HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd 1032-1988ORDINANCE NO. 1032-88
AN ORDINANCE REPEALING CHAPTER 15.56 OF THE SOUTH SAN
FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL CODE AND ADDING A NEW CHAPTER 15.56
ENTITLED "FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION"
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO DOES ORDAIN AS
FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 15.56 (Ordinance No. 872) of the South San Francisco
Municipal Code is hereby repealed, except that this repeal shall not affect
or prevent the prosecution or punishment of any person for any act done or
omitted in violation of that Chapter prior to the effective date of this
ordinance.
SECTION 2. A new Chapter 15.56 entitled "Flood Damage Prevention" is
hereby added to the South San Francisco Municipal Code to read:
CHAPTER 15.56
Sections:
FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION
15.56.010
15.56.020
15.56.030
15.56.040
15.56.050
15.56.060
15.56.070
15.56.080
15.56.090
15.56.100
15.56.110
15.56.120
15.56.130
15.56.140
15.56.150
15.56.160
15.56.170
15.56.180
15.56.190
Statement of Purpose
Lands to Which this Chapter Applies
Compliance
Methods of Reducing Flood Losses
Interpretation
Warning and Disclaimer of Liability
Definitions
Standards for Construction
Standards for Storage of Materials and Equipment
Standards for Utilities
Standards for Subdivisions
Standards for Manufactured Homes and Manufactured Home Parks
and Subdivisions
Floodways
Coastal High Hazard Areas
Administration
Variance Procedure
Conditions for Variances
Appeals
Penalties
Section 15.56.010 Statement of Purpose
It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health, safety, and
general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood condi-
tions in specific areas by provisions designed:
(a) To protect human life and health;
(b) To minimize expenditures of public funds for
costly flood control projects;
lc) To minimize the need for rescue and relief
efforts associated with flooding and generally under-
taken at the expense of the general public;
(d) To minimize prolonged business interrup-
tions;
(e) To minimize damage to public facilities and
utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, tele-
phone and sewer lines, streets and bridges located in
areas of special flood hazard;
(f) To help maintain a stable tax base by provid-
ing for the second use and development of areas of
special flood hazard so as to minimize flood blight areas;
(g) To insure that potential buyers are notified
that property is in an area of special flood hazard; and
(h) To insure that those who occupy the area of
special flood hazard assume responsibility for their actions.
Section 15.56.020 Lands to Which this Chapter Applies
This chapter shall apply to all areas of special flood hazards within the
jurisdiction of the City of South San Francisco. Areas of special flood hazard
are those identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a scientific
and engineerin§ report, entitled "The Flood Insurance Study for the City of
South San Francisco," dated March 2, 1981, with an accompanying Flood Insurance
Rate Map, which are hereby adopted by reference and declared to be a part of
this chapter. The Flood Insurance Study and Rate Map are on file in the office
of the City Engineer, City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue, South San Franciso, California.
Section 15.56.030 Compliance
No new construction, or substantial improvement of.a structure or excavation
and grading which would require a building or grading permit pursuant to the
applicable provisions of the Uniform Building Code as adopted and modified in
Chapter 15.08 of this code shall take place in an area of special flood hazard
without full compliance with the terms of this chapter and other applicable flood
control regulations.
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Section 15.56.040 Methods of Reducing Flood Losses
In order to accomplish its purposes, this chapter includes methods and pro-
visions for:
(a) Restricting or prohibiting uses which are
dangerous to health, safety~ and property due to water
or erosion hazards, or which result in damaging in-
creases in erosion or flood heights or velocities.
(b) Requiring that uses vulnerable to floods,
including facilities which serve such uses, be pro-
tected against flood damage at the time of initial
construction;
(c) Controlling the alteration of natural
floodplains, stream channels, and natural protective
barriers, which help accommodate or channel flood
waters;
Id) Controlling filling, grading, dredging, and
other development which may increase flood damage; and,
(e) Preventing or regulating the construction of
flood barriers which will unnaturally divert flood
waters or which may increase flood hazards in other
areas.
