The Pacific Ocean has risen 4 to 8 inches along the Northern California coast over the last century, and is expected to continue to rise two to three feet more by the end of the century.
Bay Area communities are struggling for a strategy to cope. The California Coastal Commission has encouraged city governments to plan for the future by fortifying flood defenses, restoring wetlands, or making people move.
The latter prospect, in particular, is politically charged with valuable coastal properties comprising major investments for residents. The last resort of relocation has been chosen in Pacifica, where coastal bluffs have eroded so quickly that city officials have already demolished some properties before they fell into the water.
Fortification projects are moving forward. San Francisco voters approved a $425 million bond to start bolster a sea wall along the Embarcadero, the road along the bay. Builders of a new real estate development in a former industrial area called Mission Creek are raising old roads and warehouses by as much as 10 feet.
Communities face an overriding question: How much do you armor the coast, what areas do you save, and who will have to move?
Related Stories
| Dec 18, 2014
Deal on 2015 budget slashes most federal construction spending
The $1.1 trillion funding bill for fiscal year 2015 approved by Congress makes deep cuts in some construction programs, but the General Services Administration suffered just a short haircut by comparison.
| Dec 11, 2014
Mayor backs reform of Pittsburgh inspection, permitting practices
The proposal, among other things, would impose a rental registration program and fee targeted at keeping better track of problem landlords.
| Dec 11, 2014
Los Angeles mayor proposes earthquake retrofit program
The ambitious program would focus on some apartment buildings built before 1978 and concrete buildings constructed before 1976.
| Dec 11, 2014
Outdated building code hampering recruitment of high-tech businesses in New York State
New York State’s building code is outdated and is hampering the recruitment of high-tech employers, according to a coalition of construction, fire safety, and insurance industry groups.
| Dec 11, 2014
Defense Authorization Act rejects BRAC for 2017
The House of Representatives has passed the $584.2 billion Defense Authorization Act.
| Dec 4, 2014
New airports raising green standards to new heights
Recent airport designs are bigger and much more efficient, based on a look at recent projects in Mexico City, London, and China.
| Dec 4, 2014
Rock Hill, S.C., puts moratorium on multifamily construction
City officials say the flurry of apartment construction over the past year has strained resources, including public services and infrastructure.
| Dec 4, 2014
Ontario contractors renew push for prompt payment legislation
A new coalition of Ontario contractors, construction associations, suppliers and trade unions will push for a revival of prompt payment legislation late this year.
| Dec 4, 2014
Roofing material manufacturers extend research project on sustainable roofing
A coalition of trade groups is sponsoring continued analysis of a reroofing project at the Onondaga County Correctional Facility in Jamesville, New York.
| Nov 26, 2014
Colorado must fix construction defects law, Denver Post says
Colorado's “vexing construction defects law” has hampered the building of new condominiums in the state, according to an editorial in the Denver Post.
