The ReAL Edgemere Community Land Trust is working to ensure neighborhood residents have meaningful input into a major flood protection project being designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Edgemere, a majority-minority neighborhood of 15,000 residents on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, faces increasing threats from tidal flooding due to its low elevation and high water table. While the USACE's proposed coastal storm risk management features would provide critical protection, it is critical to ensure that designs integrate the community’s desire for waterfront access and nature-based flood protection solutions.

The proposed USACE project, funded through Hurricane Sandy relief legislation, would raise portions of the shoreline to elevations as high as 11 feet through a combination of structural and natural features. According to the USACE's environmental impact statement, the Edgemere section would involve approximately 3,200 feet of hybrid berm designed to protect occupied properties while minimizing impacts to existing wetland habitats.

The USACE project represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to implement comprehensive flood protection, but getting the design right is crucial and local voices must shape how federal investments impact their neighborhood. By convening discussions between residents, experts, and government partners, the CLT aims to achieve flood protection that works with, rather than against, community needs and aspirations for their waterfront. The outcome of these engagement efforts could provide valuable lessons for other vulnerable coastal communities seeking to influence large-scale resilience projects.