During a recent government meeting, officials discussed the significant impact of a historic storm event that occurred on New Year's Eve, which was characterized as a 500 to 800-year storm. This unprecedented weather event caused extensive flooding, notably affecting the community near Oak Park and damaging the USGS monitoring station under the Highway 1 bridge.

The storm, attributed to an atmospheric river, resulted in varying degrees of rainfall across the region, with some areas experiencing unprecedented levels of water. Despite the severity of the storm, officials noted that a specific project site remained unaffected, with no water reaching the area during the event.

Further discussions focused on the flood risk associated with new housing developments in the area. Officials confirmed that a technical flood study had been conducted, which assessed both the 100-year and 500-year flood scenarios. It was determined that the additional fill being added to the site would keep the new buildings outside of the 500-year floodplain, although specific measurements above the 100-year flood level were not immediately available.

Commissioners agreed to revisit the flood elevation data in a future meeting to provide clarity on how high the new housing is situated above the 100-year floodplain, with preliminary estimates suggesting a height of approximately 3 to 4 feet above that threshold. The meeting underscored the importance of thorough flood risk assessments in light of increasingly severe weather patterns.