Section 15.56.050 Interpretation
{a) In the interpretation and application of this chapter, all provi-
sions shall be:
(1) Considered as minimum requirements;
(2) Liberally construed in favor of the
City; and
(3) Deemed neither to limit nor repeal any other
powers granted under state statutes.
(b) This chapter is not intended to repeal, abrogate or impair any
existing easements, covenants or deed restrictions. However, where this chapter
and another chapter of this code, easement, covenant or deed restriction conflict
or overlap, the more stringent restrictions shall prevail.
Section 15.56.060 Warning and Disclaimer of Liability
The degree of flood protection required by this chapter is considered reason-
able for regulatory purposes and is based on scientific and engineering considera-
tions. Larger floods can and will occur on rare occasions. Flood heights may
be increased by man-made or natural causes.
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This chapter does not imply that land outside the areas 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 Cityj any
officerj employee or agent thereof, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
for any flood damages that may result as a result of reliance on this chapter
or any administrative decision lawfully made thereunder.
Section 15.56.070 Definitions.
Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this chapter
shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage
and to give this chapter its most reasonable application.
(a) "Appeal" means a request for a review of the city engineer's
and/or chief building inspector's interpretation of any provision of this
chapter or a request for a variance.
(b) "Area of shallow flooding" means a designated AO, AH or VO Zone
on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The base flood depths of such an area
range from one to three feet, a clearly defined channel does not exist, the
path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate, and velocity flow may be
evident.
(c) "Area of special flood hazard" - See "Special flood hazard area".
(d) "Base flood" means the flood having a one percent chance of being
equalled or exceeded in any given year. Also referred to as "lO0-year flood".
(e) "Basement" means any area of the building having its floor sub-
grade (below ground level) on all sides.
{f) "Breakaway walls" means any type of wall, whether solid or
lattice, and whether constructed of concrete, masonry, wood, metal, plastic or
any other suitable building material which is not part of the structural support
of the building and which is designed to break away under abnormally high tides
or wave action without causing any damage to the structural integrity of the
building on which they are used or any building to which they might be carried
by flood waters. A breakaway wall shall have a safe design loading resistance
of not less than ten and no more than twenty pounds per square foot. Use of
breakaway walls must be certified by a registered engineer or architect and
shall meet the following conditions:
(1) Breakaway wall collapse shall result from a water
load less than that which would occur during the base flood;
and
(2) The elevated portion of the building shall not
incur any structural damage due to the effects of wind and
water loads acting simultaneously in the event of the base
flood.
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(g) "Coastal high hazard area" means the area subject to high velocity
waters~ including coastal and tidal inundation or tsunamis. The area is desig'
nated on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) as Zone Vl-V30, VE or V.
(h) "Development" means any man-made change to improved or unimproved
real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining,
dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations.
(i) "Flood or flooding" means a general and temporary condition of
partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from (1) the over-
flow of flood water, (2) the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of
surface waters from any source, and/or (3) the collapse or subsidence of land
along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of erosion or
undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical
levels or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a natural body of
water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an unanticipated force of nature,
such as flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual
and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined in this definition.
(j) "Flood Boundary and Floodway Map" means the official map on which
the Federal Emergency Management Agency or Federal Insurance Administration has
delineated both the areas of flood hazard and the floodway.
(k) "Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)" means the official map on which
the Federal Emergency Mangement Agency or Federal Insurance Administration had
delinated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones
applicable to the City.
(1) "Flood Insurance Study" means the official report provided by the
Federal Insurance Administration that includes flood profiles, the FIRM, the
Flood Boundary and Floodway Map, and the water surface elevation of the base
flood.
(m) "Floodplain or flood-prone area" means any land area susceptible
to being inundated by water from any source. See "flooding".
(n) "Floodplain management" means the operation of an overall program
of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage, including but
not limited to emergency preparedness plans, flood control works and floodplain
management regulations.
