SUSTAINABLE/RESILIENT COASTAL COMMUNITIES IN MONMOUTH COUNTY - WORKSHOP SUMMARY-

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1 SUSTAINABLE/RESILIENT COASTAL COMMUNITIES IN MONMOUTH COUNTY - WORKSHOP SUMMARY- Submitted by Jennifer DiLorenzo, Sustainable Coastal Community Liaison, Urban Coast Institute, Monmouth University Introduction New Jersey s Monmouth County is home to 635,285people (U.S. Census Bureau; 2000), with a population in the coastal region that is expect to increase over time (NOAA; 2008). Coastal land areas (see figure 1; NJDEP) are generally classified as urban/suburban, and are adjacent to estuarine waterways and wetlands that are increasingly stressed by environmental degradation. Like many coastal communities, increasing population growth and urbanization subjects Monmouth County municipalities to a multitude of environmental and socioeconomic impacts. While the county currently benefits from tourism and associated economic and residential development; change, in the absence of sound planning can threaten many of the desirable natural amenities and social qualities that draw new people to the county and retain exiting generations. figure 1 A Sustainable/Resilient Coastal Community initiative has been started by the Urban Coast Institute at Monmouth University, under a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The goal of this project is to develop sound planning approaches (with the support of stakeholder groups) to preserve environmental, socioeconomic, and community qualities within the coastal areas of New Jersey. Toward that end, the UCI sponsored a series of workshops to provide

2 educational information on coastal issues to local community leaders and representatives. A workshop held on September 10 th, 2008 focused on sustainability and resiliency for local communities. A summary of the workshop, the agenda, and copies of the presentations are available on the Institute s website at: Workshop Information Ideally, coastal communities should support healthy coastal ecosystems with a safe and reliable seafood supply. Coastal development should also be sustainable, without causing adverse environmental impacts or increasing the carbon footprint of development. In addition, resiliency or the ability to bounce back after a natural coastal disaster such as storms and hurricanes, is critical for coastal communities to avoid flooding, property damage, and protect environmental resources. Monmouth County, a desirable area in which to live, is however, faced with population growth, demographics changes, inefficient land use, energy demands, sea level rise, and failing infrastructure. Without proper planning and preparedness, Monmouth could lose its standing as a live-able, desirable county in New Jersey. The workshop provided information and discussed topics to address planning and preparedness for coastal communities in Monmouth County (see agenda). In general, to achieve sustainable coastal development, communities must: 1) have healthy coastal economies that include working waterfronts, an abundance of recreation and tourism opportunities, and coastal access for all citizens; 2) make efficient use of land, energy and water resources and identify the ecological footprint needed to sustain coastal ecosystems and quality of life; and 3) have citizens, community leaders, and industries that recognize the complex inter-relationships between social, economic, and environmental values in coastal areas and work together to balance multiple uses and protect the ecological footprint needed for environmental sustainability.

3 NJDEP; Office of Sustainability and Communities Presentations Dr. Jon Miller and Dr. Tom Herrington provided information on Planning for Sea Level Rise in New Jersey (see power point presentations on UCI s website). Dr. Miller discussed the relationships between sea level rise, coastal storms, and coastal development and the resulting flooding, storm damage and erosion. Factors leading to coastal hazards include population growth. New Jersey is the 7 th leading state in the nation in terms of an increase in population growth of 1.2 million people between 1980 and Sea level rise and increasing coastal storm data shows that hazards are compounded as population growth and density increase. New Jersey s hazards are further increased by the increase in assets (current & future) that are exposed to the elements. Overall risk may be evaluates as: Risk=Coastal Hazards threats x vulnerability x cost where: threat is the frequency of potential hazard events; vulnerability is the probability of a given threat impacting a given area; and cost is the value of assets in a given area. With respect to reducing risks, coastal communities can plan ahead. First, use the NOAA Coastal Services center s Risk and Vulnerability assessment tool to understand your community s susceptibility to hazards. Also, communities should t: 1) understand risk 2) identify priority areas for protection, retreat, and preservation 3) develop and update emergency management plans 4) get public support for reducing risk. Adaptation strategies include those from the publication, The Garden State in the Greenhouse, (January, 2007; Princeton, University). These include: Improving the State s preparedness for sea level rise and increased frequency & intensity of storms by: producing vulnerability assessments and cost-benefit reports evaluating the impact of climate change on the coasts and incorporating the findings into NJDEP rules and State and local planning, land use and public investment

