Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use And Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City planning warns FEMA floodplain rule changes will require local code updates; Main Street grant opportunity highlighted
Summary
City planning staff briefed the Economic Development Committee on changes to FEMA's NFIP that require the city to pick a pre-implementation path by Dec. 1 and adopt new floodplain ordinance language by July 31; staff estimated the new rules affect roughly 39 acres and noted opportunities tied to an Oregon Main Street revitalization grant up to $400,000.
City planning staff told the Columbia County Economic Development Committee that changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will require prompt local action and could affect dozens of acres inside the city’s planning boundary.
An unidentified city planning representative said litigation found that FEMA's NFIP did not adequately account for the Endangered Species Act and that FEMA is revising its model floodplain ordinance to eliminate 'net loss' of floodplain functions. Staff said the city must choose a 'pre-implementation' path by Dec. 1 and adopt updated floodplain ordinance language by July 31. The planner estimated the new rules would affect "roughly 39 acres of land total within the city and UGB" and explained the new rules apply where both a 70-foot buffer from top of bank and the 100-year floodplain overlap.
The planner said the changes will not preclude development inside the floodplain but will require mitigation measures — additional tree planting, reduced impervious area and low-impact stormwater measures — that have not typically been enforced locally. Committee members asked whether the NFIP changes require additional endangered-species review in the 50‑year plan; staff replied the city expects to conform via code updates and is awaiting DLCD (Department of Land Conservation and Development) review of FEMA's draft model language before finalizing the city's approach.
On downtown revitalization, staff and committee members discussed the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant (staff said it can offer up to $400,000), which opens in January and closes in March, and suggested the committee finalize a strategic plan to support future grant or TGM applications. Staff advised that regional Main Street tiers are best practices and that operating a successful program typically requires a nonprofit or part-time staff to run downtown programming and fundraising.
Next steps: staff will schedule public outreach on updated floodplain maps once consultant work is complete; the committee agreed to continue work on the strategic plan and to consider grant webinars and outreach to property owners.
