Orange County NC Website
Article 2: Procedures $ <br />Section 2.10: Variances <br />2.10.4 Additional Criteria for Authorized Variances —Special Flood Hazard Area Overlay Zoning <br />District <br />In addition to the criteria contained within Section 2.10.3, any application for a variance from the <br />Special Flood Hazard Area Overlay Zoning District shall abide by the following additional criteria: <br />(A) Variances may be issued for the repair or rehabilitation of historic structures upon the <br />determination that the proposed repair or rehabilitation will not preclude the structure's <br />continued designation as a historic structure and the variance is the minimum necessary <br />to preserve the historic character and design of the structure. <br />(B) In considering variances from the requirements of the Special Flood Hazard Area Overlay <br />Zoning District, the Board of Adjustment shall consider all technical evaluations, all <br />relevant factors, all standards specified in other sections of this Ordinance, and :6 <br />(1) The danger that materials may be swept onto other lands to the injury of others; <br />(2) The danger to life and property due to flooding or erosion damage; <br />(3) The susceptibility of the proposed facility and its contents to flood damage and <br />the effect of such damage on the individual owner; <br />(4) The importance of the services provided by the proposed facility to Orange <br />County; <br />(5) The necessity to the facility of a waterfront location, where applicable; <br />(6) The availability of alternative locations, not subject to flooding or erosion <br />damage, for the proposed use; <br />(7) The compatibility of the proposed use with existing and anticipated development; <br />(8) The relationship of the proposed use to the Orange County Comprehensive Plan <br />and floodplain management program for the area; <br />(9) The safety of access to the property in times of flood for ordinary and emergency <br />vehicles; <br />(10) The expected heights, velocity, duration, rate of rise, and sediment transport of <br />the flood waters and the effects of wave action, if applicable, expected at the site; <br />(11) The costs of providing governmental services during and after flood conditions <br />including maintenance and repair of public utilities and facilities such as sewer, <br />gas, electrical and water systems, and streets and bridges; and <br />(12) The request for a variance is not after - the -fact or for a situation of one's own <br />making. <br />(C) A written report addressing each of the above factors shall be submitted with the <br />application for a variance. <br />(D) Upon consideration of the factors listed above and the purposes of this Ordinance, the <br />Board of Adjustment may attach such reasonable conditions to the granting of variances <br />as it deems necessary to further the purposes of this Ordinance. <br />(E) Variances shall not be issued within any designated floodway or non - encroachment area <br />if any increase in flood levels during the base flood discharge would result. <br />(F) Conditions for Variances: <br />(1) Variances may not be issued when the variance will make the structure in <br />violation of other Federal, State, or local laws, regulations, or ordinances. <br />(2) Variances shall only be issued upon a determination that the variance is the <br />minimum necessary, considering the flood hazard, to afford relief. <br />6 Standards governing the issuance of a variance within a floodplain are consistent with FEMA requirements. <br />Applicants are still required to demonstrate compliance with these provisions when requesting a variance. <br />Orange County, North Carolina — Unified Development Ordinance Page 2 -32 <br />