Fort Walton Beach Ordinance — 1126--Flood Damage Prevention — reading text

Variance Procedures. The Board of Adjustment, as established by the City of Fort Walton Beach, shall hear and decide requests for variances From the requirements of this Chapter. The Board of Adjustment shali hear and decide appeals when it is alleged there is an error in any requirement, decision or determination made by the City Manager or his designee in the enforcement ot administration of this Chapter. Variances may be issued For the reconstruction, rehabilitation or restoration of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the State Inventory of Historic Places without regard to the procedures set forth in the remainder of this section, except for Article 4, Section D (7) (a) and (d), and provided the proposed reconstruction, rehabilitation or restoration will not result in the structure losing its historical designation. In passing upon such applications, the Board of Adjustment shall consider all technical evaluations, all relevant factors, ail standards specified in other sections of this Chapter, and: {a} the danger that materials may be swept onto other lands to the injury of others; tb) the danger to life and property due to flooding or erosion damage; (c) the susceptibility of the proposed facility and its contents to flood damage and the effect of such dawage on the individual owner; (d) the importance of the services provided by the proposed facility to the conimunity; (e) the necessity of the facility to a waterfront location, in case of a functionally dependent Facility: (f) the availability of alternative locations, not subject to flooding or erosion damage, for the proposed use; (g) the compatibility of the proposed use with existing and anticipated development; (h) the relationship of the proposed use to the Comprehensive Plan and Floodplain Nanagement Program for that area; (2) the safety of access to the property in times of lood for ordinary and emergency vehicles; (4) the expected heights, velocity, duration, rate of rise and sediment transport of the flood waters and the effects of wave action, if applicable, expected at the site, and: Ck) the costs of providing governmental services during and after flood conditions, including maintenance and repair of public utilities and facilities such as sewer, £48, electrical and water systems, and streets and bridges. (5) Upon consideration of the factors listed above, and the purposes of this Chapter, the Board of Adjustment may attach such conditions to the granting of variances as it deems necessary to further the purposes of this Chapter. (6) Variances may not be issued within any designated floodway if any increase in flood levels during the base flood discharge would result. (7) Conditions for Variances: (a) (c) (d) ARTICLE 5. SUCTION A. Variances shall only be issued upon a determination that the variance is the minimum necessary, considering the flood hazard, to afford relief; and in the instance of a historical building, a determination that the variance is the minimum necessary so as not to destroy the historic character and design of the building; Variances shall only be issued upon (i) a showing of ood and sufficient cause, (ii) a determination that failure to grant the variance would result in exceptional hardship, and; (iii) a determination that the granting of a variance will not result in increased flood heishts, additional threats to public safety, extraordinary public expense, create nuisance, cause fraud on or victimization of the public, or conflict with existing Local laws or ordinances. Any applicant to whom a variance is granted shall be given written notice specifying the difference between the base flood elevation to which the structure is to built and stating that the cost of flicod insurance will be commensurate with the increased risk resulting from the reduced lowest floor elevation. The City Manager or his designee shall maintain the records of all appeal actions and report any variances to the Federal Emergency Management Agency upon request. Provisions for Flood Hazard Reduction. General Standards. In all areas of special fiood hazard the following provisions are required: (1) (2) on Go and (4) (5) (6) New construction and substantial improvements shall be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement of the structure; Manufactured homies shall be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement. Methods of anchoring tay include, but are not Limited to, use of over-the-top or frame ties to ground anchors. This standard shall be in addition to and consistent with applicable state requirements for reeisting wind forces; Wew construction and substantial improvements shall be constructed with materiais and utility equipment resistant to flood danages; New construction or substantial improvements shali be constructed by methods and practices that minimize flood damage; Electrical, heating, ventilation, paumbing, air conditioning equipment and other service facilities shall be designed and/or located so as to prevent water from entering orc accumulating within the components during conditions of flooding; New and replacement water supply systems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the system; (7) (8) (9) (10) SECTION B. New and replacement sanitary sewaze systems shall be designed to minimize ov eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the systews and discharges from the systems into flood waters: On-site waste disposal systems shall be located and cotistructed to avoid impairment to them or contamination from them during flooding; Any alteration, repair, reconstruction or improvements to a structure which is in compliance with the provisions of this Chapter, shall meet the requirements of "new construction" as contained in this Chapter, and; Any alteration, repair, reconstruction or improvements to a building which is not in compliance with the provisions