Source: https://ecode360.com/10932590
Timestamp: 2020-01-22 20:48:48
Document Index: 459157914

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 923', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92', '§ 92']

§ 92-1 Statutory authorization and purpose.
§ 92-3 General provisions.
§ 92-4 Administration.
§ 92-5 Construction standards.
§ 92-6 Variance procedure.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Tonawanda 4-8-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2019[1]. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Editor's Note: This local law also repealed former Ch. 92, Flood Damage Prevention, adopted 5-24-1982 by L.L. No. 5-1982, as amended.
Findings. The Town Board of the Town of Tonawanda finds that the potential and/or actual damages may included destruction or loss of private and public housing, damage to public facilities, both publicly and privately owned, and injury to and loss of human life. In order to minimize the threat of such damages and to achieve the purposes and objectives hereinafter set forth, this chapter is adopted.
A designated AO, AH or VO Zone on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a 1% or greater annual chance of flooding to an average annual depth of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.
The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. This area may be designated as Zone A, AE, AH, AO, A1-A30, A99, V, VO, VE, or V1-V30. It is also commonly referred to as the "base floodplain" or "100-year floodplain." For purposes of this chapter, the term "special flood hazard area (SFHA)" is synonymous in meaning with the phrase "area of special flood hazard."
An enclosed area beneath the lowest elevated floor, 18 inches or more in height, which is used to service the underside of the lowest elevated, floor. The elevation of the floor of this enclosed area, which may be of soil, gravel, concrete or other material, must be equal to or above the lowest adjacent exterior grade. The enclosed crawl space area shall be properly vented to allow for the equalization of hydrostatic forces which would be experienced during periods of flooding.
A nonbasement building built, in the case of a building in Zones A1-A30, AE, A, A99, AO, AH, B, C, X, or D, to have the top of the elevated floor, or in the case of a building in Zones V1-30, VE, or V, to have the bottom of the lowest horizontal structure member of the elevated floor, elevated above the ground level by means of pilings, columns (posts and piers), or shear walls parallel to the flow of the water and adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity of the building during a flood of up to the magnitude of the base flood. In the case of Zones A1-A30, AE, A, A99, AO, AH, B, C, X, or D, elevated building also includes a building elevated by means of fill or solid foundation perimeter walls with openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movement of floodwaters. In the case of Zones V1-V30, VE, or V, elevated building also includes a building otherwise meeting the definition of "elevated building," even though the lower area is enclosed by means of breakaway walls that meet the federal standards.
The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a Flood Insurance Study or by other agencies as provided in § 92-4F of this chapter.
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement. The term includes structures which have incurred substantial damage regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either:
Lands to which this chapter applies. This chapter shall apply to all areas of special flood hazard within the jurisdiction of the Town of Tonawanda.
Flood Insurance Rate Maps 36029C0043H, 36029C0044H, 36029C0063H, 36029C0064H, 36029C0177H, 36029C0181H, 36029C0182H, 36029C0183H, 36029C0184H, 36029C0205H whose effective date is June 7, 2019, and any subsequent revisions to these map panels that do not affect areas under our community's jurisdiction.
A scientific and engineering report entitled "Flood Insurance Study, Erie County, New York (All Jurisdictions)," dated June 7, 2019.
The above documents are hereby adopted and declared to be a part of this chapter. The Flood Insurance Study and/or maps are on file at the Town of Tonawanda, Office of the Town Engineer, 2919 Delaware Avenue, Kenmore, New York 14217.
Interpretation and conflict with other laws. This chapter includes all revisions to the National Flood Insurance Program through October 27, 1997, and shall supersede all previous laws adopted for the purpose of flood damage prevention. In their interpretation and application, the provisions of this chapter shall be held to be minimum requirements, adopted for the promotion of the public health, safety, and welfare. Whenever the requirements of this chapter are at variance with the requirements of any other lawfully adopted rules, regulations, or ordinances, the most restrictive, or that imposing the higher standards, shall govern.
Penalties for noncompliance. No structure in an area of special flood hazard shall hereafter be constructed, located, extended, converted, or altered and no land shall be excavated or filled without full compliance with the terms of this chapter and any other applicable regulations. Any infraction of the provisions of this chapter by failure to comply with any of its requirements, including infractions of conditions and safeguards established in connection with conditions of the permit, shall constitute a violation. Any person who violates this chapter or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined no more than $250 or imprisoned for not more than 15 days, or both. Each day of noncompliance shall be considered a separate offense. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the Town of Tonawanda from taking such other lawful action as necessary to prevent or remedy an infraction. Any structure found not compliant with the requirements of this chapter for which the developer and/or owner has not applied for and received an approved variance under § 92-6 will be declared noncompliant and notification sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Warning and disclaimer of liability. The degree of flood protection required by this chapter is considered reasonable for regulatory purposes and is based on scientific and engineering considerations. Larger floods can and will occur on rare occasions. Flood heights may be increased by man-made or natural causes. This chapter does not imply that land outside the area of special flood hazards or uses permitted within such areas will be free from flooding or flood damages. This chapter shall not create liability on the part of the Town of Tonawanda, any officer or employee thereof, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for any flood damages that result from reliance on this chapter or any administrative decision lawfully made thereunder.
