Sustainable Coastal Development Preparing Your Coast

Planning Versus Retrofitting  It's cheaper and easier to plan development for climate change than it is to retrofit, demolish, or move old structures and restore degraded habitats.

Setbacks  Setbacks focus on protecting property by keeping development further from the water; a FEMA study following Hurricane Floyd found that three times as many structures were lost in the first 30 feet from the vegetation line than in those more than 100 ft (30 m) away.  Setback requirements can be placed in state or local regulation.  For example, subdivision regulations could stipulate lots be long enough to accommodate the setback plus allow for future relocations.

Setbacks (cont’d)  Setbacks can be based on a specific shoreline feature, and may be a fixed distance or a variable distance based on long-term erosion rates.  Coastal building codes could also be written to make relocations easier.

Zoning and Subdivision Regulations  Zoning and subdivision regulations can regulate land use, development density, building dimensions, setbacks, impervious surfaces like concrete or asphalt, the form and location of subdivisions of land, and can require that structures be designed to be easily movable.  They can also set standards for water, sewer, and electricity; open space; buffers; landscaping; and can require hazard assessments.  When possible, state and local governments should adopt codes with stricter standards that consider sea level rise.

Zoning and Subdivision Regulations (cont’d)  Building codes that strengthen resistance to high winds are good climate change adaptations.  Charlotte County, Florida, implemented a stronger wind-resistant building code in 1996 that reduced its frequency of claims by 60% and severity of claims by 42% in the 2004 hurricane season.  The new requirements also permitted homeowners to return home more quickly, thereby reducing the disruption to their lives.  The entire state of Florida adopted the stronger standards in 2002.

Compact Community Design  Encouraging properly-sited (i.e., outside of hazardous areas) development that consolidates residences and shops in high-density mixed use areas while preserving undeveloped land in a natural state can help protect natural resources, reduce runoff and flooding, and decrease the cost of services, infrastructure, construction, and maintenance.  A conservation easement is another option for protecting ecologically important land from development.  Owners sign and sell a legal agreement not to develop land to land trusts or government agencies, while retaining the right to own and use their land.

Rolling Easements  Rolling easements allow continued public use of private property while protecting a moving natural shoreline.  They usually prohibit shore protection structures, but allow other development and activities.  Rolling easements can be donated, purchased, acquired by public use, exacted as permit conditions, or created by regulation or the common law.  These easements allow landowners to build anywhere on the property they wish with the understanding that they cannot shield the coast artificially or deny public access.

Rolling Easements (cont’d)  The easement, defined by a moving landmark like the vegetation line, moves landward as the ocean does.  Once the shoreline has eroded such that a private structure is on public land, a threat to health or safety, or at risk from flooding or erosion, it must be moved.  This provision may encourage smaller buildings that are more easily moved.  Rolling easements help preserve public beach access while protecting sediment transport and wetland migration.

Building Codes  According to FEMA research, stricter building codes produce structures that better resist damage and destruction.  To be effective, though, these codes must be taught to builders and enforcement agents and then enforced through permit approval, design and plan reviews, and site visits.  These codes can be created at the state or local level.  States that allow localities to supplement the basic code with more stringent requirements can provide more protection to coasts.

Building Codes (cont’d)  One example of stronger codes is provided by the Institute for Business and Home Safety's Fortified for Safer Living single-family residential construction program, which contains a package of "code-plus" upgrades.

Infrastructure  Because government infrastructure like roads, bridges, and water treatment plants are expensive and built to last much longer than residences, they should accordingly face stricter building standards and a stronger effort to retrofit existing facilities.  Infrastructure that is already over-capacity will be most vulnerable to climate change.  Correcting existing deficiencies should be a top priority, and if convenient, outfitting to prepare for future conditions should be done at the same time.  Incorporate adaptation into regular maintenance and upgrade activities if at all possible.

Infrastructure (cont’d)  When building new facilities, planners should pay particular attention to siting to ensure structures aren't built in hazard-prone or ecologically sensitive areas.  In the early 1990s, Massachusetts built Boston's new water treatment plant on an island near sea-level 1.9 feet (0.58 m) higher than required to accommodate the projected sea level rise over the plant's 50-year lifetime.

Water Management  Since too much or too little rainfall are potential consequences of climate change, coastal communities should study the capacity of their drainage systems and factor climate change in when revising stormwater management plans.  Other good adaptation planning options include updating stormwater regulations; incorporating green infrastructure like rain gardens or permeable pavement into projects; removing impervious surfaces like concrete or asphalt; acquiring easements for new or wider drainage ditches; implementing and enforcing stream dumping regulations; improving the capacity of streams, channels, and basins; installing larger pipes and culverts; adding pumps; creating retention and detention basins; or converting culverts to bridges.

Water Management (cont’d)  Other examples of green infrastructure include creating green roofs, planting trees, installing rain barrels and cisterns, and disconnecting downspouts.  Local governments can also encourage citizens try some of these projects on their own property.