East Boston’s Clippership Wharf officially opens with storm-barrier system

The developer behind East Boston’s Clippership Wharf complex at 63 Lewis Street is hosting a ribbon-cutting on September 17. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is among those expected to attend.

The ribbon-cutting, of course, is a formality as the four-building, 478-unit complex years in the making is already open. Available apartments start at $2,469 a month for studios, $2,884 for one-bedrooms, $4,274 for two-bedrooms, and $5,200 for three-bedrooms. There are 398 apartments at Clippership Wharf and a further 80 condos. Those are sold out.

The 7-acre development is on the East Boston waterfront, and developer Lendlease has built it to put up a fight amid the encroaching effects of climate change. The project features a system of flood barriers that can be deployed over 24 hours to protect lower-lying areas such as garage entries, lobbies, and storefronts.

Clippership Wharf also has what a rep for the developer described as a hydrostatic relief system in the 300-space underground garage that will use pumps to mitigate water pressure from floods. The pumps are linked to an emergency generator in the event of a power outage.

Not quite for climate resiliency, but more for the climate in general: The complex features a so-called living shoreline of plants and other natural features. Clippership Wharf includes several acres of privately owned public space—granting wider easier access to the waterfront—and ground-floor stores and restaurants.

The Architectural Team designed the project.