Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Floodplain Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Town of Narrows planning commission reviews updated floodplain rules, tightens stance on campgrounds and RVs
Summary
The Town of Narrows Planning Commission reviewed a revised floodplain ordinance draft Jan. 14, 2025, emphasizing consistency with county and federal standards, stricter limits on permanent attachments to recreational vehicles at campgrounds, and new inspection and survey requirements. No ordinance vote was taken; the draft will be circulated for outside review.
The Town of Narrows Planning Commission on Jan. 14 reviewed a roughly 25‑page update to the town's floodplain ordinance and discussed how the draft would be applied to campgrounds, recreational vehicles and new construction.
The commission's chair opened discussion by stressing the stakes: "these regulations are a big deal," and said the town needed to ensure the rules were enforced so the community would not risk losing access to the federal flood insurance program. The staff presenter said she had updated the draft to include more definitions and clearer permit‑expiration language and asked for direction on how to integrate the draft into the town's zoning framework.
The revised draft is intended to operate as an overlay district, staff and the town's floodplain administrator said, meaning base zoning remains in place but the floodplain rules would apply where triggered. The floodplain administrator said the commission should mirror county standards where feasible — for example, matching the county's one‑foot‑above‑base‑flood‑elevation requirement — to avoid conflicting guidance for property owners and to maintain compliance with federal program conditions.
A central point of debate was how to treat campgrounds and recreational vehicles after the recent floods. Commissioners asked whether surviving structures would be grandfathered. The floodplain administrator said many campground sites will effectively start with a "clean slate": "we won't allow [permanent porches or decks attached to RVs] either because that becomes debris and gives it to the river," the administrator said, explaining the draft limits permanent appurtenances that cannot be removed before a flood. The commission also discussed the familiar 50% substantial‑damage threshold used for buildings (the staff cited FEMA's assessment approach) and noted that the rule applies differently to permanent buildings than to RV sites.
On enforcement and oversight, commissioners and staff described a system in which the floodplain administrator reviews sites and issues certificates that accompany building permit applications handled by the building department. Staff said they plan annual campground inspections and would ask campground operators to file site plans and records for spot checks. The presenter noted that a conviction for a violation carries a $2,500 fine and that, historically, daily violations could accumulate significant penalties.
Commissioners discussed practical alternatives for property owners — for example, using ground‑level pads rather than raised porches — provided such alternatives do not alter base flood elevations in ways that undermine the ordinance's intent. Staff emphasized a goal of making the regulations as clear and user‑friendly as possible so property owners understand what is and is not allowed.
The draft will be circulated for external review (staff mentioned an anticipated courtesy review with DCR) and the commission set its next meeting for Feb. 11, 2025. The commission did not take a final vote to adopt the ordinance at the Jan. 14 meeting.