Designation of the local administrator. The Town Engineer shall serve as local administrator to administer and implement this chapter by granting or denying floodplain development permits in accordance with its provisions.
The floodplain development permit. A floodplain development permit is hereby established for all construction and other development to be undertaken in areas of special flood hazard in this community for the purpose of protecting its citizens from increased flood hazards and insuring that new development is constructed in a manner that minimizes its exposure to flooding. It shall be unlawful to undertake any development in an area of special flood hazard, as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 92-3B, without a valid floodplain development permit. Application for a permit shall be made on forms furnished by the local administrator and may include, but not be limited to, plans, in duplicate, drawn to scale and showing the nature, location, dimensions, and elevations of the area in question; existing or proposed structures, fill, storage of materials, drainage facilities, and the location of the foregoing.
Fees. All applications for a floodplain development permit shall be accompanied by an application fee set in the most recent organizational meeting. Refer to the organizational meeting minutes to determine the fee. In addition, the applicant shall be responsible for reimbursing the Town of Tonawanda for any additional costs necessary for review, inspection and approval of this project. The local administrator may require a deposit to cover these additional costs.
A certificate from a licensed professional engineer or architect that any utility floodproofing will meet the criteria in § 92-5B(3), Utilities.
A certificate from a licensed professional engineer or architect that any nonresidential floodproofed structure will meet the floodproofing criteria in § 92-5D, Nonresidential structures.
A description of the extent to which any watercourse will be altered or relocated as a result of proposed development. Computations by a licensed professional engineer must be submitted that demonstrate that the altered or relocated segment will provide equal or greater conveyance than the original stream segment. The applicant must submit any maps, computations or other material required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to revise the documents enumerated in § 92-3B, when notified by the local administrator, and must pay any fees or other costs assessed by FEMA for this purpose. The applicant must also provide assurances that the conveyance capacity of the altered or relocated stream segment will be maintained.
Duties and responsibilities of the local administrator. Duties of the local administrator shall include, but not be limited to the following:
Review all applications for completeness, particularly with the requirements of § 92-4D, Application for a permit, and for compliance with the provisions and standards of this chapter.
Review subdivision and other proposed new development, including manufactured home parks to determine whether proposed building sites will be reasonably safe from flooding. If a proposed building site is located in an area of special flood hazard, all new construction and substantial improvements shall meet the applicable standards of § 92-5, Construction standards and, in particular, § 92-5A(1), Subdivision proposals.
If the proposed development may result in physical damage to any other property or fails to meet the requirements of § 92-5, Construction standards, no permit shall be issued. The applicant may revise the application to include measures that mitigate or eliminate the adverse effects and resubmit the application.
When the Federal Emergency Management Agency has designated areas of special flood hazard on the community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) but has neither produced water surface elevation data (these areas are designated Zone A or V on the FIRM) nor identified a floodway, the local administrator shall obtain, review and reasonably utilize any base flood elevation and floodway data available from a federal, state or other source, including data developed pursuant to Subsection D(7), as criteria for requiring that new construction, substantial Improvements or other proposed development meet the requirements of this chapter.
When an area of special flood hazard, base flood elevation, and/or floodway data are available from a federal, state or other authoritative source, but differ from the data in the documents enumerated in § 92-3B, the local administrator may reasonably utilize the other flood information to enforce more restrictive development standards.
The local administrator shall issue, or cause to be issued, a stop-work order for any floodplain development found ongoing without a development permit. Disregard of a stop-work order shall subject the violator to the penalties described in § 92-3E of this chapter.
The local administrator shall issue, or cause to be issued, a stop-work order for any floodplain development found noncompliant with the provisions of this chapter and/or the conditions of the development permit. Disregard of a stop-work order shall subject the violator to the penalties described in § 92-3E of this chapter.
In areas of special flood hazard, as determined by documents enumerated in § 92-3B, it shall be unlawful to occupy or to permit the use or occupancy of any building or premises, or both, or part thereof hereafter created, erected, changed, converted or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use or structure until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the local administrator stating that the building or land conforms to the requirements of this chapter.
Issuance of the certificate shall be based upon the inspections conducted as prescribed in § 92-4I, Inspections, and/or any certified elevations, hydraulic data, floodproofing, anchoring requirements or encroachment analyses which may have been required as a condition of the approved permit.
Certifications of as-built lowest floor elevations of structures, required pursuant to § 92-4H(1) and (2) and whether or not the structures contain a basement;
Floodproofing certificates required pursuant to § 92-4H(1) and whether or not the structures contain a basement;
Variances issued pursuant to § 92-6, Variance procedures; and
Notices required under § 92-4G, Alteration of watercourses.
General standards. The following standards apply to new development, including new and substantially improved structures, in the areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map designated in § 92-3B.
