Ecological Support
Ecologically supportive policies address resilience through a range of regulations, developer requirements, and the use of specific policies such as those that encourage regenerative landscaping and green infrastructure practices.
Potential Policy Areas
Green Stormwater Infrastructure
A city or jurisdiction's green stormwater infrastructure policy provides a framework describing where and how to integrate green stormwater measures that help to reduce flooding and provide a nature-based approach to stormwater management. This may be part of permitting, zoning and other development approvals.
Benefits & Function
Green infrastructure helps to reduce the need for treated stormwater, and reduces the quantity of water and pollutants flowing into local creeks and San Francisco Bay.
Considerations
Green stormwater infrastructure may be integrated into a mixed system of engineered, "grey" stormwater, and should be part of any new roadway and development efforts.
Uses for Policy
New Development, Existing
Setbacks & Buffers
Setback and buffer policies require that structures are built a certain distance behind the shoreline to reduce impacts of sea level rise and ensure that certain natural environments be maintained and remain undeveloped.
Benefits & Function
Buildings will have longer life expectancies through the protective distance from rising tides and riverine flooding. These policies will protect new buildings and structures from new or increasing hazards. Natural environments can flourish with less development. Allowing space for tidal transition zones will limit sea level rise impacts and create greater habitat adaption and resilience.
Considerations
Setbacks are harder to implement in areas that are already developed or that are set to be developed, and are most successful in undeveloped land. Setbacks are determined by jurisdiction, type of building, type of shoreline, etc. In the Bay Area, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission has control of a 100ft band around the Bay where no development can occur without a permit.
Uses for Policy
New development
Open Space Preservation and Conservation Easements
This strategy focuses on the conservation and potential public acquisition of undeveloped land to lessen or prevent the impacts of flooding on a community’s assets.
Benefits & Function
Conservation easements allow for long-term preservation of ecologically important areas, while providing flexibility for each property.
Considerations
However it may occur, land acquisition strategies can be challenging in areas experiencing high development pressure. For municipalities experiencing growth, the cost of the outright purchase of land may be out of reach, especially along the coast.
Land acquisition as a flood management strategy is most effective on a large scale, though targeted acquisition of flood prone parcels or areas that are likely to flood in the near future can effectively mitigate some flood impacts. This strategy tends to be most suitable for ex-urban, suburban, or rural locations vulnerable to flooding with large amounts of open space. The practice may be more difficult for urban areas with developed waterfronts that may have lost habitat and natural coastal features. However, some larger cities have had success reclaiming and revitalizing former landfills and wetlands.
Uses for Policy
Non-developed land
Buyout
Buyouts employ public funds to remove development from repeat-hazard areas, to reduce future property damage and to promote public safety.
Benefits & Function
Buyouts are an effective tool to remove existing buildings in high-risk areas.
Considerations
Buyouts as a mechanism for managed retreat can be a hot-button item and garner community opposition. If buyouts are implemented voluntarily and not everyone participates, they may create a “checkerboard effect” making complete retreat difficult. This may also limit reuse of the land for other resilience strategies such as a floodplain buffer. Mandatory buyouts, or eminent domain, may be used to prevent immediate health, safety, and life risks, but are typically not eligible for cost-sharing by the federal government so are much more expensive and difficult. Leasebacks are buyout programs in which properties are leased to their current owners for a specified period so that they can continue to use them without economic loss.
Uses for Policy
Existing
Development Requirements
Development requirements can refer to a broad range of policies that require development or redevelopment projects to use natural solutions to prevent sea level rise impacts, erosion, reduce flooding risk, or more.
Benefits & Function
Development requirements are a flexible tool that can encompass a broad range of policies while addressing multiple climate issues.
Considerations
Development requirements may create additional cost to developers and could be an obstacle to development in areas with lower property values.
Uses for Policy
New Development, Existing Development
Landscaping Ordinance
Landscaping ordinances can be implemented by local governments to require that new developments and/or City-owned natural lands utilize regenerative landscaping practices that work to improve soil health while reducing flooding impacts.
Benefits & Function
Benefits of regenerative landscaping include increased soil health, carbon sequestration, habitat creation and increase in biodiversity, and flood impact mitigation.
Considerations
Successful implementation of the ordinance on a Citywide level will need to include education for property owners (including homeowners) and residents.
Uses for Policy
Existing, New, Redevelopment, Non-developed Land