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Port authority and property owner seek harbor‑line relocation in New Bedford to repair bulkhead and reactivate waterfront site
Summary
New Bedford Port Authority, a property owner and an investor testified in favor of House Bill 4109 to relocate a harbor line by roughly 10 feet at a 7.24‑acre site so a failing bulkhead can be replaced and the waterfront parcel reactivated for water‑dependent industry, which proponents said would support jobs and further port modernization.
Gordon Carr, executive director of the New Bedford Port Authority, told the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources that House Bill 4109 requests a modest harbor‑line relocation seaward of existing deteriorated bulkhead at a 7.24‑acre parcel within the designated port area so that a new bulkhead can be installed.
Carr described the site’s recent history: a 2015 tenant, Blue Harvest, pursued commercial fishing and processing operations, later sold vessels and in 2023 filed for Chapter 7 liquidation leaving vendors unpaid. Store Capital, a national real estate investment trust, acquired the property and, Carr said, is prepared to invest to reactivate water‑dependent industrial uses but needs a harbor‑line relocation to permit reconstruction and permit the new bulkhead.
Susan Nilsen, a licensed civil engineer, described structural deterioration: she said the concrete and steel bulkheads show holes and that the toe of the concrete wall has “kicked out up to 5 feet,” rendering a portion of the site fenced and inaccessible. She said the requested shift is roughly a 10‑foot seaward offset to allow construction of a new bulkhead and that the change is minor relative to navigation and the overall harbor.
A representative for Store Capital said the company is prepared to invest in the repair; in testimony Store Capital estimated the bulkhead replacement cost in the range of $8–$10 million and described a prospective tenant ready to occupy the repaired facility and employ an estimated 50–75 additional workers. Witnesses said the parcel sits in the designated port area and that relocation of the harbor line is a prerequisite to the permitting process under Chapter 91 and local permitting.
Ending: Supporters asked the committee to advance H4109 so permitting and safety work can proceed; no committee vote occurred during the hearing.
