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Maps are planning tools, not regulatory change; baseline epoch and datum explained
Summary
Staff and the presenter clarified that the maps are non‑regulatory planning tools, that '0 feet' refers to present‑day mean water (epoch centered on 2015), and that map elevations are reported in NAVD88.
During audience questions staff emphasized the maps are "non regulatory" planning tools and not enforceable regulatory maps. A staff speaker noted the maps could inform regulation at a later date but are intended now to help homeowners and road associations make informed decisions.
When asked what '0 feet' sea‑level rise means, Hayward said that 0 corresponds to the present‑day tidal epoch (centered on 2015) and confirmed that all elevation values in the maps are in NAVD88, the vertical datum used by FEMA and property surveys. "The numbers in these...the elevations are all NAVD88," he said, and staff noted that further conversion to nautical datums like mean lower low water would not be automatic.
