Ordinance committee recommends amending Floodplain Overlay District; map change would remove about 300 properties

The Quincy Ordinance Committee voted May 5 to give a positive recommendation on an amendment to zoning Section 8.1, the Floodplain Overlay District, sending the measure toward full council consideration after committee review.

Chris Walker, the mayor's chief of staff, said the matter had been presented and deliberated at a March 3 meeting and that the outstanding procedural step was the committee vote on the ordinance. Walker and consulting engineer Joe Shea (Vernon City Partners) told the committee the updated map and engineering work would remove "upwards of 300 properties out of the flood plain," an outcome the administration described as the result of multi-agency technical work.

Ward-level context: Councilor DeMagg noted Ward 4 contains "7 of the 11 watersheds" and emphasized localized surface-water flooding as the driver of many floodplain designations. He described streets such as Alrick Road as having chronic flooding and said removing properties from the overlay can meaningfully reduce insurance costs for some residents.

Committee action and next steps: Councilor McCarthy moved to approve the ordinance as amended and Councilor Devine seconded; the committee approved the motion. The ordinance committee then recorded a formal roll-call positive recommendation (committee vote recorded as unanimous by the members present) and will send the ordinance to the full council for further readings and final action.

Ending: The committee vote advances a technical zoning map and code amendment intended to align local overlay boundaries with current engineering and federal mapping; full council consideration and additional public notice will follow.