Planning commission to put model floodplain ordinance to public hearing as FEMA maps take effect

Southampton County Planning Commission staff presented a model floodplain ordinance supplied by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and recommended the commission place the ordinance on a public hearing agenda in February before forwarding a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

Mr. Prince, nominated earlier in the meeting as the commission secretary, told members the updated FEMA flood maps and accompanying flood insurance study will be effective March 17, 2026, and that the model ordinance should be adopted in conjunction with the new maps. He said the model includes an increase in the required freeboard — the vertical distance between the base flood elevation and the bottom of the finished floor — from the existing 18 inches to 24 inches to account for sea-level rise and related mapping changes. "So we need to adopt the model floodplain ordinance, you know, in conjunction with the new maps," Prince said, noting the county must act before the maps become effective.

Prince said the county's floodplain footprint will be "pretty much the same" for Southampton County, and that the base flood elevations in local maps have not changed substantially. He added the commission will verify the freeboard recommendation with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and FEMA and blend the model language with the county's current ordinance before a final recommendation. Prince said he will "put it to a public hearing for our February meeting and then for recommendation to the board [of supervisors]."

Commission members and attendees raised questions about consequences for property owners and developers. Speakers warned that higher freeboard and FEMA thresholds can increase site-work costs for new development and for projects that trigger substantial-improvement or substantial-damage rules. One attendee noted that where a building is rebuilt after damage, owners may need to elevate the structure, and another said the FEMA model's 50% substantial-improvement threshold can force significant work or change of use when construction costs raise the structure's assessed value.

Prince outlined steps staff will take before the hearing: confirm FEMA and HRPDC expectations for the freeboard change, prepare a side-by-side of proposed changes compared with the county's current ordinance for the commission packet, and post maps and explanatory materials online and in the meeting packet. Hard-copy maps are available in the planning office and updated firmette maps can be generated online, he said.

The commission did not adopt the ordinance at the meeting. Instead, members voted to schedule a public hearing at the February meeting so the public and the commission can review a consolidated draft and the staff comparison before any formal recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.