(o) "Floodplain management regulations" means zoning ordinances, sub-
division regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose
ordinances and other applications of police power. The term describes such
state or local regulations in any combination thereof, which provide standards
for the purpose of flood damage prevention and reduction.
(p) "Floodproofing" means any combination of structural and non-
structural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures which reduce or
eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and
sanitary facilities, structures and their contents.
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(q) "Floodway" means 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 one
foot. Also referred to as "regulatory floodway".
Ir) "Functionally dependent use" means a use which cannot perform
its intended purpose unless it is located or carried out in close proximity
to water. The term includes only docking facilities, port facilities that
are necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, and ship
building repair facilities, but does not include long-term storage or related
manufacturing facilities.
(s) "Highest adjacent grade" means the highest natural elevation of
the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a
structure.
(t) "Lowest floor" means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed
area, including the basement of a building. An unfinished or flood resistant
enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage
in an area other than a basement area is not considered a building's lowest
floor; provided, that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure
in violation of the applicable non-elevation design requirements of this chapter.
lu) "Manufactured home" means a structure, transportable in one or
more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use
with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities.
For floodplain management purposes the term "manufactured home" also includes
park trailers, travel trailers and other similar vehicles placed on a site for
greater than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days.
Iv) "Manufactured home park or subdivision" means a parcel, or
contiguous parcels, of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots
for sale or rent.
(w) "Mean sea level" means the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD)
of 1929 or other datum, to which base flood elevations shown on a community's
Flood Insurance Rate Map are referenced.
Ix) "New construction" means structures for which the "start of con-
struction'' commenced on or after the effective date of this chapter.
ly) "One hundred year flood" or "lO0-year flood" means a flood which
has a one percent annual probability of being equalled or exceeded. It is
identical to the "base flood", which is the term used throughout this chapter.
Iz) "Person" means an individual, firm, partnership, association or
corporation, or agent of the aforementioned, the State of California or its
agencies or politital subdivisions.
(aa) "Remedy a violation" means to try to bring the structure or other
development into compliance with state or local floodplain management regula-
tions, or, if this is not possible, to reduce the impacts of its noncompliance.
Ways that impacts may be reduced include protecting the structure or other
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affected development from flood damagesj implementing the enforcement provisions
of this chapter or otherwise deterring future similar violations~ or reducing
Federal financial exposure with regard to the structure or other development.
(bb) "Riverine" means relating to, formed byj or resembling a river
(including tributaries), stream, brook, etc.
(cc) "Sand dunes" means naturally occuring accumulations of sand in
ridges or mounds landward of the beach.
(dd) "Special flood hazard area (SFHA)" means an area having special
flood or flood-related erosion hazards, and shown on a FHBM or FIRM as Zone Aj
AO, A1-30, AE, A99, AH, VO, Vl-V30, VE or V.
(ee) "Start of construction" includes substantial improvement, and
means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of
construction, repair, reconstruction, placement, or other improvement was
within one hundred eighty (180) days of the permit date. The actual start
means either the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on
a site, such as the pouring of slab work or footings, the installation of
piles, the construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation;
or the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation. Permanent construc-
tion does not include land preparation, such as clearing, grading and filling;
nor does it include the installation of streets and/or walkways; nor does it
include excavation for a basement, footings, piers, or foundations or the erec-
tion of temporary forms; nor does it include the installation on the property
of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units
or not part of the main structure.
(ff) "Structure" means a walled and roofed building, a gas or liquid
storage tank that is principally above ground, or a manufactured home.
(gg) "Substantial improvement" means any repair, reconstruction, or
improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty (50%)
percent of the market value of the structure either:
(1) Before the improvement or repair is started; or
(2) If the structure has been damaged, and is being
restored, before the damage occurred.
For the purposes of this definition "substantial improvement" is considered to
occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural
part of the building commences, whether or not that alteration affects the ex-
ternal dimensions of the structure. The term does not, however, include either:
(3) Any project for improvement of a structure to
comply with existing state or local health, sanitary, or
safety code specifications which are solely necessary to
assure safe living conditions; or
(4) Any alteration of a structure listed on the
National Register of Historic Places or a State Inventory
of Historic Places, or which has received designation as
an historic resource by the City.
