Fells Point Flood Mitigation Guidelines

Many of Baltimore’s historic neighborhoods are vulnerable to flooding, particularly those close to waterfronts like Fells Point. Whether on the roads, sidewalks, or directly impacting buildings, flooding is becoming a more common problem across the City of Baltimore. The historic, attached rowhouse buildings of Fells Point are particularly vulnerable and pose a real challenge for owners seeking to minimize flood damage.  

The information presented in this guide is intended to provide information to property owners and tenants on evaluating options to minimize the impact of flooding to their historic rowhouse properties in Fells Point. It should be considered a supplement to consultation with architects and engineers, the Baltimore Floodplain Regulations, the Baltimore  Historic Preservation Design Guidelines, and the CHAP review process.

Assessment of Flood Risk Adaptive Measures

This was a project of the Army Corps of Engineer's Floodplain Management Services Silver Jackets Program. This interagency project engaged multiple state and local stakeholders for the project, including the Department of Planning's Office of Sustainability. This robust technical report offers proposed flood mitigation strategies for several different typologies of historic structures across Baltimore that are vulnerable to riverine and/or coastal flooding.

Baltimore Office of Sustainability - Climate and Resilience

In 2012, the City of Baltimore authored the Climate Action Plan (CAP), designed to proactively reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously providing numerous economic, health, and social benefits for Baltimore’s residents, businesses, governments, and institutions.

Utilizing the goals and strategies created in the CAP, the City of Baltimore is continually working to manage risks associated with climate change—protecting vulnerable populations and creating adaptation strategies for systems and infrastructure.

National Park Service Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings

These guidelines provide information about how to adapt historic buildings to be more resilient to flooding risk in a manner that will preserve their historic character and that will meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. This document was produced by the National Park Service, and is not specific to Baltimore.