Cape Ann’s communities contain areas that reflect and represent their deep cultural heritage. These areas, which enhance the public realm and provide financial benefits to homeowners, builders, businesses, and municipalities, should be elevated above projected flood levels.¹²

While elevating buildings can reduce flood insurance premiums, these measures are costly and cannot be deployed across entire municipalities.³⁴ During construction, communities should relocate critical infrastructure, including wastewater and electric systems, to higher ground to ensure they are protected in perpetuity.

Communities must decide where to invest in elevating districts and individual structures as well as where other adaptation measures, including armoring and relocating, would be more effective.

At-risk districts in each municipality are elevated to avoid floodwaters. Zoning overlays, including special districts, establish the boundaries of these areas.

The Rocky Neck Cultural District is elevated incrementally. The road is elevated by two-foot increments in 2030, 2050, and 2070. East Main Street and Rocky Neck Avenue, the primary roadways, are elevated first.⁵

The buildings are individually adapted to meet the height of the road. Structures in the FEMA VE flood zone that are subject to wave action are elevated on piles, piers, or posts with open foundations.⁶ Structures in the FEMA AE flood zone that are not subject to wave action are elevated by raising the lowest occupiable floor on solid foundation walls with filled subgrade space.⁷

Elevating the road incrementally allows working waterfront businesses, individual homeowners, and artisans time to adapt at their building level to meet the grade of elevated roads.

Home and business owners that elevate above the Base Flood Elevation with freeboard pay for construction costs, with the savings they receive on flood insurance within eight years. ⁸

Rockport’s downtown is built on a granite outcropping around Front Street. The downtown faces northeast and is vulnerable to flooding during nor’easters, which have damaged waterfront businesses in the past.⁹
Downtown buildings in the FEMA VE flood zone can be elevated on open foundations. ¹⁰

Floodwaters pass under the buildings during periods of heavy flooding. Vehicles and other equipment that can be moved easily are stored underneath buildings. An overlay district in the zoning code allows the buildings to increase in height.

The Village Core in Manchester-by-the-Sea was built around a former estuary that was dredged into the Inner Harbor and Central Pond.¹¹

In the Village Core, the foundations of buildings in the floodplain are filled and Central Street is raised. The elevated MBTA tracks and surge gates protect the core. The Wastewater Treatment Plant is relocated to a regional plant on higher ground outside of Manchester.¹²¹³

An overlay district allows the buildings to increase in height. The critical electrical infrastructure under Central Street is maintained underground while a secondary feeder line is constructed on Cape Ann.

The Causeway is the heart of the Essex’s commercial downtown. The downtown district crosses the Great Marsh. The road was elevated by eight feet in 2012, but the surrounding structures are at immediate risk of flooding.¹⁴

The downtown buildings are relocated and infilled to create a dense, walkable downtown in west Essex while restoring the functions of the marsh ecosystem. Overhead utility lines are removed during the relocation.¹⁵¹⁶

The Cape Ann Transit Authority brings tourists to visit the densified downtown Essex.

The businesses and residences on Bearskin Neck are elevated on piers and pylons. Cars are stored under buildings.

Rocky Neck residences in high-velocity wave zones are elevated on piers and pylons.

The Manchester Village Core is elevated with solid foundations. The Building Code adopts visual standards to maintain the character of downtown Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Elevating structures and roads can protect from incremental changes such as sea level rise, but these properties and districts are still vulnerable to storm surge and high winds during intense storms.