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(hh) "Variance" means a grant of relief from the requirements of this
chapter which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be pro-
hibited by this chapter.
(ii) "Violation" means the failure of a structure or other development
tO be fully compliant with this chapter. A structure or other development with-
out the elevation certificate, other certifications~ or other evidence of com-
pliance required in this chapter is presumed to be in violation until such time
as that documentation is provided.
Section 15.56.080 Standards for Construction
In all areas of special flood hazards, the following construction standards
are required to reduce flood hazards:
(a) Anchoring.
(1) All new construction and substantial improvements
shall be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral
movement of the structure;
(2) All new construction and substantial improvements
in Zones V, V1-30 and VE shall be elevated on pilings and
columns so that (i) the bottom of the lowest horizontal
structural member of the lowest floor (excluding the pilings
or columns) is elevated to or above the base flood level, and
(ii) the pile or column foundation and structure attached
thereto is anchored to resist flotation, collapse and lateral
movement due to the effects of wind and water loads acting
simultaneously on all building components. Wind and water
loading values shall each have a one (1%) percent chance of
being equalled or exceeded in any given year (100-year mean
recurrence interval). A registered professional engineer or
architect shall develop or review the structural design,
specifications and plans for the construction, and shall
certify that the design and methods of construction to be
used are in accordance with accepted standards of practice
for meeting the provisions of (i) and (ii) of this subsection;
(3) All manufactured homes shall meet the anchoring
standards of Section 15.56.120(a).
(b) Construction Materials and Methods.
(1) All new construction and substantial improvements
shall be constructed with materials and utility equipment
resistant to flood damage. Electrical, heating, ventila-
tion, plumbing, and air-conditioning equipment and other
service facilities shall be designed and/or located so as
to prevent water from entering or accumulating within the
components during conditions of flooding;
(2) All new construction and substantial improvements
shall be constructed using methods and practices that
minimize flood damage;
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(3) Within Zones AHj AO and VO, adequate drainage
paths shall be maintained around all structures on slopes
to guide flood waters around and away from proposed structures.
(c) Elevation and Floodproofing.
(1) New construction and substantial improvements of any
structure shall have the lowest floor, including the basement,
elevated to or above the base flood elevation. Nonresidential
structures may meet the standards in Section 15.56.080(c)(2) &
(c) (4).
Upon completion of the structure, the elevation of the lowest
floor including the basement shall be certified by a registered
professional engineer or surveyor and provided to the city
engineer and/or chief building inspector;
(2) New construction and substantial improvement of any
structure in Zone AO shall have the lowest floor, including
the basement, elevated above the highest adjacent grade at
least as high as the depth number specified in feet. If there
is no depth number on the FIRM, the lowest floor, including
the basement, shall be elevated at least two (2) feet above
the highest adjacent grade. Nonresidential structures in
Zone AO shall have the lowest floor elevated above the highest
adjacent grade at least as high as the depth number specified in
feet on the FIRM, or at least two (2) feet if no depth is
specified. Upon completion of the structure, a registered
professional engineer shall certify that the elevation of the
structure meets this standard and shall provide such certifi-
cation to the city engineer and/or chief building inspector;
(3) For all new construction and sustantial improvements,
fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor that are subject
to flooding shall be designed to automatically equalize hydro-
static 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 registered professional engineer
or architect or must meet or exceed the following minimum
criteria:
(A) A minimum of two openings having a total net area
of not less than one square inch for every square foot of
enclosed area subject to flooding shall be provided. The
bottom of all openings shall be no higher than one (1') foot
above grade. Openings may be equipped with screens, louvers.
or other coverings or devices provided that they permit the
automatic entry and exit of floodwaters; or
(B) Be certified to comply with a local floodproofing
standard approved by the Federal Insurance Administration.
