Public hearing on flood damage prevention highlights notification and basement concerns

The Common Council opened a public hearing on Local Law 1-86, a flood damage prevention measure, on April 16. Two residents spoke, focusing on on-the-ground flood management and questions about notice to homeowners after map updates.

Scott McCasland, who said he has lived in Ithaca his whole life and owned his home for 23 years, urged focusing on physically managing water to prevent home flooding. “The most important thing is physically managing the water,” McCasland said, adding that creeks have been largely unchanged for decades and that preventing homes from flooding should be a priority alongside risk analysis and insurance discussions.

Both McCasland and Center Street resident Louise McGarry said notification about the new flood zone mapping was unclear. McCasland said some neighbors who are clearly in the new zone had not received any notice. McGarry said she had read news stories and city website posts suggesting insurance or mortgage servicers would provide notice; she told the council that in her conversations “nobody has heard anything from your insurance or their mortgage loan lender.”

McGarry also asked a technical question about basements, asking whether a “dirt basement” is treated differently than a full (finished) basement for flood risk and regulatory purposes. Staff did not provide an immediate, detailed technical answer in the public comment segment; the comment was recorded for council consideration as the hearing proceeded.

The council closed the hearing by unanimous voice vote after two speakers and indicated the comments were part of the public record for the flood damage prevention local law process.