4 decisions; and ensuring that emergency management plans account for projections about rising sea levels and storms; enhancing pre-storm planning for post-storm management, including strategic land preservation and guidelines for whether, where and how to rebuild following storm damage; and partnering with the insurance industry to shield coastal residents from catastrophic losses. Increasing public awareness about climate change impacts and support for state action by: creating a statewide awareness campaign that includes a user-friendly website and advertisements in print and broadcast media; and taking immediate steps to ensure that education about climate change in New Jersey s public schools is continued and expanded. Future possibilities for New Jersey s coast are coastal engineering for future protection (both natural and structural); and floating cities and greenhouses. Jennifer DiLorenzo discussed the Urban Coast Institute s Coastal Resiliency Indicator Project. Using the study A Framework for Measuring Coastal Hazard Resilience in New Jersey Communities provided by Dr. Susan Cutter (University of Georgia), a set of indicators was developed for Monmouth County communities. These were developed with input from the Monmouth County GIS User Group and members of the NJ State Police Office of Emergency Management. The indicators chosen were based on the availability of data. Social vulnerability indicators were identified as: ethnicity, age, number of people per household, income, and education. Built environment and infrastructure data indicators were identified as the number of pre-1960 houses, housing density, commercial establishments, Lifelines (e.g. hospitals and schools), transportation, wastewater treatment facilities, historic or community landmarks, (e.g. churches). Natural systems and exposure indicators were identified as: FEMA 100-yr & 500-yr flood zone delineations, dune size, erosion rates, wetlands areas, natural habitats, and storm surge inundation areas. Hazards mitigation and Planning indicators are mitigation plans, zoning were identified as emergency management plans, building standards, codes, enforcement, hazard mitigation plans, zoning, coastal setbacks, dune management NFIP, TDR. Using a local community of Monmouth Beach,

5 DiLorenzo identified indicators that could be used to measure resiliency over time. She advocated ordinances such as those reducing impervious cover, preserving open space, fill regulations and storm water management as ideal for increasing a community s resiliency. She also advocated NO Adverse Impact Training NAI, a concept of Do No Harm. This NAI is a policy matter whereby actions of development cannot cause an adverse impact such as flooding on adjacent properties. Mr. John D Agostino from the NJDEP provided information and a discussion of Spatial Planning for future New Jersey Coastal hazards. He discussed the NJ Landscape project and potential impacts of climate change and sea level rise on natural resources such as wetlands. He discussed the need for removing impedances to wetlands migration as sea level rises and how spatial planning tools can help state and counties, and local communities avoid future damages and natural resources losses as sea level rises. He discussed the importance of the state s coastal zone management program and stressed the importance of community participation in NFIP and the community rating system to ensure against economic losses and to ensure that sound coastal building codes and standards are adopted. Ms Jennifer Ewing, from ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, presented information on their program-- Planning for Climate Change Impacts. The organization provides a climate change planning process for communities to reduce Green House Gases by setting baseline measurements, setting goals and an action plan. It also provides an approach to climate change adaptation through resiliency building by identifying vulnerability, setting goals and preparedness planning. They have toolkits such as ClimateSMART and publications available for communities to use to reduce emissions and prepare for sea level rise. Athena Serafides (NJDEP Office of Planning and Sustainable Communities) moderated a discussion on Green Building for the jersey Shore. Speakers included Rey Montalvo, of Consolidated Energy Design, Inc. and David A. Mooij, Superintendent of the Neptune School district, Neptune, NJ. Rey discussed the building of his own home in Eatontown, NJ which is a zero energy design. He offers tours to demonstrate the energy efficiency through the use of solar, geothermal and radiant heat. The home is not only energy efficient, but is made from completely recycled materials, including insulation made from recycled blue jeans. In addition, the home is completely allergen free, due to a unique air filtration system. Also, the home uses recycled wastewater for gardening/landscaping. Dr. David Mooij discussed the LEED-certified schools in Neptune, which were made from recycled materials, utilizes energy efficient lighting and heating including solar, to

