LANDMARK CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION BILL FOR KAUA’I

New zoning district regulations will control development in areas vulnerable to sea rise.

In 2019,  just prior to the advent of Covid, SSFM launched an initiative articulating our commitment to leadership in sustainability and resilience. Now in its fourth year of implementation, SSFM’s strategy identifies how we will apply our expertise to positively impact the resilience of the Hawaiian Islands. While Covid had a devastating effect on Hawai‘i’s economy, our efforts to further resilience and climate change adaptation across Hawai‘i continued. We are now seeing the outcomes of important resilience initiatives born during the pandemic.

Notably, the County of Kaua‘i recently adopted a bill establishing a new zoning district to regulate development in areas vulnerable to future sea level rise. Kaua‘i is the first in the state (and nearly in the nation) to adopt zoning regulations that will limit development in future sea level rise areas. In creating the bill, SSFM conducted a review of national and international examples, researched model codes, and recommended design standards for the new zoning district.

Sea Rise Bill

www.hawaii.edu/news/2022/10/18/historic-sea-level-rise-bill/

New zoning district regulations will control development in areas vulnerable to sea rise.

In 2019, just prior to the advent of Covid, SSFM launched an initiative articulating our commitment to leadership in sustainability and resilience. Now in its fourth year of implementation, SSFM’s strategy identifies how we will apply our expertise to positively impact the resilience of the Hawaiian Islands. While Covid had a devastating effect on Hawai‘i’s economy, our efforts to further resilience and climate change adaptation across Hawai‘i continued. We are now seeing the outcomes of important resilience initiatives born during the pandemic.

Notably, the County of Kaua‘i recently adopted a bill establishing a new zoning district to regulate development in areas vulnerable to future sea level rise. Kaua‘i is the first in the state (and nearly in the nation) to adopt zoning regulations that will limit development in future sea level rise areas. In creating the bill, SSFM conducted a review of national and international examples, researched model codes, and recommended design standards for the new zoning district.

Sea Rise Bill