Sunday, February 22, 2009

Building on the shore: not the wisest move

NEW YORK (AP) -- Water levels around New York City could rise by 2 feet or more in the coming decades and average temperatures will likely go up at least 4 degrees.

That's according to a report released Tuesday by a panel of scientists convened by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change says the city must adapt to global warming or risk having to rebuild facilities after flooding.

Bloomberg and panel members released the report at a wastewater treatment plant on the Rockaway peninsula. The facility is preparing for climate change by raising equipment higher off the ground.

According to the report, New York City can expect more storms, more days with the temperature over 90 degrees and fewer sub-freezing days over the next century.


And from Newsday:

...a New York State task force that is readying recommendations on the best way to adapt to sea level rise soldiers on. That work comes as a federal report released last month by the Environmental Protection Agency said coastal regions "need to rigorously assess vulnerability" to sea level rise and plan strategies to protect property, wetlands and barrier islands.

Among the advice the task force could deliver: direct development away from coastal areas; elevate roads and other infrastructure; or change wetlands regulations to increase no-development zones so marshes threatened by sea level rise have room to migrate upland.


You mean building along the waterfront might not be the best idea? So all the building at Willets Point, in LIC and Rockaway may actually do more harm than good? Wow.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have always believed beachfront property should be zoned recreation only.

With or without global warming, the natural tidal, erosion and weather forces endanger life and limb and destroy millions in net worth.

A beach after a hurricane is a horrifying sight and police have risked their lives trying to evacuate idiots off barrier islands who stay to "protect their property." From whom? Will they hold the walls together with their bare hands when the wind rips the house to shreds?

Anonymous said...

Commissar Chicken Little has been flapping his lips crying "The sky is falling" as a ruse to increase his control through fear.

The earth wobbles. There are solar flares. Volcanos erupt, above and BELOW the oceans' surface. Meteors strike earth. Earth's and the other planets' solar orbit is somewhat irregular. As planets get near, or get further away, the gravitational forces vary.

These and countless other NATURAL, galactic, events impact our climate.

But, Commissar Little claims to have the knowledge and the power to overcome nature. What an arrogant moron!

As to homes and hotels on beachfronts, I'm with Anon # 1.

Why should our tax dollars be used to rescue and later rebuild before and after a hurricane?

The same for flood zones and tornado prone locations.

Don't we ever learn from history? Or, is this idiotic repetition what explains our propensity to reelect morons who keep repeating their crimes?

Anonymous said...

So where are the waterfront advocacy groups?

Why do they remain silent? MAS Waterfront Alliance?

Our favority whipping boys. Pratt et al?

Oh I know. Taking money from developers directly or indirectly though the pols.

They only want to talk about how to accommodate them.

Anonymous said...

Look at it this way.
The FBI tried to clean up the mafiosi of Howard Beach and failed.

Now the forces of nature will complete the job.

Maybe Russo's On The Bay ought to
consider a name change...
Russo's Underwater!

Anonymous said...

Shrimp restaurant becomes shrimp habitat.

Anonymous said...

Look at this lineup in the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. Like the typical Municipal Art Society clone, not exactly a very democratic group. Positively oozes (pun intended) with developers that have no love for the outer boroughs.

Sort of explains why, when someone local out here talks about waterfront park for their community, their 'betters' furrow their collective brows and talk about ‘planned development.’

With this crew in charge the waterfront will experience massive development cutting off the working class people who grew up in Greenpoint or LIC from their own waterfront.

Crappy will examine very real problem this again and again.

http://waterfrontalliance.org/?q=node/31

Paul Balser is a founding partner of Ironwood Manufacturing Fund and Ironwood Partners, private equity firms in New York, N.Y. since 2001.

John Watts is Chairman Emeritus, and Senior Advisor, at Fischer Francis Trees & Watts. He served from 2005 to 2007 as Vice Chairman of BNP Paribas Asset Management Group, where he now is Senior Advisor.

Paige C. Sutherland is a consultant pursuing a variety of fiduciary and advisory roles in finance, investments and real estate. She spent 10 years on Wall Street in real estate finance at Kidder, Peabody and PaineWebber. Her experience included the sale and financing of large commercial properties,

Kent L. Barwick is a civic activist involved in urban planning, design and preservation issues in New York. He has been president of the Municipal Art Society of New York since January 1999.

Laurie Beckelman is a leading expert in the fields of cultural organization development and landmarks preservation. Some of her current projects include such diverse aspects as the development of new museums and a mixed use waterfront projects.

Paul Beirne is a principal in New York City based Bernstein Global Wealth Management, a unit of AllianceBernstein. The firm manages over $800 billion for individuals, families, pension plans, unions, foundations, public funds and other entities.

Eugenia M. Flatow, She served for four years as Executive Deputy Secretary of State under Basil Paterson, and five years in the Lindsay Cabinet as Coordinator of Housing & Development, Administrator of Model Cities and consultant to the Chairman of City Planning.

John Neu is Chairman of the Board and CEO (since 1985) of Hugo Neu Corporation (“HNC”), a privately owned firm headquartered in New York and founded in 1947 by his father, the late Hugo Neu. The company is principally active in the recycling business and industrial and commercial real estate development.

Anonymous said...

What a sham that group is.

Just like that other MAS joke, the Sacred Sites program.

Anonymous said...

Sort of explains when we approached the Greenshores folks to put bike lanes connect our community with the waterfront (E/W routes) as opposed to an ammenity for the developers (N/S routes) they looked at us blankly.

When we asked if they could help the community's efforts for an East River park, they responded that their programs for the year has been set (yea, by whom?)

Anonymous said...

Half of queens is in a floodzone. Are we prepared to abandon NY?

Anonymous said...

Half of queens is in a floodzone. Are we prepared to abandon NY?

Half of Queens is a floodzone due to the second stringers running this place. They want to build but not put in infrastucture like sewers.

Building on the coastline is another story: simply greed and stupidity.

Anonymous said...

Pretty sad that the darling of the green groups, the Waterfront Alliance, seems to be little more than a front for developers.

These young people that sign up to take away jobs from city employeees, like pulling shopping carts out of the river in exchange for splashing around some cove, are either clueless or just don't care.

A really hate to see what stewards of American democracy they will be when they get older.

Anonymous said...

Half of Queens is a floodzone due to the second stringers running this place. They want to build but not put in infrastucture like sewers.
willets point is a perfect example how are you going to raise the dirt but not the roads ? so if the area floods the buildings would be protected but any traffic, emergency vehicles would never be able to get in or out. thats a great plan lets vote yes and give clair her going away parachute for here share of the housing being built . great to be represented by a bunch of theifs










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