6 ensure a minimal environmental impact. He discussed the outdoor nature center and restored natural area that serves as a living classroom. The results have been exemplary the energy efficiency has paid for the cost of the renovations and the new air filtration system has reduced absences due to illnesses from airborne viruses and pollutants significantly. It has also sparked a markedly increased interest in natural sciences. The school gives tours of their building and serves as a demonstration site for other schools in NJ to follow suit. Mr. Andy Willner, NY/NJ BayKeeper (retired) and Monmouth university Scholar in Residence, discussed the benefits of LID low impact development, which minimizes impacts of development on the environment. In particular, Andy discussed the capture of rainwater and runoff, to reduce loadings of sediments, nutrients, and pollutants to local waterways. He discussed his project to reduce loadings to combined sewer overflows (CSOs), to minimize their impacts on the NY/NJ Harbor. The LID technologies included, rain gardens, rooftop gardens, and rain barrels, all low-cost, lowtechnology systems to reduce loadings. He noted that most parking lot landscaping is above the surface of the lot exactly the opposite of what should be done to reduce runoff from the lot. He is working with the city of Newark for roof top gardens and other communities on LID and cited an example of a community where homes utilizing LID (e.g. rain gardens, etc.) sold on the market for a higher price than those without LID improvements. The Keynote luncheon speaker was Sandra Nichols from the Environmental Law Institute, who spoke about Coastal Adaptation-Keys for Successful Legal and Policy response. Sandra spoke of the need for legal analysis and model policies that can be implemented in communities to ensure environmental protection and sustainable communities. Adapting to climate change will require new laws and new governance frameworks. The legal reform should address four aspects of climate change response: 1) building resilience ; 2) enhancing adaptive capacity of the of the governance system; 3) providing early warning of emerging threats; and 4) ensuring effective emergency response to specific incidents. Cross-cutting considerations include: coping with scientific uncertainty with respect to climate change, equity and climate justice, public participation, public education and capacity building and takings. With respect to takings, climate-related regulations must be takings proof referring to takings jurisprudence. Joe Barris from the Monmouth County Planning Board spoke about the Monmouth County Coastal Plan Project, The purpose of the plan is to set a collaborative regional effort to manage growth in the coastal region of Monmouth County. A wide range of participants discussed a vision for Coastal Monmouth, including aspects such as: economy, housing, regional cooperation, environment, and transportation. With respect to economy, the plan will discuss redevelopment and revitalization of coastal

7 communities, address infrastructure issues, develop transit villages, and sustainable development. With respect to the environment, the Plan will focus on natural resources, infrastructure resources, resource access, and education/outreach. The next steps in the process are to evaluate public comments, draft a coastal Monmouth plan, promote more regional collaboration on the plan, host a public meeting for comments on the draft plan, have a final plan developed and hold a public hearing. It will then be submitted to the Office of Smart Growth for plan endorsement. The last part of the meeting was to a facilitated discussion by John Tiedemann with respect to implementing the Sustainability Challenge in Monmouth County, in particular with respect to watershed management area 12. The discussion recommendations were to have the UCI serve as a facilitator of watershed and sustainability discussions, among the different environmental commissions and NGOs, to increase awareness of materials and methods available to communities for environmental and sustainability projects. The UCI will help facilitate watershed-wide projects and proposals for funding for watershed and lake restoration projects in coastal Monmouth. Copies of the presentations from the meetings are posted on the UCI website at