all Chapter 91 [state waterfront] criteria and is financially sound and executable. The primary benefit to the community is to enable the removal of an unsightly and dangerous concrete pier for the benefit of Navy Yard residents and all of Boston. Other than the City's $8 million contribution, our proposal does not rely on any external or conditional financing or fundraising and can be implemented immediately 100% with our own internal capital.

Their plan calls for demolition to be done via barges, with a staging area at the  East Boston Shipyard, to minimize disturbances to Navy Yard residents. They said they would be willing to talk with Courageous about ways to help it expand its programs.

They say their project is, by definition, resilient in the face of rising tides because the docks all float.

Marina rendering:

Courageous, however, sees a continuing future for the pier, to extend their educational and waterfront activities from Pier 4 to Pier 5:

The team has developed a bold vision that prioritizes community engagement, urban waterway resiliency, recreation, and education, as well as a unique canvas for meaningful engagement, gatherings, and inclusive education through artistic and interactive expression. The plan activates Pier 5 with activities for all aspects of the public including children, families, young adults, seniors, residents across Boston, visitors, Massachusetts K-12 students, higher education students, and the ocean scientific community.

The Project blends shared multi-purpose indoor space (29,500 ft2) with publicly accessible outdoor open space (60,300 ft2), including a roof terrace (8,000 ft2), a harbor pool and floating deck (10,000 ft2), an ecological learning lagoon (10,000 ft2), and a public venue (5,000 ft2) within the original pier footprint bordered by steps and docks that bring visitors to water level. ...

Our approach to the Project is conceived to promote the public's direct interaction with the Harbor in myriad ways, from boating to swimming, to fishing, to learning, to sitting and dipping one's toes on a sunny day while taking in the views.

Beyond regular visitors to the facilities for classes and events at Courageous, we anticipate Pier 5 (and, subject to necessary entitlements, a revitalized Pier 4) will become a routine extension of visitor activity and tourism along the Freedom Trail and Harborwalk. We imagine no visit to the USS Constitution and Constitution Museum will be complete without a trip to the site to experience the immersive gallery vividly bringing Boston Harbor's marine experience to life, and, for many, getting out on the harbor, under sail, to take in the views of the USS Constitution and the city skyline from the water.

We see a future where artworks and messaging curated by Embrace Boston and the Navy Yard Garden and Art will promote inclusive access and deepen the connection all residents feel to Boston Harbor.

Courageous says it would deal with rising seas by raising the top level of the pier above what experts now expect for harbor flooding over the coming decades.

The planning department has yet to set dates for any meetings on the proposals.

Complete filings.

H/t Eric Bender.