1.

The purpose of this zoning district is to promote public health, safety, and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions within flood prone areas by provisions designed to:

2.

Restrict or prohibit uses that are dangerous to health, safety, and property due to water or erosion hazards or that result in damaging increases in erosion, flood heights or velocities;

a.

Require that uses vulnerable to floods, including facilities that serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of initial construction;

b.

Control the alteration of natural floodplains, stream channels, and natural protective barriers, which are involved in the accommodation of floodwaters;

c.

Control filling, grading, dredging, and all other development that may increase erosion or flood damage; and

d.

Prevent or regulate the construction of flood barriers that will unnaturally divert floodwaters or which may increase flood hazards to other lands.

3.

Specific objectives of this zoning district are:

a.

To protect human life and health;

b.

To minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects;

c.

To minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding that are at the expense of the general public;

d.

To minimize prolonged business losses and interruptions;

e.

To minimize damage to public facilities and utilities (i.e., water and gas mains, electric, telephone, cable and sewer lines, streets, and bridges) that are located in flood prone areas;

f.

To help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of flood prone areas; and,

g.

To ensure that potential buyers are aware that property is in a special flood hazard area.

4.

Environmental standards for this district can be found in section 5.1.E.

The regulations for the water supply watershed overlay district are designed to protect the water quality of the streams in the water supply watershed that lie within the jurisdiction of this Code. It is the intent of this Code to provide regulations that implement the rules adopted by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality, pursuant to NC General Statute 143-214.5. The environmental standards are found in section 5.2.

The viewshed overlay district is intended to preserve the rural character and vistas of Crowders Mountain at strategic locations throughout the city. Strategic management of structure setbacks within this overlay will protect the natural views of the mountain and highlight unique municipal features.