City Dock Resilience Project Groundbreaking
November 4, 2025
In the News
“Just last week, City Dock in Annapolis was under more than 4 feet of water in the latest bout of recurrent flooding that again hit businesses hard.
The pavement was dry on Monday, and nearly the entire area has been cordoned off from the public because it is now a construction site.”
Read more >> WBAL-11
The long-awaited City Dock Project broke ground Monday morning, promising flood protection for downtown Annapolis.
The project is slated to add floodgates, raise land to block rising water levels, install a new park and construct a New Maritime Welcome Center.
“We all know the urgency of now,” Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a Maryland Democrat, said. “We all know the grave public safety challenges if we don’t address the flooding.”
Read more >> Baltimore Sun
“According to the project website, it will raise and reinforce the waterfront, add flood barriers, improve drainage, and create a new public space, including a Maritime Welcome Center.
"We are turning a problem of flooding into an opportunity," Buckley said. "We're not just building walls, we're placemaking."
Read more >> WJZ CBS Baltimore
“This project is a transformational effort to protect Annapolis’ historic waterfront from the impacts of sea level rise and recurrent flooding, while creating a more vibrant public space for residents, visitors, and the maritime community.
This groundbreaking is the culmination of years of public engagement, planning, and review that began in 2019 with the appointment of the City Dock Action Committee (CDAC), a group of nearly 100 community stakeholders appointed by Mayor Buckley and the Annapolis City Council. Their charge: develop a comprehensive solution that balances flood protection, economic vitality, historic preservation, and quality of life.”
Read more >> BAYNet
“Officials heralded the park as a way to unpave paradise, converting what's currently a waterfront parking lot into a public destination for all to enjoy.
‘I want you to imagine that there is grass under your feet, not tarmac," Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley (D) said. "We're trying to make a public space for everyone.’”
Read more >> Patch.com/Annapolis
“City Dock sits at the lowest point of downtown Annapolis and now floods so often that “nuisance” high-tide water regularly shuts streets and businesses with no storm in sight. Since 1969, nuisance flooding in Annapolis has increased by more than 1,200 percent, threatening both public safety and the viability of shops and restaurants around Ego Alley.”
Read more >> Eye on Annapolis
After five years and hundreds of meetings, the City of Annapolis and its partners officially broke ground on an $88 million project to protect City Dock from coastal flooding, offer better public access, and improve the visitor experience.
At a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 3, one day before Annapolis elects a new mayor, outgoing Mayor Gavin Buckley moved forward with the City Dock Resiliency and Revitalization Project. While Buckley acknowledged the city is still waiting for a crucial $33 million Hazard Mitigation grant from FEMA, work is moving ahead on the plans to improve the “economic and community heart of Annapolis,” he said.
Read more >> Chesapeake Bay Magazine
“A recent high tide flooded Annapolis, Maryland, sending waters from the Chesapeake Bay well into town and onto the floors of several businesses. It's an event happening with increasing frequency.
Those floods are the primary reason that on Monday, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley held a groundbreaking for an already underway project to remake the city dock area completely…”
Read more >> WJLA-7 ABC Baltimore