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Last week the Wake Forest Comprehensive
Planning Committee received copies of
the proposed Flood Damage Prevention
Ordinance, but discussion about it was
postponed until the April meeting, which
will be Tuesday, April 18, at 7:30 a.m.
at The Forks Cafeteria.
The town must adopt the
minimum requirements of the model
ordinance provided by the state
Floodplain Management Branch, Planning
Director Chip Russell told the committee
members. They are Commissioners David
Camacho and Frank Drake and planning
board members Bob Hill and Kim Parker.
The draft also has
highlighted areas which were added by
the town’s planning staff and bold
underlined areas that are optional
provisions recommended by the state and
proposed by the staff but not required
by the Federal Emergency Management
Administration.
For example, one of the
recommended optional provisions the
staff added is a requirement that anyone
planning any development in a flood
hazard area will get an elevation
certificate from FEMA before beginning
construction. Immediately afterward, the
Wake Forest planning staff added a
requirement that any home in or within
10 feet of flood hazard areas must have
the footing pinned by a professional
land surveyor and a survey showing the
elevations at the corners of the
foundation and flooring system.
The model ordinance is a
departure from the current definitions
of floods. Instead of 100-year and
500-year floods, the terms now are “base
flood,” “special flood hazard area” and
“future conditions flood hazard area.”
With some exceptions, the
ordinance says there will not be any
fill or building in special flood hazard
areas. It also raises the freeboard, the
distance above the base flood elevation,
from 1 to 2 feet for any structure
within a special or future conditions
flood hazard area.
Russell also said the state
wants towns and cities to adopt the
minimum model – with any stronger
provisions individual municipalities
want to add – this spring. |
