The Town Engineer, or his/her designee, is hereby appointed
to administer, implement and enforce the provisions of this chapter.
Where required under this chapter, a registered professional
engineer or architect shall certify that the design and methods of
construction are in accordance with accepted standards of practice
for meeting the provisions of this chapter. Such certification must
be provided to the Town Engineer.
A floodplain development permit is hereby established for Development
activities to be undertaken in special flood hazard areas (SFHA) in
this community, in conformance with the provisions of this chapter.
Permits issued under this chapter shall expire if actual construction
of a permitted structure does not commence within 180 days of the
permit approval date.
Prior to any development activities, application for a floodplain
development permit shall be made to the Town Engineer on forms provided
and may include, but not be limited to, plans in duplicate drawn to
scale showing, at a minimum, the property lines and location of the
parcel; the nature, location, dimensions, and elevations of the area
in question; limit and extent of the 100-year floodplain, the limit
of moderate wave action (LiMWA) boundary line, floodway boundary line
and base flood elevation(s); existing and proposed structures, fill,
storage of materials, drainage facilities and the location of the
foregoing. Specifically, the following information is required to
be submitted to the Town Engineer:
A.
Application stage. The applicant shall provide at least the following
information, where applicable. Additional information may be required
on the permit application form.
(1)
Base flood elevation (BFE) for the site in question as determined
in the FEMA Flood Insurance Study (FIS) or Flood Insurance Rate Map
(FIRM). The FIS flood profiles provide more accurate BFE data than
the FIRM. The extent of the 100-year floodplain, limit of moderate
wave action (LiMWA), and floodway must be depicted with a boundary
line on any site plans and shown in relation to existing and proposed
structures or development;
(2)
Elevation in relation to mean sea level of the proposed lowest floor,
including basement, of all new construction, substantial improvements
or repairs to structures that have sustained substantial damage;
(3)
Elevation in relation to mean sea level to which any nonresidential
new construction, substantial improvements or repair to structures
that have sustained substantial damage will be dry floodproofed;
(4)
Description of the extent to which any watercourse will be altered
or relocated as a result of the proposed development. Computations
by a registered 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 materials required by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to officially amend or
revise the Flood Insurance Rate Map. The applicant 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;
(5)
A statement and supporting documentation (all costs of project, market
value of structure, etc.) verifying that the proposed alterations
to an existing structure meets or does not meet the criteria of the
substantial improvement and/or substantial damage definition. If a
development meets the definition of substantial improvement and/or
substantial damage, the entire structure must be brought into compliance
with all floodplain regulations as if it were new construction;
(6)
Where applicable the following certifications by a registered professional engineer or architect are required, and must be provided to the Town Engineer. The design and methods of construction must be certified to be in accordance with accepted standards of practice and with the provisions of § 174-20.
(a)
Nonresidential floodproofing must meet the provisions of § 174-20A(2);
(b)
Fully enclosed areas below the base flood elevation (BFE) must meet the minimum design criteria in § 174-20A(3);
(c)
No (0.00) increase in floodway water surface elevations are allowed. Any development in a floodway must meet the provisions of § 174-20D;
(d)
Breakaway walls must meet the design criteria specified in §§ 174-20B(9)
and 174-20B(10); and
(e)
Structural anchoring must meet the design criteria specified
in §§ 174-20B(4) and 174-20B(5).
B.
Construction stage. Upon completion of the applicable portion of
construction, the applicant shall provide verification to the Town
Engineer of the following as is applicable:
(1)
Lowest floor elevation shall be verified for:
(a)
A structure in Zones A, AE, AO or AH is the top of the lowest
floor including basement);
(b)
A structure in Zones VE and Coastal AE is the lowest horizontal
structural member (excluding pilings or columns);
(c)
A nonresidential structure that has been dry floodproofed is
the elevation to which the floodproofing is effective. (Note: For
insurance purposes, a dry floodproofed, nonresidential structure is
rated based on the elevation of its lowest floor unless it is floodproofed
to one foot above the BFE.)
(2)
Deficiencies detected by the review of the above listed shall be corrected by the permit holder immediately and prior to further progressive work being permitted to proceed. Failure to submit the survey or failure to make said corrections required hereby, shall be cause to issue a cease-and-desist order for the project, in accordance with the process set forth in Article VI hereof.
The Town Engineer shall, without limitation:
A.
Review all permit applications for completeness, particularly with the requirements of § 174-16A.
B.
Review all permit applications to determine whether the proposed
development and building sites comply with the provisions of this
chapter.
C.
Require that copies of all necessary federal and state permits be
provided and maintained on file with the permit application. Such
permits include, but are not limited to, wetlands permit, coastal
area management (CAM) permit, water diversion permit, dam safety permit,
and Army Corps of Engineers 401 and 404 Permits. It is the applicant's
responsibility to determine the necessary permits and provide them
to the Town Engineer.
D.
Notify the regional planning agency and affected municipality at
least 35 days prior to a public hearing if any change of regulation
or use of a flood zone will affect an area within 500 feet of another
municipality.
E.
Notify the adjacent communities and the Connecticut Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP), Land and Water Resources
Division, prior to any alteration or relocation of a watercourse made
in conjunction with any development activities, of which Town Engineer
has actual knowledge and submit evidence of such notification to the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
F.
Inspect periodically, to the extent permitted by law, to determine
whether required maintenance is provided within the altered or relocated
portion of said watercourse so that the flood-carrying capacity is
not diminished.
G.
Require the applicant to provide an elevation certificate on a form
issued by FEMA which confirms the elevation (in relation to mean sea
level) of the lowest floor (including basement) of all new construction,
substantial improvement or repair to a structure that has sustained
substantial damage.
H.
Require the applicant to provide an elevation certificate on a form
issued by FEMA which confirms the elevation (in relation to mean sea
level) to which all new construction, substantial improvement or repair
to a structure that has sustained substantial damage has been floodproofed.
I.
Require the applicant to provide an elevation certificate on a form
issued by FEMA in coastal high-hazard areas (VE and Coastal AE Zones),
which confirms the elevation of the bottom of the lowest horizontal
structural member for all new construction, substantial improvement
or repair to a structure that has sustained substantial damage.
J.
Require the applicant to provide a certification from a registered professional engineer or architect, in accordance with § 174-20A(2), when floodproofing is utilized for a particular structure.
K.
Make the necessary interpretation where interpretation is needed
as to the exact location of boundaries of the special flood hazard
area (for example, where there appears to be a conflict between a
mapped boundary and actual field conditions), utilizing any data available
to render a decision.
L.
Require the applicant to provide base flood elevation data for all
proposed development, including manufactured home parks and subdivisions.
N.
Require the applicant to provide a certification from a registered professional engineer or architect that the structure within coastal High-Hazard Area (VE and Coastal AE Zones) is designed to be securely anchored to adequately anchored pilings or columns in order to withstand velocity waters and hurricane wave wash, in accordance with § 174-20B.
O.
Review plans for adequacy of breakaway walls located in coastal high-hazard areas (VE and Coastal AE Zones), in accordance with § 174-20B.
P.
Require the applicant to provide, upon completion of the permitted development and prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy (CO), necessary as-built surveys (prepared by a Connecticut licensed professional as per Connecticut State Statutes) and engineering and architectural and certifications and an elevation certificate demonstrating compliance with the approved plans and standards set forth in § 174-16.