of this Chapter, shall be undertaken only if said nonconformity is not furthered, extended or replaced. Specific Standards. In all areas of special flood hazard where base fiood elevation data have been provided, as set forth, in Article 3, Section b, or Article 4, Section C (11), the following provisions are required: (1) (2) Residential Construction. New construction or substantial improvement of any residential building (or manufactured home) shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated no lower than the base flood elevation. Should solid foundation perimeter walls be used to elevate a structure, openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movements of flood waters shail be provided in accordance with standards of Article 5, Section B (3). Nonresidential Construction. New construction or substantial improvement of any colaumercial, industrial or nonresidential structure shall have the lowest floox, including basement, elevated no lower than base flood elevation. Structures located in all A Zones tay be Flood-proofed in lieu of being elevated provided that all areas of the structure below the required elevation are water tight with wallg substantially impermeable to the passage of water, and use structural components having the capability of resisting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and the effect of buoyancy. A registered professional engineer or architect shall certify that the standards of the subsection are satisfied. Such certification shail be provided to the official as set forth in Article 4, Section Cc (9). Elevated Buildings. New construction or substantial improvenents of elevated buildings that include fully enclosed areas formed by foundation and other exterior walls below the base Flood elevation shall be designed to preclude finished living space and designed to allow for the entry and exit of floodwaters to automatically equalize hydrostatic fiood forces on exterior walls. (a) Designs for complying with this requirement tust either be certified by a professional engineer or architect or meet the following ininimum criteria: (i) Provide a ininimum of two (2) openings having a total net area of not less than one (1) squere inch for every square foot of enclosed area subject to fiocoding; (ii} The bottom of all openings shall be no higher than one (1) foot above srade, and: (iii) Openings may be equipped with screens, louvers, valves or other coverings or devices provided they permit the automatic flow of floodwaters in both directions. (b) Access to the enclosed area shall be the minimum necessary to allow for the parking of vehicles {garage door) or limited storage of maintenance (4) equipment used in connection with the premises (standard exterior door) or entry to the living area (stairway or elevator); and (c) The interior portion of such enclosed area shali not be partitioned or finished into separate rooms. Coastal High Hazard Areas (V Hones). Located within the areas of 1 te special Flood hazard established in Article 3, Section B, are areas designated as Coastal High Hazard areas. These areas have special flood hazards associated with wave wash, therefore, the following provisions shall apply: (a) (b) (e) (£) Cs) (h) All buildings or structures shall be iocated landward of the reach of the mean high tide or landward of the Coastal Congtruction Control Line (CCCL) estab! ished by the Fioride Department of Natural Resources, whichever is more restrictive: All buildings or structures shall be elevated so that the bottom of the lowest supportins horizontal member (excluding pilings or columns) ig located no lower than the base flood elevation level, with all the space below the lowest supporting member open so as not to impede the flow of water. Breakaway walls may be permitted and must be designed to wash away in the event of abnortial wave action and in accordance with Article 5, Section B (4); All buildin ys OF structures shall be securely anchored on pilings or columns; All pilings and columns and the attached structures shall be anchored to resist floatation, collapse and lateral movement due to the effect of wind and water loads acting simultaneously on all building components. The anchoring and support system shall be designed with wind and water loadins values which equal or exceed the 100-year mean recurrence interval (one (1) percent annual chance flood). A gistered pros eessonat engineer or architect shall certify that the desig specifications and plans for construction are in coup lance with the provisions contained as Article 5, Section BE (4) (b), (ec) and (d) of this Chapter. There shall be no fiil used as structural support. Noncompacted fill tay be used around the perimeter of a building for landscaping/aesthetic purposes provided the Fill will wash out from storm surse, (thereby rendering the building free of obstruction) prior to venerating excessive loading forces, effects or wave deflection. The City Manaser ov his fos tunes shall approve design plans for landscaping/aesthetic fill only after the applicant has ty + orovided an analysis by an engineer, architect and/or soil scientist, which demonstrates that the following factors heve been fully considered: (4) Particle composition of fill material does not have a tendency for excessive natural compaction; (ii) Volume and distribution of fill will not cause wave deflection to adjacent properties; and (iii) Slope of Fill will not cause wave runup or . here shall be no alteration of sand dunes which would increase potential flood dauage; Nonsupporting peeakaeey walls, open lattice work or mesh sexreening shall be allowed below the base flood elevation provided they ere not part of the structural support of the building and are designed so as to breakaway, under abnormally high tides or wave action, without damage to the structural integrity of the building on which they are to be used and provided the following design specifications are