On Shoreline Permitting and Voluntary Property Buyouts: two new IRIS in Focus publications, fresh off the press


IRIS in Focus is a collection of policy-focused white-papers from our research team, ranging on topics from policy barriers to the nuts and bolts of natural infrastructure implementation.

This month, we’re excited to announce that we have two new editions: Overview of Living Shoreline Permitting and Regulatory Review in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi and Implementing Nature-Based Solutions: Levee Setbacks and Voluntary Property Buyouts

Overview of Living Shoreline Permitting and Regulatory Review in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi

In the southeastern coastal United States, Department of Defense (DOD) installations and surrounding communities face significant challenges from coastal erosion, flooding, and sea-level rise. Waves driven by wind, boat traffic, and storms can destroy fragile landforms along the coastline, not to mention sea walls and other traditional or “gray” infrastructure.

This guidebook was produced through an engagement with the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS). It is intended to help minimize delays in project development by providing useful background information on relevant agencies, administrative processes, and the underlying laws in four key states in the Southeast region: North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi.

Implementing Nature-Based Solutions: Levee Setbacks and Voluntary Property Buyouts

A levee setback realigns an existing levee or constructs a new one at a distance from an active river channel, reconnecting the river with its historical floodplain. One key component of the levee setback process is conducting voluntary property buyouts of properties located between the river and the new levee footprint. For a general voluntary property buyout, a local government or entity buys eligible homes or property from willing sellers, demolishes any structures, and maintains the land as open space. A buyout thus eliminates the flood risk to people and property in that area and reduces costly flood damages in the future. In practice, these buyouts can be quite challenging. 

This primer builds on a previous IRIS in Focus primer that provides a legal and policy foundation for communities interested in levee setbacks. It focuses on the challenges of voluntary property buyouts in the context of levee setbacks and how lessons learned from general voluntary property buyouts might apply to this specific contest. After discussing key differences between these two types of buyouts, the primer discusses lessons learned from general buyout programs, including the geographic distribution, implementation, participation factors, and outcomes, and applies these insights to setback-related buyouts. Finally, it offers recommendations to enhance participation in these buyout programs.