City planner presents floodplain regulation updates; council refers proposed changes to planning committee

Geneva — The City of Geneva received a presentation Oct. 13 on proposed updates to flood damage reduction regulations and related zoning code edits, and council agreed to refer the matter to the planning committee for review and public hearing scheduling.

Sarah Jamel, introduced at the meeting as representing Verdanti, told council the proposed flood damage reduction language is an update to the city’s municipal code (chapter 14.50) that aligns local rules with Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) model language used by communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program. “Nothing was taken out. Again, only things added which were specifically requested by ODNR,” Jamel said.

Jamel said the changes would apply when development occurs in mapped flood zones; they are designed to protect life and property, minimize public expenditure on flood control, reduce business interruption, preserve floodplain functions and ensure that people who build in floodplains assume responsibility for floodproofing and insurance compliance.

Council President and members discussed timing and public engagement. Council agreed to refer the floodplain language — together with several zoning code edits the planning commission has recommended — to the planning committee for content review and to bundle the items in a single public hearing and adoption package. Councilmember Griffiths (planning committee liaison) agreed to coordinate committee timing and Jamel said she would attend the committee discussion.

Nut graf: The proposed updates are an incremental code alignment with ODNR model language and were presented as a base package suitable for Geneva’s current development level; council’s next step was a referral to the planning committee to prepare formal committee review and a public hearing.

Background and specifics

The zoning updates carried alongside the floodplain language include organizational clarifications, readability improvements, and targeted changes such as garage requirements, home‑occupation rules, conditional uses for on‑site produced goods, outdoor storage container standards, and minor subdivision and development review revisions. Jamel told council the floodplain updates are the “base package” and recommended bundling them with the broader zoning amendments so the public hearing can consider the related items together.

Council action

Council voted to refer the items to the planning committee and schedule committee-level review and a subsequent public hearing timeframe. No ordinance was adopted at the Oct. 13 meeting: the referral begins the formal review process that will include committee meetings and a future public hearing.

Ending

City staff and the consultant will provide maps and committee meeting dates. Planning staff said a floodplain map can be provided to council and the public prior to the committee meeting to help property owners determine whether a specific parcel is affected.