(4) Nonresidential construction shall either be elevated
in conformance with Section 15.56.080(c)(1) or (c){2) or together
with attendant utility and sanitary facilities:
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IA) Be floodproofed so that below the base flood
level the structure is watertight with walls substantially
impermeable to the passage of water;
lB) Have structural components capable of resistin§
hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and effects of buoyancy;
and
(C) Be certified by a registered professional engineer
or architect that the standards of this subsection are
satisfied. Such certifications shall be provided to the
city engineer and/or chief building inspector.
(5) All manufactured homes shall meet the standards in
Section 15.56.120.
Section 15.56.090 Standards For Storage of Materials and Equipment
la) The storage or processing of materials which in time of flood-
ing are buoyant, flammable, explosive, or possibly injurious to human, animal
or plant life is prohibited.
(b) Storage of other material or equipment may be allowed if not sub-
ject to major damage by floods and firmly anchored to prevent flotation or if
readily removable from the area within the time available after flood warning.
Section 15.56.100 Standards for Utilities
(a) All new and replacement water supply and sanitary sewage systems
shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of flood waters into
the system and discharge from systems into flood waters.
(b) On-site waste disposal systems shall be located to avoid impair-
ment to them or contamination from them during flooding.
Section 15.56.110 Standards for Subdivisions
(a) All preliminary subdivision proposals shall identify the flood
hazard area and the elevation of the base flood.
(b) All final subdivision plans shall provide the elevation of pro-
posed structure and pads. If the site is filled above the base flood, the
final pad elevation shall be certified by a registered professional engineer
or surveyor and provided to the city engineer and/or chief building inspector.
(c) All subdivision proposals shall be consistent with the need to
minimize flood damage.
(d) All subdivision proposals shall have public utilities and facili-
ties such as sewer, gas, electrical, and water systems located and constructed
to minimize flood damage.
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(e) All subdivision proposals shall have adequate drainage provided
to reduce exposure to flood damage.
Section 15.56.120
Standards for Manufactured Homes and Manufactured
Home Parks and Subdivisions
(a) All manufactured homes and additions to manufactured homes shall
be securely anchored to resist flotation, collapse, or lateral movement.
(b) All manfactured homes and additions to manufactured homes shall
be elevated on a permanent foundation so that the lowest floor is at or above
the base flood elevation.
(c) No manufactured home shall be placed in a coastal high hazard area,
except in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision.
Section 15.56.130 Floodways
Encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements,
and other developments are prohibited within the floodway unless certification
by a registered professional engineer or architect is provided demonstrating
that encroachments shall not result in any increase in flood levels during the
occurrence of the base flood discharge.
Section 15.56.140 Coastal High Hazard Areas
FIRM.
(a) All developments shall be above elevation 7.0 as shown on the
(b) The elevation of the bottom of the lowest floor of all new or
substantially improved structures shall be certified by a registered professional
engineer or surveyor, and provided to the chief building inspector.
(c) All new construction shall be located on the landward side of
the reach of mean high tide.
(d) All new construction and substantial improvements shall have the
space below the lowest floor free of obstructions or constructed with breakaway
walls. Such temporary enclosed space shall not be used for human habitation.
(e) Fill shall not be used for structural support of buildings.
(f) Man-made alteration of sand dunes which would increase potential
flood damage is prohibited.
Section 15.56.150 Administration
The city engineer and chief building inspector shall administer and implement
this chapter by granting or denying building and/or grading permit applications
in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and other applicable state and
local laws.
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The duties of the city engineer and chief building inspector shall include~ but
are not limited to, the following:
(a) Review of Plans.
