The National Park Service, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Boston Harbor Now are working on a redevelopment plan for Peddocks Island. You can share your thoughts on the future of the island by attending by taking the survey. Posters with project ideas can be viewed on Peddocks Island.
Whether you have lived on, camped on, or explored Peddocks Island, we encourage you to take our survey to shape the future of the island. If you haven’t been to the island, let us know what’s kept you from visiting. Visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/PeddocksIslandVisionPlan to share your thoughts.
OPEN HOUSES
- Hingham Public Library – Open House Presentation Slides
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 (4:00 PM – 8:00 PM) - Boston Harbor Islands Welcome Center
Saturday, June 22, 2019 (9:00 AM – 2:00 PM) - Pilot House at 32 Atlantic Ave, Boston – Open House Presentation Slides
Thursday, June 27, 2019 (4:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
LEARN MORE
Explore the resources and programs available on Peddocks Island at www.bostonharborislands.org/peddocks-island. This summer’s special programs include Night Sky programs, backcountry yoga, forest bathing, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of 34 islands within the Boston Harbor Island park system, Peddocks is unique in its combination of natural beauty and robust existing infrastructure, including dozens of historic structures as well as public water, sewer, and electrical service.
Boston Harbor Now is leading a visioning process to update this infrastructure and other island assets to make the park feel more welcoming and accessible to people from all over the region and beyond.
In developing a new vision for the Island, we can accomplish multiple goals: inspire more people to enjoy the Island and become invested in its future, preserve the Island’s history while updating its infrastructure, and better manage and protect the Island’s scenic attributes.
Boston Harbor Now is leading a visioning process to update this infrastructure and other island assets to make the park feel more welcoming and accessible to people from all over the region and beyond.
In developing a new vision for the Island, we can accomplish multiple goals: inspire more people to enjoy the Island and become invested in its future, preserve the Island’s history while updating its infrastructure, and better manage and protect the Island’s scenic attributes.
Today, about 4000 people visit Peddocks Island annually via ferry or private boat to enjoy activities such as camping, bird watching, hiking, and grilling. Peddocks exists within a system of 34 islands where each one has a long and unique history. Peddocks has had a particularly intensive and diverse series of uses over time. While some other islands in the park do not include structures or utilities, Peddocks’ range of existing infrastructure, provides an opportunity to expand visitor offerings to attract more people with varied interests to experience the Boston Harbor Islands here.
Visiting Peddocks from Boston requires longer travel time than most Boston Harbor Islands open to recreation, making Peddocks ideal for full-day, overnight, or multi-day experiences. Current overnight offerings, particularly yurt camping, are limited and therefore difficult to reserve. A vision plan will allow more people to access and make the most of their visit while preserving the island’s rich history by finding new uses for the existing, historic buildings.
This new vision for Peddocks will also better complement other islands such as Spectacle Island, which is close to Boston, contains minimal existing infrastructure and is programmed in alignment with the shorter ferry trips that are most popular among visitors.
Visiting Peddocks from Boston requires longer travel time than most Boston Harbor Islands open to recreation, making Peddocks ideal for full-day, overnight, or multi-day experiences. Current overnight offerings, particularly yurt camping, are limited and therefore difficult to reserve. A vision plan will allow more people to access and make the most of their visit while preserving the island’s rich history by finding new uses for the existing, historic buildings.
This new vision for Peddocks will also better complement other islands such as Spectacle Island, which is close to Boston, contains minimal existing infrastructure and is programmed in alignment with the shorter ferry trips that are most popular among visitors.
Peddocks has had a long history of development and intensive use. Over the past several hundred years, Peddocks has been home to farms, two hotels, a cottage community, and military facilities.
This history is visible through the infrastructure that remains on the Island to this day, including 26 structures as part of historic Fort Andrews and a community of cottages. Over the past 15 years, $15 million has been spent to clean up and preserve the man-made island structures. Through the visioning process, we hope to creatively update this infrastructure to reimagine Peddocks as a 21st-century park knit into the larger Islands system.
This history is visible through the infrastructure that remains on the Island to this day, including 26 structures as part of historic Fort Andrews and a community of cottages. Over the past 15 years, $15 million has been spent to clean up and preserve the man-made island structures. Through the visioning process, we hope to creatively update this infrastructure to reimagine Peddocks as a 21st-century park knit into the larger Islands system.
The project is funded by a partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and managed by Boston Harbor Now. Boston Harbor Now’s Peddocks visioning staff have decades of experience in, and a passion for, sustainable, resilient park planning and management. The project consulting team is Weston and Sampson Design Studios.
