Fletcher Town staff seeks public hearing on tighter floodplain rules, including higher freeboard and bans on critical facilities

Eric, a town staff member, asked the Town of Fletcher Council to set a public hearing in June to consider recommended amendments to the town’s floodplain ordinance. He said the principal changes would raise the freeboard requirement — the elevation above base flood elevation — by 1 foot, from the town’s current 3-foot standard to a 4-foot freeboard.

Eric said the planning board recommended applying the stricter 4-foot freeboard primarily to residential development because of life-safety concerns for people sleeping in place, while leaving commercial elevations unchanged for now to limit cost impacts. He told the council the 4-foot standard would match the highest noncoastal standards his consultant, McGill Associates, identified in the state and that the draft ordinance will be sent to state emergency management for review.

The draft also expands the list of uses prohibited in floodplains beyond state model requirements, Eric said. The proposed list includes public and private schools, child and adult day cares, housing for the elderly (including nursing homes and assisted-living facilities), certain multifamily residential uses, public works facilities and “mission-critical” facilities such as police, fire, EMS, hospitals and emergency response data centers.

Eric said the stricter residential freeboard requirement and the expanded prohibitions are motivated by experience in last fall’s storm and a desire to protect life-safety and continuous operations of critical services. He said staff limited deeper changes for now and plans to “start with baby steps” by forwarding the technical amendments and requesting the public hearing in June. He also said he would send the draft to state reviewers and would continue the item to July if state review requires additional time.

Council members asked procedural questions and raised the possibility that some state-level bills under consideration could affect local land-use decisions; Eric and staff said they would track relevant legislation as the town moves the ordinance through public hearing and any required state review. No formal action to adopt the ordinance was taken at the meeting; staff will return with an advertised public hearing date and the state review outcome.

Next steps: staff will submit the draft to state emergency management for review, advertise a public hearing for the June meeting and return with any technical or legal clarifications before a final council vote.