City Dock Park Clears Last Hurdle Before Annapolis Flood Protection

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The proposed City Dock Park cleared its final hurdle to construction last week, The Capital reported. The newspaper said the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission on March 28 unanimously approved the $71 million park expected to protect downtown from sea level rise.

If completed, the park will feature a fountain, a stage and a waterfront promenade around Ego Alley. The park will also include a raised earthen berm, floodgates and a pumping system.

The Capital said that construction is contingent on a $32 million grant that hasn't yet been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The city said it would still be "a little short" on funding even with the FEMA grant, The Capital reported, though construction is slated to start this November. Utility work was supposed to begin this spring, but The Capital said that was "resequenced" to this October.

"There is nothing to preserve without resiliency," Historic Preservation Commission Vice Chair Kevin Smith said at a March 12 hearing, according to The Capital.

The effort is slated to protect 70% of the downtown shoreline from 8 feet of flooding. The city hopes to cover the remaining coast in future projects that are still years away.

Designers said this would defend the historic district from sea level rise and worsening storm surges until 2060. The city would then need to reassess its protective measures. The United Nations projects Annapolis sea levels to rise at least a foot by the 2050s and at least 2 feet by 2100.

The park is scheduled to open in 2025. The finishing floodproofing touches would continue until 2026. The work is not scheduled to interrupt the spring or fall boat shows at City Dock.

This is Phase 1 of a three-part plan to protect downtown.

Phase 1 construction would start where Dock Street meets the water and wrap along Ego Alley. This portion would end at the current Donner parking lot, which would also be converted into a park.

Phase 2 plans would protect 110 Compromise Street, which houses The Choptank restaurant, to the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel.

Phase 3 would defend the hotel to the Spa Creek bridge.

The final phases would connect City Dock Park to the future Naval Academy seawall, construct a maritime welcome center and raise the historic Burtis House by several feet.

To learn more about the Historic Preservation Commission's approval, read The Capital's full story. Only subscribers of The Capital can access the article, however.

Anybody with an Anne Arundel County Public Library card number can read The Capital's meeting recap at this link by searching "City Dock Park."

Read Patch's City Dock Park preview to learn more about the project's timeline, plans and engineering.

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