Son of a Beach! Property Rights in the Cross Hairs of Storm Mitigation Efforts!

New Jersey's Owner's Counsel of America representative, Tony DellaPelle, re-joins Infrastructure Junkies! to discuss his front line experience on a  serious issue that is not going away for coastal communities and residents--storm damage.  Tony describes the unexpected devastation of Hurricane Sandy to the Jersey Shore back in 2012, and the reactions of residents and politicians alike.  After the storm, Governor Chris Christie led the effort to mitigate the effects of future storms by constructing dunes and buffers.  But New Jersey had no plans to pay for easements required for those storm mitigation buffers and gave no consideration to the possible damage to value of coastal properties.  Does the public interest in protecting our coastlines from rising seas outweigh private interest in real property?  Do landowners have a moral, ethical or social obligation to surrender rights without compensation--thereby bearing the substantial costs of mitigation efforts?

This is a fascinating examination of one state's reaction to a devastating hurricane.  What steps can be taken to proactively deal with future storms?  That may be the substance of discussion on a future episode!

This episode is made possible by Blackbird Right of Way, LLC, which specializes in complex relocations under the Uniform Relocation Act.  From one parcel to 100, anywhere in the lower 48 states, Blackbird is ready to become a part of the team.