To orient various ideas, Boston Harbor Now and our partners are testing possible ideas, framed into three concepts. Ideas from any of these scenarios can be tweaked or combined in the final plan, and we are looking for broad public input to shape a final set of ideas.
The concepts relate to themes of potential visitor use: 1) a plan focused on educating visitors around the Island’s history, ecology, and geology; 2) a plan focused on attracting researchers, educators, and citizen scientists to study the Island; and 3) a plan focused on positioning Peddocks as a premier location for tourism, culture, and recreation.
The final vision will be a combination of these ideas and should inspire more people to visit and become stewards of Peddocks, better manage and protect Island assets, and build on the unique attributes of Peddocks within the larger parks system.
The concepts relate to themes of potential visitor use: 1) a plan focused on educating visitors around the Island’s history, ecology, and geology; 2) a plan focused on attracting researchers, educators, and citizen scientists to study the Island; and 3) a plan focused on positioning Peddocks as a premier location for tourism, culture, and recreation.
The final vision will be a combination of these ideas and should inspire more people to visit and become stewards of Peddocks, better manage and protect Island assets, and build on the unique attributes of Peddocks within the larger parks system.
Boston Harbor Now is still seeking public input on ideas for a vision, and no plan is yet in place.
Once a vision is set, any updates to infrastructure or other Island assets will be thoughtfully managed by state environmental and parks agencies. Adaptive reuse of buildings – one key theme of the visioning process – is one of the most environmentally sensitive methods of development, because it involves updating an existing footprint to enable more people to enjoy the Island and become stewards of the park.
Once a vision is set, any updates to infrastructure or other Island assets will be thoughtfully managed by state environmental and parks agencies. Adaptive reuse of buildings – one key theme of the visioning process – is one of the most environmentally sensitive methods of development, because it involves updating an existing footprint to enable more people to enjoy the Island and become stewards of the park.
This is an ongoing 18-month process involving site research, infrastructure analysis, public engagement, and final vision development. Public input is critical to the process, and the planning team, including NPS and DCR, want to hear everyone’s ideas. A guiding vision and planning document is anticipated for December 2019.
Boston Harbor Now is the legislated non-profit partner of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. The organization works to ensure a vibrant and sustainable future for Boston’s harbor, waterfront, and islands.
Boston Harbor Now works with public and private partners to expand access to the open space and recreational, educational and cultural opportunities harbor-wide, to plan for and build an integrated and expanded water transportation system, and to foster economic development and growth that is resilient to sea-level rise and the effects of climate change.
Boston Harbor Now works with public and private partners to expand access to the open space and recreational, educational and cultural opportunities harbor-wide, to plan for and build an integrated and expanded water transportation system, and to foster economic development and growth that is resilient to sea-level rise and the effects of climate change.
Weston & Sampson is the multidisciplinary engineering and design firm who is leading the consulting team for this Vision Plan. Their team includes landscape architects, engineers, and scientists working collaboratively along with specialty sub-consultants. Weston & Sampson is focused on preserving and sustaining the environment and is committed to creating vision plans that enhance and support ecological and natural systems.
The National Park Service was established as a federal agency with the dual purpose of protecting America’s special places while allowing for visitor use and enjoyment. Boston Harbor Islands was added to the National Park System in 1996 as a National Recreation Area. Peddocks Island is one of the 34 islands and peninsulas that were added to the National Park System that are cooperatively managed by a partnership of federal, state, city and non-profit entities.
The mission of the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership is to make the Boston Harbor Islands system — with opportunities for education, recreation, and restful solitude within an urban area — an integral part of the life of the region and the nation by protecting the islands and their associated resources while at the same time improving public knowledge and access. The National Park Service’s role is to help coordinate the Partnership, to provide information and orientation to the public, to develop and operate programs, and to help assure that the park will be managed according to this overall park mission.
The mission of the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership is to make the Boston Harbor Islands system — with opportunities for education, recreation, and restful solitude within an urban area — an integral part of the life of the region and the nation by protecting the islands and their associated resources while at the same time improving public knowledge and access. The National Park Service’s role is to help coordinate the Partnership, to provide information and orientation to the public, to develop and operate programs, and to help assure that the park will be managed according to this overall park mission.
Boston Harbor Now encourages everyone interested in Peddocks Island to take a look at the presentation material from the public meetings in Hingham and Boston to learn more about the concepts being discussed. Please take the online survey at www.bostonharbornow.com/peddocksplan.
If you haven’t experienced Peddocks Island lately, we encourage you to visit! Take a ferry to the Island this summer and let us know what you feel is most important for the Island’s future.
If you haven’t experienced Peddocks Island lately, we encourage you to visit! Take a ferry to the Island this summer and let us know what you feel is most important for the Island’s future.