Orange County NC Website
22 <br /> Chair Dorosin thanked the public and colleagues from Hillsborough for attending, and said <br /> all are acting in good faith and the BOCC will take all comments into account. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 2. Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendments and Zoning Atlas <br /> Amendments -To review government-initiated amendments to the text of the UDO <br /> pertaining to flood regulations and to remove the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) from <br /> the Zoning Atlas. <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> Orange County has been a member of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) since <br /> approximately 1976. The NFIP offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters, and business <br /> owners if their community participates, specifically through the adoption and enforcement of <br /> regulations designed to mitigate/reduce flood risk, in the program including adoption of flood <br /> maps denoting areas where flooding is a possibility. For more background information please <br /> refer to Attachment 1. 117 Recent changes by the State and Federal government in flood <br /> damage prevention standards, including development of new flood maps, require the County to <br /> modify existing regulation(s) in order to 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 /> directly onto the County Zoning Atlas creating the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) overlay <br /> district. As there are modifications/updates to FEMA flood map data, the County is required to <br /> initiate a Zoning Atlas amendment incorporating same. This requires the holding and advertising <br /> of both a Planning Board meeting and a BOCC public hearing where the maps amendment(s) are <br /> being reviewed (i.e. notification of impacted property owners, notification of property owners <br /> within 1,000 ft. of the zoning change, posting of impacted properties with signs advertising the <br /> meetings, and legal advertisements). Depending on the scope and timing of FEMA map <br /> change(s) there may be significant and unplanned budgetary impacts, as well as significant time <br /> commitments, to incorporate said modifications. <br /> In consultation with current Attorney's staff, Planning staff is recommending the elimination of the <br /> SFHA overlay district and adoption of the flood maps by reference in the UDO. As there are <br /> future changes/updates in flood mapping data, staff would complete a UDO text amendment <br /> incorporating reference to this new data, but would not have to complete a corresponding zoning <br /> atlas amendment. The move would reduce required budgetary outlays to cover notification of an <br /> atlas amendment to affected, and adjacent (i.e. those within 1,000 ft.), property owners. <br /> Please note as part of our floodplain management program, the Planning Department engages in <br /> a public awareness campaign keeping local property owners informed of flood issues as well as <br /> the various services offered by the County. This includes an annual letter sent to approximately <br /> 1,900 property owners whose property is encumbered by floodplain. This is part of our <br /> comprehensive floodplain management outreach program for which the County receives credit <br /> under the Community Rating System (CRS) resulting in a reduction in flood insurance premiums <br /> for local property owners. The elimination of the SFHA overlay district will not impact or alter <br /> existing outreach efforts conducted by the Department to keep property owners aware of flood <br /> issues and the various services offered to address compliance with flood regulations. <br /> Michael Harvey made the following PowerPoint presentation: <br /> PUBLIC HEARING <br /> Zoning Atlas and UDO Text Amendments — Special Flood Hazard Area Overlay District <br /> Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing <br />