Exactly one year after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority announced new Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Guidelines for new building developments undergoing Article 80 review.
Prior to Thursday’s announcement, building projects had to complete a sustainability checklist during Article 80 review. Now, projects will be required to complete a preparedness checklist, which helps compare building characteristics to the possible weather conditions based on the expected life of the project; location; future climate conditions to consider during their planning include sea level rise; extreme heat and weather; interruption of utility services; and possible flooding.
However, while the completion of the checklist must be reviewed and approved by the BRA, developers will not be held to specific standards. There is no "one size fits all," according to a city representative.
During a question-and-answer session, city representatives added that the BRA will recommend existing projects complete the checklist and retroactively make changes where possible, and that established buildings use the standards when future investments are made on buildings.
"Going forward, the principle is how we make investments on our buildings," said Brian Swett, the city’s chief of environmental and energy services. "As stuff starts to turn over, every chance we have of using capital investments to address resiliency, we’re taking it."
Swett added that the move may prove beneficial for many commercial insurance companies. "We’re actually seeing commercial insurance companies move from actuary-based assessments to hazard assessments, where they can look at existing companies and reduce the risks they face," he said.
The changes will affect all future development projects undergoing Article 80 review.
Under Article 80, the impacts of both large and small projects; planned development areas; and institutional master plans on transportation, public realm, the environment and historic resources can be reviewed, according to the BRA.
The new guidelines were announced by Menino on Tuesday at the Boston’s Climate Action Progress event. His administration’s report, Climate Ready Boston, a new local wetlands ordinance, and other preparedness programs were revealed.
The announcement came a year to the day that Hurricane Sandy touched down and ravaged the East Coast.
"While climate preparedness is an ongoing, long-term effort, the city has made significant advances this past year," said Swett. "We now have a deeper understanding of how climate change will impact Boston, and what the public and private sectors can and should do to prepare."
The storm caused more than $20 million in property damage in Massachusetts, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
However, the state was spared the damage inflicted on Connecticut, New York and New Jersey (where the storm touched down). Up and down the East Coast, Sandy caused an estimated $25 billion in insured losses, Reuters reported.
In February, Menino announced new planning and policy initiatives and a review of the city’s preparedness activities in the wake of the Hurricane and the threats it posed.
"Had Sandy hit Boston during high tide, our city would have experienced a 100-year flood event," said Menino at the Climate Ready Boston announcement. Boston sea level maps show that a 100-year flood event could result in a five-foot surge.
More than 6 percent of Boston, including parts of all coastal neighborhoods, would have been deluged with water if Sandy had hit during high tide.
The guidelines of the new BRA Article 80 review process are expected to be presented to the BRA board on Nov. 14 and will be implemented within the next month, according to a press release.
