Title
Resolution to Direct the Ann Arbor Planning Commission to Review and Make Recommendations Regarding the Adoption of a Floodplain Management Overlay Ordinance
Body
Whereas, Allen's Creek has historically caused flooding of homes, businesses and streets on a regular basis, endangering persons and property;
Whereas, These flooding events are intricately linked to the City's regulation of land use zoning, development, and stormwater management;
Whereas, The Allen's Creek floods on average every 1 ½ years;
Whereas, An unobstructed floodway will greatly reduce flooding in the watershed;
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor has adopted a Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan;
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor has shown support for an Allen('s) Creek Greenway Park that will reside in the floodway and other areas;
Whereas, Development has increased impervious surfaces in the Allen's Creek watershed, thereby preventing natural absorption of rainwater and snow melt into the soil, increasing the amount and rate of water runoff, and increasing the flow of pollutants into the waterways and increased flood hazard;
Whereas, Each new development in the floodway represents a lost opportunity for reducing flood hazards to life and property;
Whereas, The Federal Government virtually forbids use of any Federal Funds for development in the floodplain unless generally it can be shown, with detail analysis, no other location outside the floodplain is available;
Whereas, The Federal and State governments, and authoritative scientific bodies, including the US-EPA, have recently advised in published reports that there will be large increases in rain event intensity and rain fall amounts specifically for Michigan due to climate change modeling, which will cause more flooding than has occurred historically;
Whereas, University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus and University of Michigan Pellston Labs climate specialists have publicly stated that climate change for this region is not a theory but is now a fact;
Whereas, The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements which can greatly lower the risk of flooding and flood insurance rates;
Whereas, In early 2014, the University of Michigan - Graham Sustainability Institute approached a team of Dow Sustainabilty Fellows about the City of Ann Arbor's (the City) request for legal and policy assistance in developing a floodplain management overlay ordinance;
Whereas, The Dow Sustainabilty Fellows prepared a draft ordinance and white paper explaining their work in preparing that draft ordinance, and
Whereas, A Floodplain Management Overlay Ordinance represents a small but important first step in acquiring Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) rating;
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the Ann Arbor City Planning Commission to review the draft ordinance and approve, amend or reject the proposed ordinance, and
RESOLVED, That City Council requests that the Ann Arbor's City Planning Commission report its action on the proposed ordinance to Council on or before the first City Council meeting in March 2016.
Sponsored by: Councilmembers Eaton, Lumm and Anglin
As Amended by Ann Arbor City Council on July 20, 2015