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Township of Franconia, PA
Montgomery County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (1) Index
A. 
The Floodplain Conservation District shall be any areas of Franconia Township classified as special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and the accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) dated March 2, 2016, and issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or the most-recent revision thereof, including all digital data developed as part of the Flood Insurance Study.
B. 
The above-referenced FIS and FIRMs, and any subsequent revisions and amendments, are hereby adopted by Franconia Township and declared to be a part of this chapter.
The Floodplain Conservation District shall be deemed an overlay on any zoning district now or hereafter applicable to any lot or portion thereon. The Floodplain Conservation District shall consist of the following specific areas/districts:
A. 
The Floodway Area/District shall be those areas identified as Floodway on the FIRM as well as those floodway areas which have been identified in other available studies or sources of information for those special floodplain areas where no floodway has been identified in the FIS. The floodway represents the channel of a watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation by more than one foot at any point.
(1) 
Within any Floodway Area, no encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, or other development, shall be permitted unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analysis performed in accordance with standard engineering practice that the proposed encroachment would not result in any increase in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.
(2) 
No new construction or development shall be allowed, unless a permit is obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection's regional office.
B. 
The AE Area/District shall be those areas identified as an AE Zone on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA for which base flood elevations have been provided.
(1) 
The AE Area adjacent to the floodway shall be those areas identified as an AE Zone on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA for which base flood elevations have been provided and a floodway has been delineated.
(2) 
The AE Area without floodway shall be those areas identified as an AE Zone on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA for which base flood elevations have been provided but no floodway has been determined.
(a) 
No permit shall be granted for any construction, development, use, or activity within any AE Area/District without floodway unless it is demonstrated that the cumulative effect of the proposed development would not, together with all other existing and anticipated development, increase the BFE more than one foot at any point.
(b) 
No new construction or development shall be located within the area measured 50 feet landward from the top-of-bank of any watercourse, unless the appropriate permit is obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection's regional office.
C. 
The A Area/District shall be the areas identified as an A Zone on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA and for which no 1% annual chance flood elevations have been provided. For these areas, elevation and floodway information from other federal, state, or other acceptable sources shall be used when available. Where other acceptable information is not available, the elevation shall be determined by using the elevation of a point on the boundary of the Floodplain Conservation District which is nearest the construction site. In lieu of the above, the municipality may require the applicant to determine the elevation with hydrologic and hydraulic engineering techniques. Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses shall be undertaken only by professional engineers or others of demonstrated qualifications, who shall certify that the technical methods used correctly reflect currently accepted technical concepts. Studies, analyses, computations, etc., shall be submitted in sufficient detail to allow a thorough technical review by the municipality.
D. 
The Shallow Flooding Area/District shall be those areas identified as Zones AO and AH on the FIRM and in the FIS. These areas are subject to inundation by 1% annual chance shallow flooding where average depths are between one and three feet. In Zones AO and AH, drainage paths shall be established to guide floodwaters around and away from structures on slopes.
The Floodplain Conservation District may be revised or modified by the Board where studies or information provided by a qualified agency or person documents the need for such revision. However, prior to any such change, approval must be obtained from FEMA. Additionally, as soon as practicable, but not later than six months after the date such information becomes available, a community shall notify FEMA of the changes by submitting technical or scientific data.
A. 
Should a dispute concerning any identified floodplain boundary arise, an initial determination shall be made by the Franconia Township Planning and Zoning Coordinator/Zoning Officer, who shall seek the advice of the Township Engineer as necessary in making said determination. Any party aggrieved by the decision of the Code Enforcement Officer as to the boundaries of the Floodplain Conservation District, as defined above, which may include the grounds that said map referred to therein is or has become incorrect because of changes due to natural or other causes or changes indicated by future detailed hydrologic and hydraulic studies, may appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board as provided in the Zoning Ordinance, Article XXIII, §§ 145-159 to 145-161. The burden of proof shall be on the appellant.
B. 
If appealed to the Zoning Hearing Board, the Zoning Hearing Board shall determine whether a proposed use or development is within the Floodplain Conservation District based on the receipt of the detailed on-site survey by the petitioner. The Zoning Hearing Board shall request the review and recommendations of the Township Planning Commission and other Township or outside agencies or officials at least 45 days before the public hearing.
C. 
All changes to the boundaries of the Floodplain Conservation District are subject to the review and approval of the Federal Insurance Administrator. Should the Floodplain Conservation District be declared inapplicable to any tract by reason or action of the Township Board of Supervisors in amending this article; or the Code Enforcement Officer, the Zoning Hearing Board or any court of competent jurisdiction in interpreting the same; or the Zoning Hearing Board or any court of competent jurisdiction in determining a legal effect of the same, the zoning applicable to such lot shall be deemed to be the district in which it is located without consideration of this article.
D. 
Should the zoning of any parcel or any part thereof in which the Floodplain Conservation District is located be changed through any legislative or administrative actions or judicial discretion, such change shall have no effect on the Floodplain Conservation District unless such change was included as part of the original application.
E. 
Where this article does not define the boundaries of the floodplain, the minimum setback from any watercourse for a structure shall be equal to the horizontal distance from the top of the bank of the watercourse extended to a point at which the elevation is one foot above the elevation of the top of the bank, as verified by the Township Engineer, or 50 feet, whichever is greater. All such changes to the boundaries of the Floodplain Conservation District are subject to the review and approval of the Federal Insurance Administrator.
Prior to development occurring in areas where annexation or other corporate boundary changes are proposed or have occurred, the community shall review flood hazard data affecting the lands subject to boundary changes. The community shall adopt and enforce floodplain regulations in areas subject to annexation or corporate boundary changes which meet or exceed those in 44 CFR 60.3.