- Climate vulnerability assessment of Town of Groton’s Downtown Mystic assets and historic business district along the Mystic River
- Climate adaptation conceptual design analysis
- Review of CIRCA coastal flood scenarios with predicted sea level rise impacts
- Stormwater infrastructure inventory and geospatial analysis
- Three public outreach and engagement meetings
- The plan was completed February 1, 2024, with priority actions to pursue grant funding to improve climate resiliency in the study area
Challenge
The Town of Groton received a NFWF Long Island Sound Futures Fund grant for developing a resiliency plan in their historic downtown business district, Downtown Mystic. Downtown Mystic is densely developed and prone to frequent flooding. During the resiliency planning project, Downtown Mystic had multiple floods causing businesses and residents near the Mystic River to lose power and experience flooding.
Solution
GZA was retained in 2022 and the plan was completed in collaboration with the Town of Groton’s Planning and Development Division and an eight-member technical advisory committee. The Downtown Mystic Resiliency Improvement Plan included:
- Climate vulnerability assessment of the properties, critical infrastructure, and businesses to the combined effects of coincident coastal, marsh, inner- and outer- lagoons and precipitation-related flooding and climate change hazards. GZA conducted visits during a one-week period in 2023 to inspect accessible businesses vulnerable to flooding.
- Feedback from three public outreach meetings, email surveys and the Town of Groton’s “Bang the Table” public feedback website to solicit input from stakeholders, downtown property owners, and concerned citizens. Over 100 people attended the January 2024 meeting where the Town and GZA presented the plan’s draft recommendations for near term priority actions.
- Actions recommended include coastal resiliency improvements, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling of the stormwater system’s capacity, backflow prevention gate valves for the stormwater system, green infrastructure, road elevation, emergency generator community resource rental center.
Benefit
Each of the three community engagement meetings were well attended with residents, business owners and municipal staff. The plan is a model for district-scale climate solutions for communities with small businesses, historic buildings, low elevation roads and stormwater infrastructure in coastal and riverine flood hazard areas. Benefits include a deeper community understanding of the impacts of climate change, actions to protect property owners, natural resources, businesses, and the Town.