Economic Lever

When elevating structures on fill or piles it is efficient to elevate smaller, shorter structures rather than taller ones. In seismically active zones, certain buildings will not be able to be raised. Elevating buildings is considered a short term solution. When flood proofing, maintenance is required every few years due to leaks. Green facades may only work on structurally secure buildings.

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.

Tax policy will ideally be applied in a comprehensive rather than a piecemeal way within a large jurisdiction to help ensure equitable payment for resilience benefits and to ensure that public resources serve a broad public purpose instead of socializing private flood protection costs. In California, under Proposition 218 and other voter approved measures, new fees and taxes are typically subject to voter approval, and require approval from two-thirds of those who will be assessed.

EIFDs and Climate Resilience Districts typically take 1-2 years to establish. EIFDs do not require voter approval to form, however, a 55% voter approval is required for the EIFDs issuance of bonds.

TDRs programs may be complicated to set up and to administer, especially in an environment where “receiving” areas may be hard to find or designate. Because they are voluntary, they might not work as designed if sellers are unwilling to participate.

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.