WESTFIELD – City officials have to act to amend the existing Flood Zone District Ordinance by July 16, 2013 or risk losing low-cost flood insurance provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to residents and businesses located in a protected flood plain.
The City Council’s Zoning, Planning & Development (ZP&D) Committee discussed the process for amending the present Zoning Ordinance code, Article III, Section 3-160, which includes a series of FEMA generated maps delineating the boundaries of the flood plain in the city.
That flood plain map does not include a large part of the downtown area which is protected by the city’s levee system along the course of the Westfield River and Little River because of $2 million invested by the city in the levee improvement project, which was substantially completed last year. The levee improvements were required by FEMA to bring the city’s levee system into compliance with standards issued through the federal Corps of Army Engineers in order for the city to qualify for FEMA certification. FEMA establishes flood zone maps under which residents and businesses can apply for low-cost federal flood insurance, as opposed to costly commercial flood insurance, if their property is protected by FEMA-certified flood control structures.
Last night, members of the ZP&D Committee discussed the proposed amendment to the zoning code, written when the first flood plain maps were adopted in the 1970s, as well as the process of adopting the new iteration of the FEMA flood plain maps.
Ward 5 Councilor Richard E. Onofrey Jr., questioned City Planner Jay Vinskey on that process, asking if the City Council could change the maps or the proposed zoning ordinance amendment, which has been reviewed by the state.
“We have to accept this then. We can’t make changes and if we don’t accept it we’re out of the flood insurance business,” Onofrey said to Vinskey.
At-large Councilor Agma Sweeney, chairwoman of the ZP&D Committee also asked if the new maps substantially alter the flood plain in the city.
Vinskey said the revised FEMA map adds 259 acres to the flood plain, but also removed 193 acres from that designation, resulting in a net increase of 66 acres.
Vinskey said the council has to pursue the ordinance change with a sense of urgency because of the July 16, 2013 deadline to qualify for the federal low-cost flood insurance.
“It need to go through a public hearing for a zoning ordinance change, then requires the council process to amend the ordinance, which brings it to the July 8 council session,” Vinskey said.
The City Council’s normal meeting date, the first Thursday of the month, is July 4, a national holiday, requiring the council to reschedule that meeting for the Monday of the following week, July 8.
Sweeney said that there are some changes to the zoning ordinance to remove language included in the original ordinance but no longer needed or currently addressed in other sections of the zoning codes.
“It’s general housekeeping,” Vinskey said. “After the public hearing, it can get tweaked. It’s an overlay district.”
Onofrey said that the ordinance amendment, including the new maps of the Flood Plain Management District and Flood Insurance Rate map which will be embedded in the ordinance, need to be presented to the City Council quickly.
“This needs to be sent to the (City) Council, coming out of Committee Reports, Thursday so the Council can schedule a public hearing and then be referred back to this committee,” Onofrey said, then made a motion to that effect which passed by a 2-0 vote.
