Background

The Town of Dartmouth has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Counsel and selected Foth to develop a conceptual design for the redevelopment of a town owned parcel in the Village of Padanarm. The Town’s objectives were to use the existing site to provide a public access point for transient boaters to the Village, provide the local Harbormaster with a seasonal office space to also be used as a welcoming center, and to provide a public restroom/shower facility.

Foth provided topographic and hydrographic survey to document the existing conditions and challenges of a small but complicated site. Along with a team of Architectural, Structural, Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing Designers, Foth worked with the stakeholders to establish a building concept and functionality, and a site layout that would achieve the Towns stated goals. The conceptual design was used to get the Town a variance to build the functionally dependent structure below the flood plain elevation established by the building code based on a substantially impermeable building envelope and a structure designed to be resilient to coastal storms. The building became known as the Dartmouth Maritime Center and the project includes a 500 SF pile supported Harbormaster building, a 1,500 SF Timber Esplanade/Pier, and an aluminum gangway and float system. The project received a MEPA Certificate, an Order of Conditions from local conservation, an Army Core of Engineers Permit, and a Chapter 91 License.