Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Waterfront Flood Mitigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City requests $40 million addition for waterfront flood mitigation; staff cites deteriorating bulkheads and long-term sea-level rise
Summary
Staff asked council to add $40 million to the waterfront flood mitigation project to replace failing bulkheads, advance a pump station and raise protections to a 6-foot elevation in the core waterfront area; staff said condition ratings range from poor to critical and emphasized the work would be tied to ongoing design and regulatory processes.
City staff told council they are requesting an additional $40,000,000 for the waterfront flood mitigation project to replace failing shoreline infrastructure in the core waterfront area and to advance associated civil work and a pump station.
A staff presenter said the additional funding would primarily cover a new bulkhead that extends from Duke Street past Waterfront Park toward Whales Alley, repairs to adjacent civil infrastructure and elements needed to achieve the project's "elevation 6" flood protection level in the core area. The presenter said the component being advanced would stop short of replacing the bulkhead north of Founder's Park but still would meet the proposed flood mitigation elevation and permit future "future proofing" if the city later raised design elevations.
Why this matters: staff said many shoreline segments are at or beyond useful life and that the most critical condition is at Waterfront Park where a concrete bulkhead and promenade have rapidly declined. The presenter said condition ratings across the waterfront range from "poor to critical," and that because staff will be elevating land side grades, work will create a "bathtub" that requires pumping to drain, making a pump station integral to a holistic solution.
Details from the presentation
- Scope: The requested $40 million was described as covering the core project area centered on Point Lumley and Waterfront Park, including a technically preferred bulkhead concept along prime sections of the shoreline and elevation work across the park footprint.
- Condition and costs: Staff summarized multiple shoreline assessments, the most recent from 2023, showing rapid deterioration in some segments. Earlier planning-level estimates for the full waterfront project (including marina and the more northern bulkhead segments) have ranged from $250 million to $350 million; staff said the requested $40 million is focused on the current design-development work in the core area.
- Pump station: Staff explained that raising waterfront elevations without adequate drainage would leave water trapped landward of a new bulkhead and therefore a pump station and upgraded stormwater infrastructure are required to recover quickly after flood events.
- Funding and grants: Staff said they have pursued federal, state and other grants and will continue to do so but advanced this request to keep design and regulatory work moving; the presentation did not identify a single final funding source for the additional $40 million.
Council members asked whether waterfront work could be leveraged to create revenue-generating amenities (marina or piers). Staff said prior marina analyses raised operational and jurisdictional concerns and that the shallow depth at Point Lumley made a full marina unlikely to cover its operating costs; staff said they would review earlier marina study materials again.
Ending
Staff said they were advancing design-development work and the DSUP (development special use permit) process and described the request as an opportunity to capitalize on the timing of other underground and park work. Council directed questions and asked staff to return with additional details on scope, phasing and funding sources as the design process proceeds.