Before a building or grading permit is issued for any new construc-
tion, substantial improvement of a structure, or grading in a special flood hazard
area, the city engineer and/or chief building inspector may require specific plans
and specifications including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Plans in duplicate drawn to scale showing the
nature, location, dimensions and elevation of the area
in question;
(2) Existing or proposed structures, fill, storage
of materials, drainage facilities, and the location of
the foregoing;
(3) Proposed elevation in relation to mean sea
level, of the lowest floor, including the basement, of
all structures. In Zone AO, elevation of existing grade
and proposed elevation of the lowest floor of all
structures;
(4) Proposed elevation in relation to mean sea level
to which any structure will be floodproofed;
(5) Certification by registered professional engineer
or architect that the floodproofing methods for any non-
residential structure meet the floodproofing criteria in
Section 15.56.080(c); and
(6) Description of the extent to which any watercourse
will be altered or relocated as a result of proposed develop-
ment.
(b) Permit Review.
(1) Review all necessary permits to determine that the
permit requirements of this chapter have been satisfied;
(2) Review all necessary permits to insure all other
required state and federal permits have been obtained;
(3) Review all necessary permits to determine that the
site is reasonably safe from flooding;
(4) Review all necessary permits to determine if the
proposed development adversely affects the flood carrying
capacity of areas where base flood elevations have been
determined but a floodway has not been designated. For
purposes of this chapter, "adversely affects" means that
the cumulative effect of the proposed development, when
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combined with all other existing and anticipated development~ will
not increase the water surface elevation of the base flood by more
than one (1') foot at any point.
(c) Information to be Obtained and Maintained.
Obtain and maintain for public inspection and make available as
needed for Flood Insurance Policies:
(1) The floor elevation certification required in
Section 15.56.080(c)(1);
(2) The shallow flooding elevation certification
required in Section 15.56.080(c)(2);
(3) The wet floodproofing certification required in
Section 15.56.080(c)(3);
(4) The nonresidential floodproofing certification
required in Section 15.56.080(c)(4)(C);
(5) The elevation certification required in Section
15.56.110(b);
(6) The floodway encroachment certification required
in Section 15.56.130; and
(7) The coastal construction certification required
in Section 15.56.140.
(d) Alteration and Watercourses.
(1) Notify adjacent communities and the Department
of Water Resources prior to any alteration or relocation
of a watercourse, and submit evidence of such notification
to the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(2) Require that the flood carrying capacity of the
altered or relocated portion of said watercourse is main-
tained.
(e) Interpretation of FIRM Boundaries.
Make interpretations, where needed, as to the exact location of
the boundaries of the areas of flood hazards, for example, where there appears
to be a conflict between a mapped boundary and actual field conditions. The
person contesting the location of the boundary shall be given a reasonable
opportunity to appeal the interpretation as provided in Section 15.56.160.
(f) Use of Other Base Flood Data.
When base flood elevation data has not been provided in accordance
with Section 15.56.020, the city engineer shall obtainj review and reasonably
utilize any base flood elevation data available from any federal, state or
other source, in order to administer this chapter.
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(g) Hear and decide requests for variances as provided for in
Section 15.56.160.
Section 15.56.160 Variance Procedure
(a) The city engineer and/or chief building inspector shall hear and
decide requests for variances from the requirements of this chapter.
(b) In passing upon such requests, the city engineer and/or chief
building inspector shall consider all technical evaluations, all relevant factors,
all standards specified in other sections of this chapter, and
(1) The danger that materials may be swept onto other
lands to the injury of others;
(2) The danger to life and property due to flooding
or erosion damage;
(3) The susceptibility of the proposed facility and
its contents to flood damage and the effect of such damage
on the individual owner;
(4) The importance of the services provided by the
proposed facility to the community;
(5) The necessity to the facility of a waterfront
location, where applicable;
(6) The availability of alternative locations for
the proposed use which are not subject to flooding or
erosion damage;
(7) The compatibility of the proposed use with
existing and anticipated development;
(8) The relationship of the proposed use to the
comprehensive plan and floodplain management program
for that area;
(9) The safety of access to the property in times
of flood for ordinary and emergency vehicles;
(10) The expected heights, velocity, duration, rate
of rise, and sediment transport to the flood waters and
the effects of wave action, if applicable, expected at
the site; and
(11) The costs of providing governmental services
during and after flood conditions, including maintenance
and repair of public utilities and facilities such as
sewer, gas, electrical and water system, and streets and
bridges.
