Project Abstract
Community issues, more than transportation issues, helped to initiate this project. The project area was the neglected and forgotten end of the beach. The southern half of the beach was renovated in the 1990s in accordance with the 1979 Master Plan. But even the Master Plan seemed to ignore this area, as the maps seemed to trail off just north of the limit of what was renovated in the 1990s.
The existing storm drainage system did not function well. There were long puddles along the gutterline. The catch basins were often clogged with sand as were the pipes under the beach that discharged to the ocean. After Revere Beach was re-nourished in the early 1990s, a problem of blowing sand developed. Residents complained and the sand also filled up the catch basins and clogged the pipes...
-- Excerpt from Revere Beach Boulevard Improvements Submission Form (452KB PDF) --
Overview
The project brought together the major stakeholders included the project sponsor (DCR), the City of Revere, community groups such as Revere Cares, the project abutters, and the general public. Through meetings with each party early in the process, the needs and concerns of each group was determined. This included both a series of design charettes attended by Initial meetings with DCR and the City (represented by the Mayor and Director of Planning), as well as a series of 3 public meetings.
The result of these meetings was the development of a conceptual design that was in harmony with the beach itself, its historical significance as America’s first public beach, and environmental resources, while respecting then needs in interests of beach goers, residents and businesses alike.
This was reflected in key elements of the design:
- Restoration of the historic boulevard cross section through the provision of a beach side promenade and incorporation of historic street lighting fixtures.
- The restored promenade greatly improved safe and convenient access to the beach and provided the added amenity of a pleasant place for walking, jogging, strolling or slow bicycle riding.
- The elimination of the angled parking improved the aesthetic of the beach, while the replacement parallel parking provides an adequate number of spaces of the demand of beach goers.
- The storm drainage system replaced with a new infiltration system that eliminated discharges to the beach.
- An experimental dune system to address windblown sand has attracted rare and threatened birds for whom the beach can provide needed habitat.
Implemented on a expeditious delivery schedule, the project demonstrated an efficient and effective use of the resources (time, budget, community) of all involved parties.
CSS Qualities: Process
Design Team Selection: The first step in the process is the engagement of a design team that understands and is experienced in the contextual issues of the project. For this, DCR selected Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) in a competitive qualifications-based selection process. To lead its team, PB had selected a project manager, John Burckardt, an engineer with project experience spanning historic parks, roadway design and coastal design. PB teamed with Pressley Associates, Inc., a firm that specializes in both historic preservation and landscape/streetscape design. Design Charettes: PB lead a series of design charettes in its office, as which DCR, the City of Revere (represented by Mayor Ambrosino and the heads of his Planning and Public Works Departments), PB’s engineers and Pressley’s landscape architects. These meetings allowed the exploration of alternative concepts and, through that process, achieved consensus on the final design.
Public Meetings: To make the tight schedule, the public had to be engaged. We proposed 3 design meetings at key points in the design development, allowing for public input and comment, while maintaining the design progress.
On-Board Design Reviews: There was no time for the usual review and comment periods at the 25%, 75% and 100% design stages. Instead, PB convinced DCR to have a series of "on-board" reviews where the PB Team presented the design to DCR staff and city staff in order to obtain comments on the spot.
CSS Qualities: Outcomes
- Greatly improved access to the beach entrances: before, beach entrances were lost in the sea of cars parked in the angled parking area. Now all beach access points are clearly visible along the new beachside promenade.
- New beachside promenade provides a wonderful location for walking, jogging, strolling, or low-speed bicycling. These recreational benefits provided in a scenic setting (overlooking the beach and ocean) also foster healthy/active living. People may not walk in their neighborhoods, but enjoy strolling by the beach.
- New, safer crosswalks featuring bump-outs improves access to the beachside promenade and the beach itself. These features also tend to calm traffic.
- The overall improvements including the new wide sidewalks on both sides of the boulevard along with new period street lights and street trees greatly improves the aesthetic of this section of the boulevard and beach. This, in turn, increases the attractiveness of Revere Beach to the general public while improving property values (and, therefore tax revenues) for the City of Revere.
- The experimental dunes added to reduce windblown sand have a secondary benefit of providing wildlife habitat in that they have attracted threatened bird species who would not otherwise have dared to nest at Revere Beach.
Further Reading:
Revere Beach CSS Attachments
Revere Beach Boulevard Improvements
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