Boston’s glittering Seaport District, which is the preferred neighborhood of biotech billionaires and NBA stars, could be underwater by 2050 due to what experts call a catastrophic planning blunder.
The 33-acre enclave, known for its glassy high-rises, harbor views and upscale bars, was built at sea level on reclaimed land, leaving it dangerously exposed to flooding that city engineers have warned could soon turn its streets into canals.
‘It would be water deep enough for people to kayak through,’ warned Derek Anderson, who leads Arup’s Boston water team, in an interview with the Boston Globe.
Boston is already prone to flooding as it was built on reclaimed swamplands The sea levels have already risen by 10 inches since the city’s foundation and more frequent nor’easter storms have exposed more of the city to floods.
The risk was already known when the Seaport was approved in the 1990s, but yet developers forged ahead, creating what critics now describe as Boston’s most fragile neighborhood.
The area today houses the headquarters of Reebok and Vertex Pharmaceuticals and has drawn NBA stars including Jaylen Brown, 28, and Kristaps Porzingis, 29, both of the Boston Celtics.
The vulnerable Seaport also now props up the city’s finances: it makes up less than four percent of Boston’s land but generates around ten percent of its tax revenue.
Its $20 billion in real estate produced $343 million in property taxes last year alone, according to city records.
The Seaport District’s median household income is the highest in all of Boston at $167,446
The Seaport stretches 33 acres and is touted for its waterfront views, luxury residences and workplace amenities
Engineers say many Seaport buildings include flood-proofing measures, such as re-installable first floors or deployable flood barriers, but these would only kick in after the surrounding streets and tunnels were already underwater.
‘When private developers say, ‘We’ve made our buildings resilient,’ they’re not talking about making the neighborhood resilient,’ Anderson said.
A single nor’easter could cause up to $1.2 billion in damage, local station WBUR reported, jeopardizing Vertex’s $1.1 billion waterfront headquarters complex and Reebok’s 220,000-square-foot offices.
NBA player Jaylen Brown owns a $4.8million, 2,964-square-foot penthouse in the Seaport
The Seaport makes up roughly 10 percent of Boston’s tax base but takes up less than four percent of its land
Amazon also has a major footprint in the area: the retail giant leases a 430,000-square-foot office building near Harbor Way park and plans to add another 630,000-square-foot site to its Seaport operations despite the flooding threat.
The Seaport’s residents are among the wealthiest in Boston, with a median household income of $167,446, city data shows.
Brown, 29, owns a $4.8 million penthouse in the St. Regis Residences luxury tower, where his ex-teammate Porzingis also once lived.
Experts warn the Seaport is just the start.
By 2050, the city predicts seven percent of Boston’s land could face routine flooding, potentially displacing 100,000 residents if sea levels continue to rise unchecked.
