From Robert Whitcomb's "Digital Diary,'' in GoLocal24.com
At this writing it was unknown whether Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo would sign bad legislation, backed by builders, that would raise the maximum permissible height of houses along the coast to as high as 56 feet from 35 feet (plus five feet of freeboard) in the growing acreage defined as being in “flood-hazard zones’’. This legislation would encourage the construction and expansion of tall McMansions and continue the trend of the affluent sealing off the coast that’s been so obvious the past few decades. And the legislation would do it in areas that are increasingly vulnerable to flooding because of global warming. When the next big hurricanes arrive, taxpayers, through federal flood insurance, would have to help pay to clean up the mess. Most of these buildings should be moved farther away from the shore.
Charlestown Town Planner Jane Weidman told ecoRI News:
“It’s not good planning practice in general to build homes that block the shore and obstruct the view. We should be retreating or moving away, not promoting larger structures in flood zones. Why do we want to be massing up the most sensitive areas we have?”
To read the ecoRI News story on this, please hit this link.
