With a recent influx of cash from the federal government the Trustees of Reservation are confident that construction on the Piers Park Phase III will begin in spring 2023.
At a community meeting last week Gabriela Ramirez, who has been providing regular updates for the Trustees to community groups, a final design on the park should be hashed out soon with the community and after construction begins, the park should open in 2025.
“I want to thank everyone that attended our Community Design Review in February,” said Ramirez. “We really appreciate everyone’s feedback and the interactions I’ve seen from community members in our Facebook group. Listening to the feedback we got last year in our design survey and in the fall in our programming survey, we’re excited for the evolution of the project. We think we’re heading in a direction that allows for more programming and improving the quality of the marine and habitat we want to bring to the site.”
The updated design for Piers Park III released in February features open green lawns with stunning views of the Boston skyline, a kayak launch, tidal pools, and marine and upland habitats. The park will offer unique and exceptional public access to the water, something frequently requested during public outreach.
These new design elements gathered through public feedback courtesy of Eastie residents includes less open water in favor of larger and more accessible landscapes.
The new design maintains unique and exceptional public access to the water with an additional access point to the uplands area of the park while preserving the site’s maritime history.
The new design also adds more areas for habitats and robust ecological zones within the park such as a tidal pool and salt marsh.
Ramirez said the Trustees of Reservation is still working on tweaking the design and will work with the community on a final design this summer.
“Construction is going to start in spring of 2023,” said Ramirez. “Then we’re hoping for an opening sometime in spring 2025. So until then we will continue our robust community dialogue during the ongoing design process.”
Ramirez said the Trustees of Reservation launched an interactive site through its website
that allows residents to interact via a comment wall.
“You can text us your feedback, you can respond to some questions, and it’s in multiple languages so it’s very accessible for community members across East Boston,” said Ramirez. “We hope you’ll join us on this site to continue to join the conversation and share your feedback with the team.”
The project recently secured $2 million in Congressional Directed Spending (CDS) federal funding thanks to the efforts of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey and U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
The funding for the project was signed by President Joseph Biden on March 11, 2022.
Three years ago, the Trustees of Reservations submitted the only bid to Massport’s call for a private/public partner to come forward and help fund the design and construction of Piers Park Phase III.
The dilapidated pier is adjacent to Massport’s award winning Piers Park and the future Piers Park Phase II project.
The $2 million will contribute to the construction of the park – an estimated $35 to $40 million project that is being funded largely through philanthropic contributions The Trustees is raising from a mix of private individuals, foundations and corporations. To date, $28.5 million has been committed to build Piers Park III.
Altogether, Piers Park Phases I, II, and III will provide 14.5 acres of public open space – a landscape more than twice the size of Christopher Columbus Park in Boston’s North End.