Charleston seeks $4.6 million to buy out flood-prone homes, build retention space

Charleston, S.C., is applying for $4,639,500 through the South Carolina Office of Resilience Voluntary Buyout Program to purchase repeatedly flooded homes, demolish them and replace them with rain gardens and retention ponds.

City Council has voted to approve the application and no city match was required, Caroline Schnell, the city's floodplain manager, told Stormwater Solutions in an email. 

The SCOR Voluntary Buyout Program is funded through HUD Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funds, Schnell said. Homeowners in targeted areas, including parts of West Ashley, would have the option to participate voluntarily.

The application builds on an existing city buyout program that has acquired 45 properties in James Island and West Ashley, returning the land to green space. Acquired lots can serve as flood storage, stormwater conveyance or habitat restoration areas, according to the city's floodplain management program page. The city's efforts date to the 2015 floods, which prompted its first major acquisition push, including the buyout of the Bridgepoint Townhomes in the Shadowmoss neighborhood.

Acquired properties can be converted into stormwater parks, water retention ponds or similar infrastructure. The office has prioritized buying contiguous properties to avoid isolated vacant lots and maximize flood mitigation benefits. 

The city's floodplain management program relies primarily on FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants, which fund property acquisition and demolition. Participation is voluntary, and inclusion in a grant application does not guarantee funding, the city's program page states. The review process involves coordination among the property owner, the city, state agencies and FEMA, with no guaranteed timeline.

Charleston's buyout efforts date to 2015 floods, which prompted the city's first major acquisition push. The city applied for a FEMA buyout to help Bridge Pointe residents relocate, but the application was initially rejected, the SC Daily Gazette reported, citing Floodlight. FEMA ultimately authorized $10 million for the buyout in 2017. The last residents did not receive checks to relocate until mid-2019, nearly four years after buyout discussions began, the SC Daily Gazette reported.