Blue Acres Post-Buyout Land Management Field Guide (2024)

Last modified on June 24th, 2025 at 2:18 pm

“Blue Acres Post-Buyout Land Management Field Guide”, developed by a former intern, provides an overview of natural floodplain functions, authorized uses of Blue Acres properties, and strategies for managing encroachments on State-owned lands. This guide is intended to help municipalities and other stakeholders effectively manage and utilize acquired open space lands for flood risk mitigation and climate resilience.

Key Sections of the Guide

  1. Obligations of Municipalities:
    • Outlines the responsibilities of municipalities in managing Blue Acres properties to ensure compliance with state regulations and promote flood resilience.
  2. Flood Risk Mitigation for Climate Resilience:
    • Discusses strategies and practices for mitigating flood risks and enhancing climate resilience through effective land management.
  3. Functions of a Floodplain:
    • Soil Compaction, Porosity, and Permeability: Explains the importance of soil health in floodplain management, including how soil compaction, porosity, and permeability affect flood resilience.
    • Vegetation and Runoff: Highlights the role of vegetation in managing runoff and reducing flood risks.
    • Benefits of Healthy Floodplains: Describes the ecological and community benefits of maintaining healthy floodplains.
  4. Authorized Uses of Acquired Open Space Land:
    • Provides guidelines on what activities and uses are permitted on Blue Acres properties to ensure they contribute to flood resilience and ecological health.
  5. Prohibited Uses of Acquired Open Space Land:
    • Lists activities and uses that are not allowed on Blue Acres properties to prevent actions that could undermine flood resilience efforts.
  6. Addressing Unauthorized Uses of Blue Acres Open Space:
    • Identifying Encroachments: Explains how the severity of encroachments on buyout properties is determined by the cost and effort required to restore the land and the extent of soil impact.
    • Encroachment Examples: Provides examples of common encroachments and how they can impact floodplain management.
    • Preventing Misuse: Recommends actions municipalities can take to prevent and address misuse of Blue Acres open space.
  7. Creative Uses of Blue Acres Open Space:
    • Encourages innovative and community-friendly uses of Blue Acres properties that align with flood resilience goals, such as creating recreational areas or restoring natural habitats.

 

Concept Design Samples for Blue Acres Sites (2025)

Last modified on June 24th, 2025 at 12:22 pm

The concept design samples were developed by students in the Rutgers Department of Landscape Architecture in partnership with Blue Acres. These samples are intended to provide illustrative examples of potential landscape designs for flood-prone areas and are not meant to serve as endorsements.

The sites included in these samples are located in:

  • Highland Park
  • Hillsborough
  • Lincoln Park
  • Old Bridge
  • Paterson
  • Rahway

The designs aim to showcase innovative approaches to managing and utilizing open spaces acquired through the Blue Acres program, highlighting strategies for enhancing flood resilience and ecological health. These concept designs were created as part of the Rutgers Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability (CUES) coursework.

Blue Acres Post-Buyout Land Use Considerations Handout (2025)

Last modified on June 24th, 2025 at 12:36 pm

This two-page document provides an overview of permissible land uses and strategies for enhancing floodplain functions on Blue Acres properties and other flood-prone open spaces. It highlights real-world examples of repurposed properties, guidelines for maintaining open space, and nature-based solutions to improve water absorption and community resilience.

Key Points

  1. Community Benefits of Open Space:
    • Examples include a restored native landscape in Woodbridge with native plants and a gravel walkway, a maintained mowed lawn with planted trees, and an engineered multi-use space in Lambertville with access to both the land and the waterway, seating, and native plants.
  2. Land Use Considerations:
    • Blue Acres properties must be maintained as open space with restrictions such as no pavement, no vehicle use or storage, no obstructive fences, and no walled structures.
  3. Enhancing Floodplain Functions:
    • Strategies include planting native flood-tolerant plants, preventing soil compaction, and implementing green infrastructure like rain gardens and bioswales to improve water absorption and resilience.
  4. Additional Resources:

Land Use Visioning Increases Support for and Participation in Flood Buyouts

Last modified on June 24th, 2025 at 12:43 pm

September 18, 2024

As an example of “visioning,” shown above is a concept design for a floodplain restoration project. Blue Acres’ survey asked if similar designs used in public engagement processes would influence respondents’ views on flood buyouts. Graphic from: Creating Flood-Resilient Landscapes, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources

Blue Acres administered an online survey to understand if more public engagement is needed around buyouts and to see if post-buyout land use visioning efforts would improve support for buyout participation and community land stewardship.  For context, land use “visioning” refers to preparing digital renderings of a site that display proposed restoration options for implementation. The visioning being discussed in this survey would occur in consultation with community members to provide visual examples of how the land might be utilized once it becomes open space. 

Survey Distribution
The short, seven-question survey went live on February 28th, 2024, and accepted survey responses for sixty-two days, concluding on April 30th.  To solicit responses, it was shared via email with those on the Blue Acres listserv and the Governor’s Office of Innovation’s email list. The survey was also promoted by Blue Acres staff during presentations at three professional conferences during March and April.  

Survey Responses
The survey yielded eighty-six responses from community members, homeowners, or government representatives. Most respondents (93%) seemed to favor more public engagement around buyouts, and over 87% of respondents felt that if visual aids were available to define post-buyout land use, they would be more likely to support buyouts.  Similarly, the responses to two questions asking how participants connect open space to flood protection showed that most people believe more open space in the floodplain and a naturally functioning floodplain can meaningfully reduce damage from flooding, 94.3% and 76% respectively. Likewise, the majority of respondents indicated they support funding to address long-term management of buyout lands. 

Survey Outcomes
The responses collected support Blue Acres’ ongoing initiatives to better engage communities focusing on flood risk and mitigation communications and post-buyout land use visioning. By creating opportunities for post-buyout land use visioning, Blue Acres aims to grow support for buyouts while empowering community members to advocate for the optimization of buyout lands to meet community goals and needs such as climate resilience, beautification, passive recreation, etc. 

 

Blue Acres thanks all who participated—community feedback is essential as the program works towards innovative, sustainable solutions for flood-impacted areas.