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Commission chooses state standards for most flood‑hazard items, defers two items and pond‑size decision
Summary
The Commission agreed to adopt state flood‑hazard standards for several model‑bylaw items, use federal minimums for a few others, and defer two items pending more information; commissioners also discussed reducing the pond exemption from 6,000 to about 3,000 cubic feet.
Regional staff led a line‑by‑line review of the Vermont Model Flood Hazard Bylaws cross‑walk and the Commission made provisional decisions on several items. For items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 12 the Commission chose to "go with state standards"; items 9, 10 and 13 will use the federal (NFIP) minimum standard; item 7 is already addressed in local regulations; items 6 and 11 were deferred pending additional information from staff.
Commissioners and staff discussed specific standards in the model bylaw: elevation and freeboard (the model recommends at least 2 feet of freeboard above base flood elevation for new construction), dry floodproofing allowances for non‑residential buildings, compensatory storage to avoid net loss of floodplain storage, and prohibition of hazardous materials and junkyards in the floodway. The Commission noted current local pond exemptions (6,000 cubic feet) are large and discussed considering a 3,000 cubic‑foot exemption instead; Emily KloƯt will provide additional information on existing critical facilities and other deferred items for the Commission’s next meeting.
The staff materials referenced the federal NFIP minimum requirements (Title 44 CFR Part 60.3) and cautioned that adopting only federal minimums can increase long‑term risk and make a community less competitive for FEMA mitigation funding.
