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Council holds hearing on FEMA map updates; planners say 168 addresses were notified and appeals will require engineering work
Summary
Weymouth planners told the council May 5 that FEMA’s updated lidar-based base maps could add 79 properties to the floodplain and remove 89 others; the town sent letters to 168 potentially affected addresses and described appeal options including elevation certificates or formal FEMA map amendments.
The Weymouth Town Council opened a public hearing May 5 on a zoning amendment to adopt FEMA’s updated floodplain maps into town code. Robert (planning director) and Eric Schneider (principal planner) told the council the map update reflects improved lidar-based topographic data; FEMA did not change base flood elevations or conduct new hydrologic studies, but the revised base map can move properties into or out of the mapped floodplain.
Eric Schneider said the planning staff overlaid FEMA’s data on local maps and identified 79 properties that could be added to the floodplain and 89 that could be removed, a net change of 10 properties removed. "When we identified those 168 residents that were potentially impacted, we sent a letter out to all of them," he said, explaining that letters were intended as notice rather than a final determination. Schneider said homeowners who dispute their inclusion have options: an elevation certificate or a letter of map amendment/revision, both of which may require engineering work and fees.
Planners emphasized that whether a homeowner will be required to buy flood insurance often depends on mortgage and insurer discretion, not the town: Schneider said if a property has no mortgage it may not be affected. He also noted appeals can be complex and costly; the town cited a prior Letter of Map Revision that required consultant fees and FEMA filing fees and took multiple years.
Councilors asked about the omission of updated data for Fort Point and Prospect Hill; staff said FEMA chose not to update some areas for resourcing reasons. The council closed the hearing by motion and vote and will consider the ordinance language to substitute the new FEMA-recommended regulatory text into the zoning ordinance to maintain the town’s eligibility in the National Flood Insurance Program (the planners cited an effective date of July 8, 2025, in FEMA correspondence).
