Clippership Wharf

Retained by Lendlease, FPA was responsible for leading and managing the environmental review and permitting of the mixed-use, transit-oriented redevelopment project on seven acres of vacant, underutilized land at Clippership Wharf in East Boston, MA. The project involved the construction of four six-story buildings containing up to 478 residential units, a public social and fitness club, two restaurants, a commuter café, public parking, and a docking facility for boating and recreational uses meant to create a waterfront destination for the entire East Boston community. Project amenities include approximately 189,000 square feet of open space, including 1,400 linear feet of Harborwalk, a wetland exploration and interpretive area, a kayak launch, lawn and viewing areas, benches, lighting, and other waterfront improvements.

FPA was responsible for the approvals for the award-winning resilient project, including the innovative “living shoreline” component, which pulls back the shoreline to create a complex and resilient salt marsh and coastal bank area, unusual for a downtown urban environment. The design includes a combination of resilient solutions, including terraced landscape buffers, seawalls, and native plantings, that exceed Boston’s Coastal Flood Resilience Design standards. The approximately 28,000-square-foot living shoreline included a maintenance and monitoring program to support its growth in the initial stages, which is critical to establishing a beneficial habitat in the coastal environment. The living shoreline allows people to interact with the water’s edge and experience different wetland habitats.