Title
Approval of Ordinance with FEMA Required Amendments to Building Regulations Pertaining to Flooding
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Move to approve on first reading and forward to second reading, the Land Use and Environment Committee recommendation to approve the proposed FEMA-required revisions to building regulations pertaining to flooding.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the proposed Ordinance on second reading.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve the FEMA-required revisions to building regulations pertaining to flooding.
Staff Contact:
Todd Cunningham, Building Official, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8486
Presenter(s):
None. Consent Item.
Background and Analysis:
There have been no changes from first to second reading.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) established flood hazard areas of the City of Olympia are subject to periodic inundation which can result in property damage, loss of property, creation of health and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, extraordinary public expenditures for flood protection and relief, and impairment of the tax base, all of which adversely affect the public health, safety, and general welfare of the city.
Downtown Olympia has a history of nuisance flooding during heavy storms, high winds and tidal events. As a member city of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the City is required to comply with regulations for flood damage prevention, including preparing an ordinance to address revisions as determined by FEMA studies. Pursuant to the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and in accordance with the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, FEMA performed a study and analysis of frequently flooded and flood prone areas of Thurston County, establishing newly revised elevation maps related to flood damage protection. Through this study, FEMA determined that modifications to the current Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) were nee...
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