Climate Resilient Regulations & Policies Project

Coastal flooding due to sea level rise and storm surge poses many challenges in Pleasant Bay and other coastal waters:

• Loss of public access to marine waters
• Threats to roads, buildings and water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure
• Drowning of salt marsh, eelgrass and other tidal wetlands
• Warming water temperatures that are inhospitable to aquatic life
• Increased shoreline erosion and loss of natural sediment movement needed to feed beaches, dunes and marshes

A priority recommendation of the Pleasant Bay Climate Adaptation Action Plan is to work with Conservation Commissions, Planning Boards and other stakeholders in the four Alliance towns to evaluate Coastal Resilience regulatory tools created by the Cape Cod Commission, and adopt provisions that will enhance the resilience of public access, infrastructure and buildings on or near Pleasant Bay and elsewhere in the towns. The resilience tools include:

• Model Wetlands Bylaw Article to Establish a Coastal Resilience Zone
• Model Regulations for a Coastal Resilience Zone
• Model Floodplain Overlay District Zoning Bylaw

Over the 2026 calendar year, representatives of the Alliance, Cape Cod Commission and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension will be meeting with Conservation Commissions, Planning Boards, and other community stakeholders to formulate recommendations for adapting the regulatory tools to reflect local resilience needs, and adopting the tools as recommended. The desired end result will be a coastal resilience regulatory tools that are supported by the Towns, to protect future development and enhance the resilience of existing natural resources from the risks of flooding, erosion and similar climate change impacts.

This web page provides links to resources and will provide periodic status updates as these discussions occur.

This work is supported by a grant from the Southeast New England Project Technical Assistance Network to the Town of Chatham.

Meetings and Activities

Partner Resources

Mapping Stormtide Pathways in Pleasant Bay

Coastal Floodplain Data Viewer

Flood Area Design Guidelines for reducing or eliminating hazards from sea level rise and storm surge to life and the built environment while also protecting the region’s distinctive character and historic resources.

Coastal Resiliency Bylaw Communications Framework (Brewster)

Communications Toolkit for Development in the Floodplain (Chatham)

MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued draft regulations, providing performance standards for Land Subject to Coastal Storm Flowage (LSCSF).