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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: September 5, 2017 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-m <br /> SUBJECT: Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and Zoning Atlas Amendment Outline — <br /> Flood Damage Prevention Regulations and Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) <br /> Overlay District <br /> DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> 1. Comprehensive Plan and Unified Michael D. Harvey, Planner III, (919) 245-2597 <br /> Development Ordinance (UDO) Craig Benedict, Director, (919) 245-2575 <br /> Amendment Outline Form 2017-03 <br /> 2. Annual Outreach Letter on Flood Issues <br /> PURPOSE: To consider and approve process components and schedule for an upcoming <br /> government-initiated Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and Zoning Atlas amendments <br /> updating existing flood damage prevention regulations and eliminating the Special Flood Hazard <br /> Area (SFHA) Overlay District. <br /> BACKGROUND: Orange County has been a member of the National Flood Insurance Program <br /> (NFIP) since approximately 1976. <br /> The NFIP offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters, and business owners if their <br /> community participates, specifically through the adoption and enforcement of regulations <br /> designed to mitigate/reduce flood risk, in the program including adoption of flood maps denoting <br /> areas where flooding is a possibility. Through the enforcement of flood damage prevention <br /> regulations, the County requires incorporation of design standards (i.e. elevation of structures <br /> and utilities, installation of flood vents, prohibition of specific activities, etc.) in an effort to reduce <br /> the risk of loss during a flood. For more background information please refer to Attachment 1. <br /> Recent changes by the Federal government in flood damage prevention standards, including <br /> development of new flood maps, require the County to modify existing regulation(s) in order to <br /> continue to be eligible for participation within the NFIP. <br /> On direction from the County's Attorney in 2007, staff incorporated available flood mapping data <br /> onto the County Zoning Atlas creating the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) overlay district. <br /> As there are modifications/updates to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood <br /> map data, the County is required to initiate a Zoning Atlas amendment incorporating same. This <br /> requires the holding and advertising of both a Planning Board meeting and a BOCC public <br /> hearing where the maps amendment(s) are being reviewed (i.e. notification of impacted property <br /> owners, notification of property owners within 1,000 ft. of the zoning change, posting of <br /> impacted properties with signs advertising the meetings, and legal advertisements). Depending <br />