HR&A Advisors, Inc.

This article is a companion to an article published by The Conservation Law Foundation, available HERE .   The Conservation Law Foundation and HR&A Advisors developed the Massachusetts Tideland Development Calculator , a unique education and advocacy tool that represents a new and innovative approach to evaluating the economic tradeoffs between public and private access to public land.   The Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act—also known as “Chapter 91” of Massachusetts General Laws—gives every state resident a legal right to access waterfront areas called tidelands. The Act sets specific requirements on land uses, building heights, and the siting of public open space in tidelands. The goal of these rules is to preserve public access to the waterfront.       When public and private interests conflict, a need for new tools In high-value real estate markets—such as Downtown Boston and Boston’s Seaport neighborhood—Chapter 91 requirements and real est...