By Rob Freeman
How did Babco*ck Ranch survive Hurricane Ian? As described below, a focus on climate resilient design played a central part of the community’s planning and development which made all the difference for residents in the end.
How Did Babco*ck Ranch Survive Hurricane Ian?
Hurricane Ian unleashed 150 MPH winds, massive flooding, 20 inches of rain on the Fort Myers area, doing billions of dollars of damage…
However,Babco*ck Ranch,a massive residential community located only 12 miles from the southwestern coast where Ian made landfall,survived – almost without a scratch.
The developer1 of the mixed-use projectbuilt with resilience in mind.Indeed, the difference resilience planning makes can be seen in the impact that Hurricane Ian had on the area near Fort Myers compared to Babco*ck Ranch.
Parts of Cape Coral and Fort Myers were completely destroyed, whereas even after being hit by the Category 4 storm for over 10 hours, Babco*ck Ranch survived with no structural damage, needing only minor cosmetic repairs.
How did Babco*ck Ranch survive Hurricane Ian? Three resilient building factors had a huge effect on the positive outcome for Babco*ck Ranch after the hurricane hit the area:
1) Higher Elevation
Kitson built the homesat 25 feet above sea level.
The higher finished floor elevations and road elevations helped the community avoid the most severe flooding that wiped out homes at lower elevations where storm surges combined with high winds to cause massive destruction.
2) Enhanced Building Code Standards
Babco*ck Ranch is built to a higher level of construction than is required by standard, local Florida building code.
Whereas “building to code” means meeting the bare minimum to receive a certificate of occupancy, theFlorida Green Building Coalition2, a green building non-profit developed a rating system inspired by Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) that requires homes to be designed with sustainability and resilience in mind.
Babco*ck Ranch followed sustainable land development standards and the FGBC homes rating system in all its buildings. The FGBCreference guideoutlines the options. Like LEED, there are prerequisites3 and green building categories for certification.
- Energy
- Water
- Lot Choice
- Site
- Health
- Materials
- Disaster Mitigation
- General
Importantly, FGBC’s building standard also takes Florida’s unique climate risks and exposures into account.
Homes are designed to be able to withstand a category 3 hurricane and up to 145 mile per hour winds.
Kitson also built with all utilities – such as electric and phone lines – being secured underground.
3) On-Site Renewable Energy & Stormwater Design
A 150 megawatt solar farm with 700,000 solar panels covering 800 acres of land powers Babco*ck Ranch.
The system operated andserviced by Florida Power & Lightis large enough to provide 100% of the power needed for Babco*ck Ranch, sending a plurality of green energy back to its neighbors in the surrounding area.
None of the panels were damaged in Hurricane Ian, which is a testament to the resilient construction of thesolar farm.
The higher elevation, combined with thoughtful stormwater management planning, protected the development from flooding and water infiltration that often comes alongside high winds.
Babco*ck Ranch design incorporates retention ponds andbioswalesthat provided buffers against excess water from the flooding, high winds and rain.
A system of interconnected, stormwater-retention lakes and wetlands and other green infrastructure mitigated flooding with nearby flood plains, which saved the community from flooding.
Babco*ck Ranch utilizes indigenous native plants (aka “xeriscaping”) that thrive in the local Florida climate and can withstand rain and drought. The native plantings also require less irrigation while providing improved stormwater management and natural shade and cooling for residents.
Encouraging Climate Resilient Building
While the success of Babco*ck Ranch in surviving the hurricane is remarkable, according to RMS, total losses from Hurricane Ian areexpected to bein the range of $53-74 billion.
As such, climate resilience and resilient building standards are increasingly in focus.
For companies willing to build climate resilient properties using solar panels and other resiliency strategies on the Florida coast, building for climate change will be critical if developers want to maintain reasonable operating costs for their owners and residents.
Babco*ck Ranch is proof that designing and building for resilience works to protect against the worst natural disasters and climate related risks.
However, understanding your climate risk requires evaluating both inherent risks (those that are beyond your control) and actionable risks (those that are within your control) and working with a knowledgeable professionaltodevelop a plan.
