BARNSTABLE – The Cape Cod Commission will soon begin work to create a model coastal resiliency bylaw that develops strategies to mitigate and adapt to coastal changes.
The commission received more than $145,000 last week from the state through the Planning Assistance Grant program to fund the creation of the model bylaw.
The commission will partner with Bourne, Sandwich, Brewster and Eastham to evaluate local bylaws and regulation, research best practices, and develop the model bylaw.
The project provides an opportunity to consider and advance the use of existing zoning to promote more resilient practices.
The goal is to adopt strategies that offer increased protection from sea level rise and storm surge for Cape residents.
“On Cape Cod, billions of dollars of private property, businesses, and critical public infrastructure are located within our vulnerable shoreline and coastal hazard areas,” said Kristy Senatori, the executive director of the Cape Cod Commission.
“Development and infrastructure in the floodplain will benefit from pre-disaster planning and action to improve their functions and resiliency during and after storm events.”
The Planning Assistance Grant Program is part of an effort to encourage municipalities to implement land use regulations that are consistent with the Baker-Polito Administration’s land conservation and development objectives.
That includes reduction of land, energy, and natural resource consumption, provision of sufficient and diverse housing, and mitigation of and preparation for climate change.
Local regulations, especially zoning, help determine where and how growth happens and how much water, energy, and other resources are required to support that growth.
The grants are designed to help communities modernize their regulations to build housing and attract jobs in ways that reduce land and energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
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