Coastal Development

As sea levels rise, California's coastal communities face difficult decisions about how to preserve coastlines and mitigate the looming threat.

June 24, 2021 - Voice of San Diego

Climate change and coastal development are combining to stamp out important ecological landscapes.

March 2, 2018 - KPCC

A controversial and unprecedented deal that would have privatized 280 acres of state-owned Bandon State Natural Area have fizzled out thanks to new requirements from the Bureau of Land Management.

October 1, 2015 - The Oregonian

Inside the deal that could open a huge swatch of highly protected Oregon coastal land to a developer with plans for a golf course.

May 25, 2015 - The Oregonian

With the National Flood Insurance Program deeply in debt, homeowners are struggling to afford new insurance rates resulting from legislation passed in 2012. The House could still block the Senate bill that would delay more rate increases.

January 30, 2014 - The Hill

As a 2012 law aimed reforming the "increasingly unsustainable" National Flood Insurance Program goes into effect, some homeowners in coastal areas are seeing dramatic increases in their insurance rates. Lawmakers are pondering how to ease the pain.

October 16, 2013 - The New York Times

America's voracious appetite for waterfront development continues, even as a future filled with rising seas and extreme storms becomes more evident. The most proactive coastal areas have begun planing for adaptation, but are they doing enough?

June 24, 2013 - The Economist

Developer Gerald Friedman is incredulous that county commissioners won't let him rezone his property in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

April 20, 2011 - The Virginian-Pilot

A township of 3,000 people is waging war on a proposal from a billionaire energy magnate that would turn a beloved stretch of Lake Michigan coastline into condos, a hotel, and a golf course.The battle persists, even as town funding has become scarce.

December 21, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Gov. Deval Patrick of Mass. has released a draft zoning plan to regulate the waters off the state's coast, particularly around Cape Cod and Cape Ann.

July 4, 2009 - Gloucester Daily Times

Computer modeling predicts sea levels rising 55 inches by 2100, and a recent report from California's interagency Climate Action Team is calling for a radical reorganization of the state's coastal development and infrastructure to avoid disaster.

March 13, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

That's Buffalo City, South Africa, where public open space along the coast is being rezoned to business and residential, to the dismay of locals worried about beach access.

September 20, 2008 - Daily Dispatch

In parts of Texas, state officials and local communities are in a tug-of-war over post-Ike coastline rebuilding efforts.

September 18, 2008 - The Houston Chronicle

A $5 million project on Long Beach Island to restore the eroding beachfront is stymied by homeowners who don't want to allow easements through their property.

July 17, 2008 - NJ.com

In Newburyport, Mass., critics tried to stop Mark Roland from converting an historic clam shack into a home. Roland claims: 'It's recycling.'

June 11, 2008 - The Boston Globe

Developer Casey Roloff has built an ambitious new community on the Washington coast with New Urbanist ideas and a Northwest flavor.

May 28, 2008 - The News Tribune

Is CO2 buildup responsible for the enormous hurricane damage, or is it overdevelopment? Should we be spending so much attempting to reduce carbon emissions, or could it be better spent reducing problems that will be exacerbated by global warming?

March 29, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

In my last blog post, I talked about some of the challenges and growth pressures coastal communities are facing.  Within 10 years, the coastal population is expected to grow by 12 million people—or by 3,600 people per day.  This growth poses unique opportunities—and challenges—to coastal communities. The issue facing these communities becomes one of balance: how to maximize the opportunities waterfront development can provide to a community and, at the same time, meet the often significant challenges.  

July 26, 2007 - Anonymous

It’s not just those buff lifeguards.  Most coastal and Great Lakes states have a coastal zone management program.  And not only are the coastal zone managers watching the beach, they are watching what’s being built in their communities.  In fact, in recent interviews of coastal zone managers, 56 out of 58 said growth was the top pressure on coastal resources in their state.   

May 2, 2007 - Anonymous