New Jersey’s Blue Acres program has bought and cleared about 1,200 flood-prone homes

New Jersey’s Blue Acres program has acquired and demolished roughly 1,200 properties in flood-prone areas, using more than $234 million in federal and state funds to pay fair market value and return land to permanent open space. Started in 1995, the program is widely cited as a national model because it moves faster than many federal buyout efforts, provides steady state funding (including a share of corporate taxes and three bond issues) and assigns a case manager to every applicant to help homeowners weigh the financial and personal costs of leaving.

Officials and experts say buyouts reduce long-term risk by replacing houses and pavement with open space that better absorbs water. Climate scientists warn New Jersey faces growing threats: sea level along the state’s coast has risen about 1.5 feet in the last century and a Rutgers study projects another 2.2 to 3.8 feet by 2100 if emissions continue.

Manville, a working-class borough frequently flooded by tropical storms and nor’easters, is a prominent example. The town has sold about 120 homes to Blue Acres for roughly $22 million between 2015 and 2024, with another 53 buyouts underway. Many lots are now grass, interspersed with elevated or repaired homes.

Residents and local leaders praise the program as a relief for families who are tired of repeated flooding but also note trade-offs: buyouts take time, reduce municipal tax revenue and shift maintenance costs for the new open space to towns.

Key Topics

AI, Science, New Jersey, Flooding, Climate Change, Buyouts, Resilience