flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

N.C.’s Outer Banks’ communities struggle for ways to keep the sea from overrunning them

Codes and Standards

N.C.’s Outer Banks’ communities struggle for ways to keep the sea from overrunning them

Tax hikes for beach replenishment offer temporary solution.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | March 25, 2021

Courtesy Pixabay

Communities along North Carolina’s Outer Banks are grappling with how to prevent beaches, and ultimately the settlements themselves, from washing away.

One solution, beach replenishment in which sand is harvested offshore and pumped onto eastern-facing beachfronts, is a costly, temporary measure. The Town of Avon, with a few hundred full-time residents, needs at least $11 million to stop its main road from washing away.

To raise the funds, Dare County proposed increasing Avon’s property taxes by almost 50% for some residents. But that plan would only stave off the problem for about five years. Other communities along the Outer Banks face similar challenges.

In light of major storms that have pummeled the sandbar island chain in recent years, along with rising sea levels, some suggest the government would be better served to pay residents to relocate inland. One Avon resident quoted in a New York Times Magazine article said he is telling his children to leave the community.

Related Stories

Codes and Standards | Aug 16, 2017

Big changes coming to Ontario building code

Proposals include solar-ready roofs, more stringent heating/cooling efficiency requirements, and graywater reuse.

Codes and Standards | Aug 14, 2017

New edition of AISC Steel Construction Manual now available

Includes the 2016 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings.

Codes and Standards | Aug 10, 2017

AAMA releases updated Standard Test Method for Water Penetration Using Dynamic Pressure

The update applies to windows, curtain walls, and doors.

Codes and Standards | Aug 9, 2017

UpCodes aims to make researching building codes, regulations easier through searchable app

App currently includes building codes of 40 states and New York City.

Codes and Standards | Aug 8, 2017

3D printing industry working to implement standards for products, processes

Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collective (AMSC) will develop industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications.

Codes and Standards | Aug 7, 2017

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat to create standards to measure floor area

The standards will examine existing codes and regulations to find where they are too broad or contentious.

Codes and Standards | Aug 3, 2017

ASID headquarters is first space in the world to earn both LEED and WELL Platinum Certification

Washington, D.C. office is showcase for top levels of the two standards.

Codes and Standards | Aug 2, 2017

OSHA to release web-based injury and illness reporting form on August 1st

Employers can use the application to submit forms electronically.

Codes and Standards | Aug 1, 2017

Zoning that restricts housing construction also dampens other economic development

Land use restrictions reduce U.S. GDP by 9% annually.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021