N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program
The N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program aims to facilitate a community-driven process for setting coastal resilience goals, assessing existing and needed local capacity, and identifying and prioritizing projects to enhance community resilience to coastal hazards. Participating communities will walk through a framework leading to the development of “shovel-ready” projects. Local governments throughout the 20 coastal counties will be eligible to apply for direct technical assistance to complete a community engagement process, risk, and vulnerability assessment, and develop a resilience project portfolio.
The four phases of the program include:
- Phase 1: Community Engagement and Risk & Vulnerability Assessment
- Phase 2: Planning, Project Selection, and Prioritization
- Phase 3: Engineering and Design
- Phase 4: Implementation
This initiative, funded through the N.C. State Legislature and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will provide funding to local governments to help overcome barriers in coastal resilience and adaptation planning, boost local government capacity, and support a proactive, sustainable, and equitable approach to coastal resilience planning and project implementation.
For more information please visit our RCCP Communities Dashboard.
(2024-2025) Phase 3 & 4 Applications
DCM is requesting applications from any county and municipal governments or federal and state-recognized tribes within the 20 CAMA counties. All eligible applicants must have completed Phases 1 and 2 of the RCCP or equivalent, and the proposed project must have been identified as a priority project for the community. DCM estimates that a total of approximately $6,000,000 dollars will be available for Phases 3 and 4 of the RCCP. Individual award amounts for Phase 3 will range from $25,000 to $500,000, and individual award amounts for Phase 4 will range from $50,000 to $750,000.
Applications for both Phase 3 and 4 funding are due Friday, May 31, 2024. There is no cash or in-kind match requirement for applicants. DCM is hosting an applicant webinar on Friday, April 19, 2024, from 10-11:30 am. You can register for the webinar here.
(2024-2025) Phase 3: Engineering & Design
Grant funds for Phase 3 may be used to advance projects from conceptual designs into final designs and engineering plans. Proposals can include preliminary design, site assessment, and baseline monitoring provided that the project can result in a 90-100% design for the project. Proposals for the development of ordinances or policies to further resiliency in the community may also be submitted for consideration.
(2024-2025) Phase 4: Implementation & Construction
Grant funds for Phase 4 may be used for the construction or implementation of a project that improves the resilience of your community’s critical assets, people, and property to identified coastal hazards (e.g., flooding, sea-level rise, storm surge, etc.). DCM will prioritize projects that include natural or nature-based components; examples include wetland and stream restoration, flood mitigation, living shoreline stabilization, and stormwater management.
RCCP Information & Materials
The North Carolina Resilient Coastal Communities Program Planning Handbook provides guidance to contractors and local governments in completing Phases 1 and 2 of the N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program. The handbook identifies the specific program requirements, as well as existing data, tools, and resources to help communities meet these requirements.
Mackenzie Todd, Coastal Resiliency Coordinator
Kasen Wally, Coastal Resilience Specialist
Program Email: RCCP@deq.nc.gov
For questions specifically related to land use planning and how this initiative overlaps with CAMA Land Use Plan updates, reach out to your District Planner.
Phases 1 & 2: Orientation Materials, Community Resilience Strategies & Project Portfolios
The main deliverable for Phases 1 and 2 is a Resilience Strategy consisting of a combination of the deliverables developed throughout this process. While this is not meant to be a comprehensive resilience plan, the information in this Resilience Strategy may later be used to create a comprehensive Resilience Plan or be integrated into existing local plans and ordinances. Having a planning document like this helps to provide clarity of purpose, attract funding, and provide a more direct path to implementation.
|
Year |
Community Resilience Strategy |
Community Project Portfolio |
Amount |
|
2020-2022 |
Aurora |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Beaufort | $30,000 | |
|
2020-2022 |
Beaufort County |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Belhaven |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Bertie County |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Cape Carteret |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Craven County |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Currituck County |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Dare County-Hatteras Island |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Duck |
$15,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Hertford |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Hertford County |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Hyde County-Ocracoke |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Leland |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Nags Head |
$15,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Navassa |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Pamlico County |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Pine Knoll Shores |
$15,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Sunset Beach |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Swansboro |
$15,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Topsail Island (Topsail Beach, N. Topsail Beach, and Surf City) |
Topsail Island (Topsail Beach, N. Topsail Beach, and Surf City) |
$75,000 |
|
2020-2022 |
Vandemere |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Washington |
$30,000 |
|
|
2020-2022 |
Windsor |
$30,000 |
Phase 3: Engineering & Design
The primary objective of Phase 3 of the RCCP is to provide funding to assist communities with the engineering and design of a prioritized project identified in their RCCP Resilience Strategy or other existing plans that meet the RCCP’s Phases 1 and 2 planning criteria. Some communities will also receive funds to develop or amend ordinances that improve their resilience to flooding and other coastal hazards or to otherwise take steps to manage stormwater and flooding. Most of the engineering and design projects feature natural and nature-based elements such as wetland restoration and living shoreline design. The 2022-2023 award recipients are below:
|
Community |
Project Name |
Amount ($) |
|---|---|---|
|
Aurora |
Wetland Restoration at Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) |
$74,885 |
|
Beaufort County |
Low Impact Development Site-Beaufort County Community College |
$64,130 |
|
Belhaven |
Wynne's Gut Tidal Gates and Flood Attenuation |
$84,800 |
|
Bertie County |
Cashie River Drainage System |
$45,000 |
|
Cape Carteret |
Cape Carteret Flood Mitigation Planning Project |
$85,000 |
|
Craven County |
Craven County Living Shoreline Prioritization and Engineering Design |
$45,000 |
| Currituck County | Baxter Lane and Old Tulls Road Drainage | $35,000 |
|
Dare County |
Hatteras Village Stormwater Improvements |
$45,000 |
|
Town of Duck |
Duck Neighborhood Floodwater Management Plan |
$45,000 |
|
Town of Hertford |
Jennies Gut Drainage Improvement Feasibility Study |
$45,000 |
|
Hyde County |
Ocracoke Stormwater Management Plan |
$45,000 |
|
Town of Leland |
Mallory Creek Drive Drainage Improvements |
$20,000 |
|
Nags Head |
Town of Nags Head Drainage Infrastructure Improvements |
$45,000 |
|
New Bern |
Duffyfield Community Resilience Improvement-Basin Restoration and Enhancement |
$45,000 |
|
Pine Knoll Shores |
Town-Wide Nature-Based Stormwater Solutions |
$45,000 |
|
Sunset Beach |
Green Infrastructure-40th Street Erosion |
$49,865 |
|
Swansboro |
Water Street Rehabilitation |
$45,000 |
|
Topsail Island (Surf City, N. Topsail Beach, and Topsail Beach) |
Topsail Island Roadside Stormwater Project |
$135,000 |
|
Vandemere |
Improving Stormwater Culverts and Drainage |
$45,000 |
|
City of Washington |
Jack's Creek Floodplain and Greenway Improvements |
$61,480 |
Phase 4: Implementation & Construction
|
Community Name |
Project Name |
Award Amount ($) |
|
Belhaven |
Wynne's Gut Tidal Gates and Flood Attenuation |
$263,200 |
|
City of New Bern |
Duffyfield Community Resilience-Rose Street Basin Restoration |
$175,320 |
|
Pine Knoll Shores |
Tree Street Swales |
$215,000 |
|
Vandemere |
Vandemere Drainage Improvements |
$250,000 |
|
Washington |
Jack’s Creek Floodplain and Greenway Improvements |
$263,200 |