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LEARN ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF
RESILIENCE
PLANNING
■ Zoning overlays can be used to implement additional flood protection regulations. In addition
to the City’s current overlay districts defined by the FEMA regulatory floodplain, new overlay
districts can be defined based on projected future floodplains due to rising sea levels to expand
design requirements to areas with greater future flood risk.
■ Setbacks can be used to prohibit or minimize development within a certain distance from the
shore. The City currently restricts development within the Resource Protection Area, which is a
100ft buffer landward of wetlands or streams protected by the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.
Setbacks and buffers can also be established that account for changing coastal conditions, such
as shoreline erosion, sea level rise, and wetland migration.
What are the benefits of planning for the effects of
future climate change conditions now?
While it is not possible to completely eliminate flooding, planning and designing for the effects of
a changing climate now will benefit the community, economy, and environment by ensuring their
health, safety, and security. Although creating building and stormwater design standards to address
future flood risks may incur higher construction costs today, taking no action now will only lead to
increased flood damage and potential losses in local tax revenue from impacts on
businesses and residents in the future. Hardest hit will be low income and socially
vulnerable communities that will struggle to afford to rebuild and recover. In
addition, there are the costs of interruptions to business, loss of personal income,
increased debt, homelessness, etc... 40-60% of small businesses do not reopen
after a flood or hurricane, which has a major impact on the overall viability of the
community. It can take years for a community to recover. Investing in planning
and designing for future flood risks is a smart investment to ensure community
safety, which can lead to future savings from preventable flood damage.
According to a report by the National Institute of Building Sciences:
■ The economic benefits of addressing flood hazard mitigation now outweighs the future damage
and recovery costs by 4 to 1
■ The economic benefits of implementing more resilient building codes now outweigh the future
damage and recovery costs by 5 to 1 for riverine hazards and 7 to 1 for hurricane storm surges.Jump to an indexed page (75 of 75)