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(c) Generally, variances may be issued for new construction and sub-
stantial improvements to be erected on a lot of one-half acre or less in size
contiguous to and surrounded by lots with existing structures below the base
flood level, providing items (1) through Ill) in Section 15.56.160(b) have been
fully considered. The technical justification required for issuing the variance
increases as the lot size increases beyond one-half acre.
(d) Upon consideration of the factors listed in Section 15.56.160(b)
and the purposes of this chapter, the city engineer and/or chief building
inspector may attach such conditions to the granting of variances as they deem
necessary to further the purposes of this chapter.
(e) The city engineer or chief building inspector shall report any
variances to the Federal Emergency Management Agency upon request.
Section 15.56.170 Conditions for Variances
(a) Variances shall only be issued upon:
(1) A showing of good and sufficient cause;
(2) A determination that failure to grant the variance
would result in exceptional hardship to the applicant; and
(3) 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 any other provision of this code.
(b) Variances shall not be issued within any designated floodway if
any increase in flood levels during the base flood discharge would result.
(c) Variances shall only be issued upon a determination that the
variance is the minimum necessary, considering the flood hazard, to afford
relief.
(d) Variances may be issued for the reconstruction, rehabilitation
or restoration of structures listed on the National Register of Historic
Places or the State Inventory of Historic Places, or designated an historic
resource by the City, without regard to the procedures set forth in the
remainder of this section.
(e) Any applicant to whom a variance is granted shall be given a
written notice that if the structure will be permitted to be built with the
lowest floor elevation below the base flood elevation, the cost of flood
insurance will be commensurate with the increased risk resulting from the
reduced lowest flood elevation.
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Section 15.56.180 Appeals
The city council shall hear and decide appeals when it is alleged there is
an error in any requirement, decision or determination made by the city engineer
or chief building inspector in the enforcement or administration of this chapter.
Such an appeal shall be deemed timely filed if the same is filed with the city
clerk not later than the tenth (lOth) consecutive day from the requirement,
decision or determination which is the subject of the appeal. The determination
of the city council shall be final and conclusive.
Section 15.56.190 Penalties
(a) Any person violating any provision of this chapter shall be deemed
guilty of an infraction and upon conviction of any such violation, shall be
punished as provided in Government Code Section 36900.
(b) Each such person shall be deemed 9uilty of a separate offense for
each and every day or portion thereof during which any violation of any of the
provisions of this chapter is committed, continued, or permitted.
SECTION 3. SEVERABILITY
In the event any section or portion of this ordinance shall be determined
invalid, such section or portion shall be deemed severable and all other sections
or portions hereof shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 4. PUBLICATION AND EFFECTIVE DATE
Pursuant to the provisions of Government Code Section 36933, a Summary of
this Ordinance shall be prepared by the City Attorney. At least five 15) days
prior to the Council meeting at which this ordinance is scheduled to be adopted,
the City Clerk shall ~1) publish the Summary and (2) post in the City Clerk's
Office a certified copy of this ordinance. Within fifteen (15) days after the
adoption of this Ordinance, the City Clerk shall (1) publish the Summary, and
12) post in the City Clerk's office a certified copy of the full text of this
ordinance along with the names of those City Council members voting for and
against this ordinance or otherwise. This ordinance shall become effective
thirty (30) days from and after its adoption.
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Introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of South
San Francisco, held the 9th day of March j 1988 .
Adopted as an Ordinance of the City of South San Francisco at a regular
meeting of the City Council of the City of South San Francisco, held the 23rd
day of
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
March , 1988 , by the following vote:
Councilmembers Mark N. Addieqo, Gus Nicolopulos, Roberta Cerri
Teglia, and Jack Drago
Nnnp
None
Councilmember Richard A. Haffev
As Mayor of the City of South San Francisco, I do hereby approve the
foregoing Ordinance this 23rd day of March
, 19 88 .
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