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BZA approves 4.5-acre lot split with floodplain elevation requirements
Summary
The board approved a request to split a 4.5-acre parcel into a 3-acre and a 1.5-acre lot (case 25BZA46), with staff noting most of the property lies in the FEMA fringe and that any new dwelling will need to meet flood elevation standards.
At its Sept. 9 meeting the Barstow County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a lot-split request to divide a 4.5-acre property into a 3-acre parcel and a 1.5-acre parcel (case 25BZA46). Staff and the Technical Review Committee recommended approval while noting floodplain considerations and the need for compliance with local floodplain regulations.
Staff's report said the petitioner owns adjacent land that is largely enveloped by floodplain, leaving limited buildable acreage outside the mapped floodplain fringe. The staff report concluded the split would not injure public health, safety or welfare, would not substantially affect adjacent property values, and that strict application of the zoning ordinance would create practical difficulties for use of the property.
Surveyor James McGloth and county staff explained that much of the property sits in the FEMA fringe rather than the regulatory floodplain. County staff said development in the fringe typically must be two feet above the floodplain elevation and may require an elevation certificate from the mortgage company or the county flood administrator.
The petitioner, who said he and his wife have lived on the property for 50 years, told the board the proposed new dwelling would be built on a slab two feet above the flood elevation.
A board member moved and the board seconded approval of the findings and the split; the motion carried.
The approval allows the split as presented; any structure built in the fringe must comply with applicable floodplain elevation requirements and any building permits or lender requirements (such as an elevation certificate) before occupancy.
