Impacts of Acquisition
Lincoln Park, NJ
Case Study
Mary Shaw, PhD, AICP, CFM
Jen Sparenberg, CFM
Lincoln Park Website
Proactive in Dissemination
of Information on Flood Risk
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Methodology
Qualitative Research Approach
Goal
 Identify a range of impacts of
acquisition
Method
 Interview officials from
Lincoln Park
 Interview officials from other
communities along Passaic and
Susquehanna
 Identify commonalities, trends
beyond reduction in flood
damage
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Borough of Lincoln Park
Morris County, NJ
26 miles from NYC
2010 Population = 10,521
Named by New Jersey Monthly
(February 2008) as one of top five
places to live in NJ
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Confluence of Pompton and Passaic Rivers
Source: NFIP FIRM Index Panel 345300 0001-0003, Borough of Lincoln Park, NJ, August 19, 1986
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History of Flooding
Passaic and Pompton Rivers Flooding
 August 2011 (Hurricane Irene)
 March 2010
 April 2007
 August 2000
 September 1999
(Hurricane Floyd)
 November 1997
 January 1996
Volunteering for Acquisition
 65 properties in the approval process in
April 2012
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Findings – Impacts of Acquisition Beyond Risk Reduction
Costs to
municipality
Benefits to
municipality
Costs to
property
owners
Benefits to
property
owners
Costs to utility
companies
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Initial Costs to the Municipality
 Legal costs
 Administrative costs
 Share of costs of property
purchase, demolition,
removal, grading
 Loss of tax revenue
• Conclude not a problem if a
community elects to do acquisitions
• Related to availability of other developable land in the
community
• Conclude that if this is an obstacle, a community does not
implement an acquisition program
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Interim Costs to the Municipality – Sprawl
 Still maintaining the road
 Still providing water / sewer service
 Still doing evacuation, emergency
shelter, rescue, repair and replace
when there is a flood
 Maintenance of vacant lots can be
a cost
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Utility Costs
 Regular maintenance along utility lines serving a relatively
small number of customers
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Long-term Benefits to the Municipality
 Return each acquired property to natural condition
 Additional pervious surface, space for flood water storage
 Avoided costs of evacuation, emergency shelter, rescue,
debris removal, disruption, repair and rebuild for that structure
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Impacts on Property Owners
 Community cohesion
 Conflicting conclusions
• Lower property value
because of floodprone location
• Increased property
value because of
having open space
nearby
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Lessons Learned
 Consider geographic
limitations/boundaries
of the community
• Does the community have room
to expand or is it built-out?
 Consider the composition of the
tax base of the community
• Large percentage of
tax-exempt buildings?
• Vacation rental properties in a
tourist destination?
• Availability of affordable housing
outside the floodplain?
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Lessons Learned
 Encourage/promote acquisition
through public outreach before
a disaster
• Permanent solution to
eliminating flood risk
• Ensure the homeowner doesn’t
pass the burden of flood damage
and recovery on to future buyers
• Acquire properties at pre-flood value; buyout is an economic
boon to property owners
 Promote acquisition through planning and regulation
• Target areas for future acquisition to eliminate
patchwork effect
• Add target areas as projects in hazard mitigation plan
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Preparing for Acquisition
Hazard mitigation plan is very specific
 Acquisition/elevation of eight severe repetitive loss properties on Aspen
Lane, Bank Lane, Dubrow Street, Elm Street, and Riveredge Road
 Acquisition/elevation of eight severe repetitive loss properties on DeHart
Street, Ryerson Road, W. William Street, and Linden Avenue
 Acquisition/elevation of eight severe repetitive loss properties on
Harmon Street, Woodlawn Road, Walnut Street, and Roosevelt Street
 Acquisition/elevation of eight severe repetitive loss properties on Oak
Street, Poplar Street, Forrest Avenue
 Acquisition/elevation of eight severe repetitive loss properties on
Midwood Road, President Street, Maple Street, Pequannock Avenue,
and Franklin Street
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Elevation projects
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