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ORANGE COUNTY <br />PLANNING BOARD <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: September 5, 2018 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 7 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Unified Development Ordinance Text Amendments – Update of Effective Date <br />of Flood Information Rate Maps (FIRM) <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />1. UDO Amendment Outline Form <br />2. Statement of Consistency <br />3. UDO Amendment(s) <br />Michael D. Harvey, Planner III (919) 245-2597 <br />Craig Benedict, Director (919) 245-2575 <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To review and make a recommendation to the BOCC on a Planning Director <br />initiated Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) text amendment updating the effective date for <br />the County’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: Orange County has been a member of the National Flood Insurance Program <br />(NFIP) since approximately 1976. The NFIP offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters, and <br />business owners if their community participates in the program through the adoption and <br />enforcement of regulations designed to mitigate/reduce flood risk. This includes adoption of <br />flood maps denoting areas where flooding is a possibility, specifically FIRM developed and <br />maintained by Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). <br /> <br />Staff was recently informed by State emergency management officials there is going to be a <br />FIRM update, specifically a modification of floodplain data on several FIRMs impacting property <br />in Durham County. The maps contain property in both Orange and Durham County, effectively <br />making them ‘shared maps’. <br /> <br />While this update will not result in a change in identified flood data within Orange County (i.e. no <br />increase or decrease in flood area on property in our planning jurisdiction), the data on the <br />shared FIRMS is being changed. As a result, Orange County must modify existing regulation(s) <br />to reflect the new FIRM effective date of October 19, 2018. <br /> <br />This amendment needs to be adopted by October 19, 2018 in order for Orange County to <br />remain eligible for participation in the NFIP. A copy of the recommended language is contained <br />within Attachment 3. <br /> <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: Consideration and approval will not create the need for additional funding <br />for the provision of County services. Costs for the required legal advertisement for the text <br />amendment will be paid from FY2018-19 Departmental funds budgeted for this purpose. <br />Existing Planning staff included in the Departmental staffing budget will accomplish the work <br />required to process these amendments. <br /> 14