The purpose of this overlay district is to promote the public health, safety, and welfare, and to minimize public and private losses in flood hazard areas defined or designated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Flood Insurance Administration including specifically the Flood Insurance Rate Map currently in effect. The intent of this district is to avoid exposing new development to flood hazard and to reduce the need for future flood control protective works and resulting alteration of stream and wetland environments by regulating development within flood hazard areas.

(Ord. 415 § 2 (part), 1987)

The provisions of this overlay district shall apply to areas zoned FH flood hazard area on the official city zoning maps. The FH flood hazard overlay district is identical to those areas identified as hazardous on the "FIRM" or Flood Insurance Rate Map of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and shall be regulated in accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines and standards.

(Ord. 415 § 2 (part), 1987)

All development subject to the provisions of this overlay district shall be referred to the city floodplain administrator. All new development, including construction, excavation, and grading, except for flood control projects and nonstructural agricultural uses, shall be prohibited in the floodway unless offsetting improvements are provided. All requirements or conditions imposed by city flood control shall be met.

(Ord. 415 § 2 (part), 1987)

(Ord. No. 658, § 2, 10-9-2012)

To avoid the need for new flood control works and interference with natural watershed processes that would adversely affect community resources, development in flood-hazard areas shall be regulated by permitting only those new developments that can sustain periodic flooding and that will not create public burdens by aggravating the flood problem, impeding floodwater storage capacity, or increasing pressure for new flood control projects shall be allowed in presently unprotected flood-hazard areas (those subject to inundation by a one-hundred-year flood), consistent with the existing Federal insurance program.

(Ord. 415 § 2 (part), 1987)