The Town of Tonawanda agrees to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a conditional FIRM revision, FEMA approval is received and the applicant provides all necessary data, analyses and mapping and reimburses the Town of Tonawanda for all fees and other costs in relation to the application. The applicant must also provide all data, analyses and mapping and reimburse the Town of Tonawanda for all costs related to the final map revision.
On streams with a regulatory floodway, as shown on the Flood Boundary and Floodway Map or the Flood Insurance Rate Map adopted in § 923B, no new construction, substantial improvements or other development in the floodway (including fill) shall be permitted unless:
The Town of Tonawanda agrees to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a conditional FIRM and floodway revision, FEMA approval is received and the applicant provides all necessary data, analyses and mapping and reimburses the Town of Tonawanda for all fees and other costs in relation to the application. The applicant must also provide all data, analyses and mapping and reimburse the Town of Tonawanda for all costs related to the final map revisions.
In Zones A1-A30, AE and AH, and also Zone A if base flood elevation data are available, if any development is found to increase or decrease base flood elevations, the Town of Tonawanda shall as soon as practicable, but not later than six months after the date such Information becomes available, notify FEMA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation of the changes by submitting technical or scientific data in accordance with standard engineering practice.
Standards for all structures. The following standards apply to new development, including new and substantially improved structures, in the areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map designated in § 92-3B.
For enclosed areas below the lowest floor of a structure within Zone A1-A30, AE, AO or A, new and substantially improved structures shall have fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor that are usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than a basement and which are subject to flooding, designed to automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces on exterior walls by allowing for the entry and exit of floodwaters. Designs for meeting this requirement must either be certified by a licensed professional engineer or architect or meet or exceed the following minimum criteria:
Openings not less than three inches in any direction. Openings may be equipped with louvers, valves, screens or other coverings or devices, provided that they permit the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters. Enclosed areas subgrade on all sides are considered basements and are not permitted.
Installed at or above the base flood elevation as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 92-3B plus two feet.
Elevation. The following standards apply to new and substantially improved residential structures located in areas of special flood hazard, in addition to the requirements in § 92-5A(1), Subdivision proposals, § 92-5A(2), Encroachments, and § 92-5B, Standards for all structures.
Within Zone AO, new construction and substantial improvements shall have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least as high as the depth number specified in feet on the community's Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 92-3B plus two feet (at least three feet if no depth number is specified).
Nonresidential structures. The following standards apply to new and substantially improved commercial, industrial and other nonresidential structures located in areas of special flood hazard, in addition to the requirements in § 92-5A(1), Subdivision proposals, § 92-5A(2), Encroachments, and § 92-5B, Standards for all structures.
Together with attendant utility and sanitary facilities, be completely floodproofed to that level to meet the floodproofing standard specified in § 92-5D(1)(b).
Manufactured homes and recreational vehicles. The following standards, in addition to the standards in § 92-5A, General standards, and § 92-5B, Standards for all structures, apply, as indicated, in areas of special flood hazard to manufactured homes and to recreational vehicles which are located in areas of special flood hazard.
Recreational vehicles placed on sites within Zones A1-A30, AE and AH shall either be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, be fully licensed and ready for highway use, or meet the requirements for manufactured homes in § 92-5E(2), (3) and (4). A recreational vehicle is ready for highway use if it is on its wheels or jacking system, is attached to the site only by quick-disconnect-type utilities and security devices and has no permanently attached additions.
Within Zone AO, the bottom of the frame of the manufactured home chassis shall be elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least as high as the depth number specified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 92-3B plus two feet (at least three feet if no depth number is specified).
Accessory structures, including detached garages. The following standards apply to new and substantially improved accessory structures, including detached garages, in the areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map designated in § 92-3B.
Within Zones A1-A30, AE, AO, AH, A, accessory structures must meet the standards of § 92-5B(1), Anchoring.
Structures must be designed to automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces on exterior walls by allowing for the entry and exit of floodwaters in accordance with § 92-5B(2)(c).
Utilities must meet the requirements of § 92-5B(3), Utilities.
The Zoning Board of Appeals as established by the Town of Tonawanda shall hear and decide appeals and requests for variances from the requirements of this chapter.
Upon consideration of the factors of § 92-6A(4) and the purposes of this chapter, the Zoning Board of Appeals may attach such conditions to the granting of variances as it deems necessary to further the purposes of this chapter.
Generally, variances may be issued for new construction and substantial improvements to be erected on a lot of 1/2 acre or less in size contiguous to and surrounded by lots with existing structures constructed below the base flood level, provided that the provisions of § 92-6A(4)(a) through (l) have been fully considered. As the lot size increases beyond the 1/2 acre, the technical justification required for issuing the variance increases.
A determination that the granting of a variance will not result in increased flood heights, additional threats to public safety, extraordinary public expense, create nuisances, cause fraud on or victimization of the public or conflict with existing chapters or ordinances.
Notification of variance to construct below base flood level.
Such notification shall be maintained with the record of all variance actions as required in § 92-4L of this chapter.