West Haven Shoreline Resilience and Eco-Restoration Project

The overall intent of this project is to restore an existing 1.5-acre area of public shoreline to become a model for coastal ecosystem exploration. The site is currently vegetated with a mix of non-native and native trees and herbaceous species and is bounded by an engineered beach to the south and a public boardwalk to the north. The project area exists in a relatively protected area and has not exhibited significant inundation or erosion in recent storm events. Though small in area, the long and linear project site has many opportunities for improvements associated with public access - both visually and physically. Adjacent to Old Grove Park and the West Haven shoreline, the site draws residents and visitors throughout the calendar year. Additionally, the location of the site, at the interface between coastal and upland areas, provides opportunities for utilization by insects and migratory birds.

West Haven holds four miles of shoreline on Long Island Sound. Much of this shoreline, in particular our project site, hasn’t always looked the way it does today. The shapes and locations of shorelines are always changing. Eight thousand years ago, the glaciers had retreated from most of Connecticut and this area was far inland from the fresh water Lake Connecticut that would become Long Island Sound. As sea level rose and coastal communities were inundated, the vegetation here also changed.

The cold, dry tundra ecosystem that had lasted for thousands of years eventually transitioned into spruce and pine forests and, as sea levels continued to rise, the forests transitioned into first oak and hickory and then to the mostly oak and maple forests of our era.

When Colonists first arrived in Connecticut, they found West Haven (then called the “West Farms” area of New Haven) sparsely populated and characterized by salt marshes and rocky shorelines. Only a few Native peoples had permanent settlements here, and West Haven remained sparsely settled until well into the 18th Century.

It wasn’t until the 19th Century that what had become an informal resort area began to transition into a recreation destination. Inns and hotels gave way to recreational amenities and, in the early 20th Century, West Haven’s shoreline became a popular destination for entertainment with the creation of the White City, followed by the Savin Rock Amusement Park. In fact, a number of Park features sat directly on our project site. On the western edge of our project sat Wilcox Restaurant and Pier. Continuing east, sat Death Valley, the Thunderbolt Coaster, and the Devil Coaster. By 1919, as many as 1.2 million people were visiting the Park each year.

In 1938 The Great Hurricane flattened our project site destroying many of the attractions. The Park was rebuilt but eventually deteriorated.

In 1968, the Savin Rock Amusement Park was fully demolished and the area was folded into the Savin Rock Urban Renewal Project. In 2007 the City of West Haven, in partnership with Land Trust of West Haven, signed the historic Savin Rock Shorefront Conservation Easement, protecting the coastal resources and ending a 40-year battle with private developers to preserve 39 acres of shorefront. The agreement ensures that “the properties will be retained forever in a natural, scenic, and open condition.”

As you can see from the 1934 aerial image below, the coast here was mostly rocky with little or no sandy beach. In the 1950s, sand was pumped from offshore to create sandy beach and the stone groins (linear stone structures perpendicular to the beach) were added to keep the sand from washing away.

The natural character of sandy beaches is to constantly change shape and to move landward (retreat) or seaward (advance). While the alteration of coastlines is a natural process, humans have also been modifying the West Haven shoreline for decades.

Today, we understand the important role coastal ecosystems play in providing habitat for numerous species including migratory birds, pollinators, and other creatures. As stewards for our natural environment, we seek to support the processes that result in ecosystems that give us clean water and air. While small when compared to the overall length of Connecticut’s shoreline, this site—when restored to ecological health—holds the potential both to become a sustainable local ecosystem and to play a vital role in educating other shoreline communities in the benefits of native coastal eco-restoration practices.

 $200,000 APPROPRIATED FOR WEST HAVEN SHORELINE RESTORATION PROJECT

The  State Budget Adjustment  passed during the 2022 legislative session included $200,000 to help restore a portion of the beachfront along the Savin Rock boardwalk in West Haven previously overrun by invasive plant species.

The West Haven Shoreline Restoration Project will showcase the best practices of coastal resilience educationally and enjoyably while enhancing one of West Haven's best amenities as part of a multi-phase effort.

 During the next five months,the Shoreline Restoration Committee will work with SLR as it does a site analysis and assessment report, which will contain: natural/green infrastructure opportunities; preparation of two draft concept plans for the project; ongoing community involvement up to and including collecting community input on draft plans; preparation of a final Nature-Based Coastal Resilience Plan; and creation of preliminary engineering plans to 30% design.

 "This state grant will enhance one of West Haven's longest-serving parks, Old Grove Park, and will bring the protected area into the 21st century as a shoreline destination for passive recreation under the auspices of the Land Trust of West Haven," said West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi. "I want to thank Rep. Dorinda Borer and the rest of our city's General Assembly delegation for working together to secure this important funding on behalf of the great people of West Haven."

As part of this project the design team will develop Analysis Diagrams to better understand existing site conditions and develop a restoration plan that maximizes the societal and environmental value of the site.

Analysis Diagrams to include current data on: • Storm Surge • Wind / Wave Climatology • Tidal Fluctuation / Elevation • Shoreline and Nearshore / Offshore Water Data • Threatened and Endangered Species • Pedestrian Circulation and ADA accessibility

Community engagement is a vital component to this project. We value your input and want to know your thoughts about the project. To that end, a public engagement campaign has been developed that includes this website, project update posts on the City’s and the Land Trust’s websites and FaceBook pages, media outreach, and flyers to be posted around the city. An initial community engagement event will take place at the project site on October 22 from 8am to noon (Rain date will be on October 29, 2022) and will feature drawings of the possibilities for the area designed to spark your imagination. We hope to see you there! We are also collecting community input through a survey on this website that will be open until December 1, 2022. Feedback from the on-site community event and the survey will inform conceptual alternatives and a Community Workshop will be held to explore the opportunities.

Update!! On October 22 ^nd  we had a terrific turn out from the public who learned about the project and provided input on precedent imagery to gauge interest on various design elements. Please scroll through the image boards below to see those elements desired (green dots) and those less desirable (red dots)

Thank you for those who have participated in our survey. We greatly appreciate your feedback!

Flip through the slides below to see the feedback received.

To identify opportunities and constraints associated with potential improvements, the design team prepared four conceptual alternatives depicting nature-based coastal solutions and potential amenity space improvements. The concepts include key ideas that help to define how the space can be used and what visitors will see and learn as they are immersed in the space. We would like to know what you think! Please scroll down to see each of the concepts and provide your thoughts and ideas. Your feedback will let us know what elements within each concept you like or dislike, to allow us to create a final master plan concept. We are collecting responses up until January 14th, 2023.

We recommend you review the concepts on a computer or tablet to optimize the experience.

Update!!!

Thank you for taking our survey!

We have compiled your feedback and created these graphs below to summarize the community's likes and dislikes for each concept.

We vetted the conceptual alternatives with the community and have received feedback. The design team refined the concept by combining the top likes from each of the four concepts. These are highlighted in the diagram below.

These preferred design elements were merged into a single concept. The images below show the new concept with a preliminary planting plan and precedent imagery.

The design team has developed a final 30% preliminary plan set. Plans show enough detail to identify temporary and permanent impacts and develop a preliminary engineer’s opinion of probable construction costs. Plans indicate structures, topography, utilities, vegetation removals, and sediment and erosion controls.