Boston Hopes to Make it Easier for Developers to Prepare for Rising Seas

Several agencies with the city of Boston will begin studying how to retrofit the city's building codes to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

2 minute read

June 22, 2015, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Jon Chesto reports that Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh "has directed the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the city’s environmental services and inspectional services divisions to reduce the red tape involved with building or modifying a structure if it’s for the purpose of making it less prone to flood damage."

The order from the mayor is intended to help developers prepare for the impacts of rising seas as a result of climate change. The improvements at the ground level could have an impact at higher elevations of the city 's building stock, however. According to Chesto, "the three city agencies will determine whether it’s OK to raise height restrictions to accommodate putting mechanical systems on a higher floor, or on the roof. To avoid flood damage, electrical and HVAC systems would be located above the ground floor. But that could take away from valuable office or residential space. An extra height allowance could give owners and developers room to make up the difference."

It's possible that zoning codes that come out of a new policy could change the way buildings are measured. "In other words, a certain amount of 'flood resistant' footage wouldn’t be counted against a building’s height limit," writes Chesto.

As for existing buildings, one business owner cited by Chesto has already requested permission from the Boston Redevelopment Authority to build extra office space on the roof of a building in exchange for moving electrical systems out of the basement.

Thursday, June 18, 2015 in The Boston Globe

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