Roadmap for Visioning Managed Retreat

Waterfront communities are exposed to increasing risk from climate impacts, including sea level rise in coastal areas and more frequent and/or extreme flooding and storms. In some geographic areas, improvements to infrastructure and natural features alone cannot mitigate the risk sufficiently to adequately protect people and important elements of the community - whether housing, services, or other assets. In such cases, managed retreat may be an appropriate adaptation strategy. Managed retreat is the purposeful, pro-active, coordinated movement of people and development in vulnerable areas that are at chronic risk (typically at risk from chronic flooding) to areas that are expected to remain less exposed and vulnerable to risks in the long-term. While managed retreat can be an extremely effective adaptation strategy, it is complex and requires early and thoughtful public engagement and planning to be successful, equitable, and to avoid unintended consequences, such as breaking up culturally connected communities or worsening environmental conditions. Buyouts can be one means of achieving managed retreat. Often, local support and available funding opportunities for buyouts or strategic retreat only arise after a disaster has occurred. This leaves communities in a more reactionary position during already stressful and emotionally charged circumstances. Ideally, managed retreat and other adaptation options would be contemplated before a disaster occurs, allowing communities the time and space to be more thoughtful in the approaches taken.

As the State’s planning agency, the New York State (NYS) Department of State (“DOS” or “Department”) is interested in furthering our understanding of the level and type of support that flood-prone communities might need to effectively plan for and carry out managed retreat. The results of this project will help DOS support communities to proactively consider retreat as an adaptation approach.

The Department will contract with a selected consultant to develop a Roadmap, or plan of action, for DOS to identify and assemble the needed elements of a Statewide managed retreat program, including specific opportunities for DOS to support communities. The Roadmap is seen as a critical visioning and guiding product that DOS can refer to, adapt, and apply as needed. Consequently, DOS will be better positioned to initiate a locally led, retreat planning program that consists of visioning, planning, risk and opportunity analysis, and public engagement.

Development of the Roadmap will also be shaped by stakeholder engagement efforts and analyses. Under this contract, the selected consultant will assemble the following elements of the Roadmap:

• Listed and detailed needs and opportunities at the State level that should be addressed in order to successfully support managed retreat in vulnerable communities.
  
  
• Foundational content for a state-supported retreat program, including community-oriented resources on managed retreat that will help develop local understanding of the process, analyses and visioning needed to support a managed retreat adaptation option. The community resources developed through this project can help communities be better prepared to mobilize resources to access additional managed retreat opportunities when they arise, such as through FEMA funded buyout opportunities.

• A framework for DOS to understand where and how the State can most effectively support communities as they explore managed retreat as an adaptation option. This project is a necessary first step to developing a State-supported Managed Retreat Program for voluntary local implementation.