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Ocean Ridge discusses seawall funding, FEMA review and $750,000 resiliency planning ask
Summary
The commission discussed an $800,000 allocation toward the Hudson seawall (FEMA/HMGP review pending), new HMGP requirements shifting to 500-year storm standards, and a proposed $750,000 planning allocation to create shovel-ready resiliency projects for Hudson and Coconut corridors to maintain emergency ingress/egress.
Moderator told the commission that the town currently has $800,000 allocated for the Hudson seawall and that the project is under FEMA review; staff has asked for information through FEMA's RFI process. She said FEMA and HMGP funders had updated requirements and that some grant language effectively asks the town to harden facilities to a 500-year storm standard, which would include wrapping buildings with removable flood panels in some cases.
Moderator warned about the operational challenges of panels for facilities that accommodate public safety officers during storms and said the town pushed back on certain requirements. She then proposed a larger resiliency-corridor planning project to keep East Ocean Avenue passable during major storms and suggested budgeting $750,000 for shovel-ready planning to qualify for major resiliency grants. "$750,000 that I've put in there is a big number," the Moderator said, and commissioners discussed reducing the near-term planning ask to $250,000 to spread the work across years.
The commission also noted required grant deliverables for other coastal projects (appraisals, environmental studies) and discussed trade-offs between accepting grant funding with perpetual conservation easements and retaining future development flexibility.
