Dive summary:

• Highlands, N.J., Mayor Frank Nolan was one of the people who lost their homes to super storm Sandy last year and spent days in a shelter, and he's one of the officials who thinks the best protection plan for the harbor community about 60 miles from New York City is to raise the entire downtown area 11 feet.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to put that option in a study of damage-prevention measures being looked at and evaluated for costs and benefits for the 1.4-square-mile boro that is 44% water without a storm.
• Others in the area and involved with the study are less optimistic about raising the area, which is the part of town north of a natural ridge that carries N.J. 36 and has long divided Highlands in to the "dry side" of town and the "wet side."

From the article:

But those dreaming of all of Highlands finally living up to its name, not just its more elevated southern end, may be setting themselves up for disappointment. ...