The Plan addresses the channel as a 50-acre public park on the water, separated into three distinct areas: the Hub of the Channel, the Seawall Basin, and the South Bay Urban Industrial Wild. "It's a really excellent blueprint for what we hope to see on the waterfront," Meredith Baumann, spokesperson for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, tells GlobeSt.com. Baumann notes that the park would "knit" the South Boston neighborhood with the financial district creating a "destination."

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the BRA joined with property owners along the Fort Point Channel and Boston Harbor advocates, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and The Boston Harbor Association to create this plan, which has been in the process for over a year. Among the ideas for the park are floating art barges, water transit access, boat programs, entertainment, public art amenities, outdoor museum exhibits, parks, outdoor cafes and eateries.

The city's waterfront is considered the last great area of potential development and the city has been looking for ways to revitalize the area. There are a number of major development projects planned or underway in the area including the construction of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the MBTA Silver Line. According to a released statement from the BRA, the plan also comes on the heels of other major planning efforts including the Central Artery Project currently underway, South Boston Municipal Harbor Plan, and the Seaport Public Realm Plan.

The next step in the plan, says Baumann, is getting the funding. Total capital costs for the project are estimated at $11 million. Public investments have been made by the Central Artery Project, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Highway Department. Currently, the BRA and the abutters group have committed $125,000 each to the plan.