Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Flood Resilience topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Flood control board urges zoning changes to cut flood risk and win insurance discounts
Summary
The Flood and Erosion Control Board presented an eight‑point package of recommendations to the Zoning Commission urging updates to flood regulations, pointing to repetitive loss claims and potential Community Rating System discounts that could lower residents' flood insurance premiums.
Damon, representing the Flood and Erosion Control Board, told the Zoning Commission at a June 24 workshop that the board has distilled more than 30 ideas into eight priority regulatory changes aimed at reducing flood risk and lowering insurance costs for Old Lyme residents.
The flood board argued the measures would apply only to new construction and major repairs — generally projects that meet thresholds for substantial improvement or recovery — and would not force immediate changes on existing homeowners. ‘‘None of these changes affects existing homeowners given the present status of their homes,’’ Damon said, adding the proposals focus on preventing future losses rather than retroactively penalizing property owners.
The recommendation package, Damon said, was built around three facts: local flood losses documented in FEMA claims, the town’s inventory of repetitive‑loss properties, and impending state and national technical standards that will raise minimums in coming years. He cited roughly 570 active NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) policies in town and said FEMA claims data show 380 NFIP claims totaling $8.2 million in recorded losses; the board also reported at least 36 repetitive‑loss properties in Old Lyme. ‘‘If we don’t limit development in these flood‑exposed areas, it’s just going to keep growing,’’ Damon said.
Why it matters: The board highlighted the Community Rating System (CRS) as a near‑term, measurable benefit of strengthened zoning. Under CRS, municipalities earn credit points for flood‑risk reduction actions; every 500 points typically yields a 5% reduction in policy premiums across the community. Damon estimated a 10% communitywide discount could deliver six‑figure annual savings and argued the regulatory changes would thus pay back over time through lower premiums.
Commissioners asked whether CRS credits and the data Damon cited apply to both residential and water‑dependent commercial properties. Damon said CRS credits apply to NFIP policies generally and that town staff (with FEMA access) could provide more detailed breakdowns for commissioners during follow‑up meetings. He warned that some FEMA data are restricted to town personnel and that the flood board would coordinate with staff to bring relevant property lists for technical review.
The board emphasized that many proposed measures align with forthcoming national standards (ASCE 24‑24) and with recommendations from regional resilience centers. The board framed its eight priorities as offering the greatest benefit for the least economic cost, and emphasized they target new construction or projects that meet a defined substantial‑improvement threshold so as to avoid unfunded mandates on existing owners.
What’s next: The Zoning Commission said it will schedule a focused presentation with the consultant and the flood board to examine technical language and thresholds in detail, likely at a September meeting. Any regulatory changes will go through the commission’s normal drafting and public‑hearing process before adoption.
Provenance: The presentation and discussion were recorded during the meeting’s flood‑related segment (topic introduced at SEG 1422 and concluding at SEG 1700).
