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Seattle committee reviews permanent floodplain rules after 2020 FEMA map changes
Summary
The Land Use and Sustainability Committee heard SDCI staff on Feb. 10 about proposed permanent floodplain regulations to adopt FEMA—s February 2020 maps; staff explained VE-zone measurement changes, freeboard adjustments and impacts to areas including the Duwamish and Elliott Bay, and scheduled a public hearing for March 4, 2026.
Seattles Land Use and Sustainability Committee on Feb. 10 received a briefing from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections on proposed permanent floodplain development regulations designed to align the city—s code with Federal Emergency Management Agency maps finalized in February 2020.
SDCIenvironmental regulations specialist Maggie Glowacki summarized the proposal as permanent code changes that adopt the 2020 FEMA maps and set development standards required to keep the city in the National Flood Insurance Program. "These permanent regulations are part of the city codes, and they provide development standards that makes homes, businesses, and people safer from flooding," Glowacki said.
Why it matters: FEMA required jurisdictions to adopt updated flood maps after the 2020 update; without adopting regulations consistent with those maps, property owners risk losing access to federally backed flood insurance and the city risks losing eligibility for certain federal mitigation funds.…
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