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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-23-17 CC Mtg - SP3. FEMA Maps PresentationCommission Memorandum REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission FROM: Craig Woolard, Public Works Director Brian Heaston, Senior Engineer SUBJECT: FEMA CCO Meeting for Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps MEETING DATE: January 23, 2017 AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Special Presentation BACKGROUND: As the Commission is aware, FEMA is in the process of remapping the regulatory floodplains for Bozeman Creek and its tributary streams for the City of Bozeman. A project milestone has been recently completed as FEMA has produced Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (prelim FIRMs) for the remapping project. FEMA’s floodplain map adoption process now calls for a CCO meeting (Consultation Coordination Officer) to be conducted with city decision makers as well as a separate public open house be held with the community. The purpose of the CCO meeting and open house is to discuss the prelim FIRMs, address any questions raised, and inform the community officials and public on the remaining steps and timelines in the map adoption process. Staff from the FEMA Region VIII and the Montana DNRC will lead the CCO presentation and discussion with the Commission as a Special Presentation agenda item. The Commission is welcomed to answer any questions of FEMA, DNRC, and City Staff during the meeting. Postcards notices for the public open house have been mailed to all property owners in the City of Bozeman within the regulatory floodplain mapped on the prelim FIRMs. The open house will occur on January 24, 2017 at the Bozeman Public Library community room. The postcard notice for the open house is attached. Lastly, an update on the review process and timeline envisioned for the 2-Dimensional modeling and mapping refinement being undertaken by the City for the downtown core will be given to the Commission by DNRC and FEMA. In short, the Commission is informed that FEMA and its map review contractor are committed to working with the City and its consulting engineer, Allied Engineering, to identify a reasonable review process, schedule, and workflow that aims to sequence out work products in an incremental and logical manner such that timely technical reviews of data submittals can be accomplished. The goal of this coordinated submittal/review process is to seamlessly insert the refined 2D mapping into finalized flood insurance rate maps 120 and flood insurance study before they become effective regulatory products. FEMA is advocating for this 2D mapping data to be reviewed and integrated into regulatory mapping products outside of the formal appeal process, but within the formal appeal timeline. The 90 day appeal period is anticipated to begin in late June 2017 and close in late September 2017. ALTERNATIVES: As Suggested by the Commission. FISCAL EFFECTS: Not included with this Special Presentation. Attachments: Postcard notice for public open house Flood Mapping Update Guide for Elected Officials Report compiled on January 13, 2017 121 FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP UPDATES The City of Bozeman is currently working with FEMA and Montana DNRC to update Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Bozeman Creek and its tributaries. You are receiving this postcard because proposed floodplain changes could affect your property. Visit the City’s website above to view maps showing proposed floodplain changes and to get more information about this project. PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE January 24, 2017 | 6:00PM - 8:00PM | Community ROOM Bozeman Public Library, 626 E. Main St. This open house is intended for property owners on or near Bozeman Creek and its tributaries and is being run in conjunction with Gallatin County. Please drop by the Open House at anytime to:  Speak with City or DNRC Staff one-on-one about how Flood Insurance Rate Map changes could affect your property.  View a short, informational presentation about the overall Floodplain Mapping Project at 6:15PM or 7:15PM. We look forward to seeing you there! ATTENTION BOZEMAN PROPERTY OWNERS in or near a FLOODPLAIN Please contact us directly for more information. Brian Heaston Bozeman City Engineering bheaston@bozeman.net 406.582.2280 Tiffany Lyden MT DNRC tlyden@mt.gov 406.444.0599 www.bozeman.net/floodplain 122 FLOOD MAPPING UPDATE GUIDE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS CITY OF BOZEMAN WHY ARE THE EXISTING FLOODPLAIN MAPS BEING UPDATED? The existing 100-year floodplains for Bozeman Creek, Mathew Bird Creek, Nash Spring Creek, Flat Creek, and Mill Ditch Diversion were delineated by studies conducted in the mid-1970s and mid-1980s and are in need of an update. The 100-year floodplains are mapped on Flood Insurance Rate Maps and represent the areas expected to be affected by a flood event having a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), the City of Bozeman, and Gallatin County have been working together since 2012 to update the 100-year floodplains for Bozeman Creek and its tributaries. Accurate, updated maps help residents, the City, and the County understand local flood hazards and make informed decisions to protect properties, roads, buildings, and other infrastructure from flooding. Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps have been through a technical engineering review but have not yet gone through public review. FEMA will begin a statutory 90-day public Comment and Appeal Period on the preliminary maps in summer 2017. The Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps and accompanying Preliminary Flood Insurance Study are available at www.bozeman.net/floodplain and on FEMA’s Map Service Center at www.msc.fema.gov WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING COMMENTS? Comments can be submitted to correct a detail on the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps that does not pertain to the flood data, such as a road name or municipal boundary. Comments need to be submitted to the City’s floodplain administrator, who then forwards them to FEMA for review. If FEMA determines that a change to the map is warranted, FEMA will revise the map appropriately. 123 WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING APPEALS? Appeals can be submitted to dispute information on the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps or in the Preliminary Flood Insurance Study. An appeal must be supported by scientific or technical evidence. Appeals need to be submitted to the city’s floodplain administrator, who then forwards the information to FEMA for evaluation and resolution. FEMA evaluates the submitted scientific or technical data and methods to determine if the submitted data are sufficient to support a valid appeal. If the submitted data are found to be more accurate than the results of FEMA’s study, FEMA will revise the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps to incorporate the appeal data and will provide a revised preliminary version of the floodplain maps to the community for review. Anyone who submits an appeal will be notified of the results. MAPPING REFINEMENT IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA The City of Bozeman has been working with FEMA and the Montana DNRC to refine the preliminary mapping in the downtown area. The City has hired Allied Engineering to perform the technical analysis for refinement. The City is coordinating with FEMA and the DNRC to conduct technical reviews and incorporate the information within the overall project timeline in order to seamlessly incorporate any refinements into the finalized maps. WHAT REQUIREMENTS WILL APPLY WHEN THE NEW FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS BECOME EFFECTIVE? FLOOD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS Any building located in a high-risk flood zone, also known as the Special Flood Hazard Area or 100-year floodplain, and financed by a federally backed mortgage will be required to have flood insurance when the new floodplain maps go effective. Property owners with buildings in low or moderate flood-risk zones are encouraged to purchase flood insurance to protect their buildings because low flood risk does not mean no flood risk. DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS For properties in a high-risk flood zone (100-year floodplain), the City’s Floodplain Regulations require: • New building construction must obtain a Floodplain Development Permit. • New residential construction must be elevated two feet above the Base Flood Elevation. Base Flood elevation is the computed elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during a 100 year flood. • New commercial construction must be flood-proofed or elevated two feet above the Base Flood Elevation. • Improvements to existing structures must obtain a Floodplain Development Permit. • Improvements to an existing structure greater than 50% of a structure’s market value (a Substantial Improvement) require the entire structure to be brought into compliance with the City’s Floodplain Regulations. • Development may be restricted by City Zoning Regulations. CONTACT INFORMATION Brian Heaston Tiffany Lyden Project Engineer, City of Bozeman Outreach Specialist Email: bheaston@bozeman.net Email: tlyden@mt.gov Phone: (406) 582-2280 Phone: (406) 444-0599 124