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Article 6. General Development Standards
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A. Within the floodway as delineated in Zone AE on the flood insurance rate map:

1. Encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements and other development, are prohibited unless documentation and certification by a registered professional engineer or architect is provided demonstrating that the encroachments shall not result in any increase in flood levels during the occurrence of the base flood and the proposed improvement is in compliance with the provisions of the shoreline master program. The certification must incorporate the equal degree of encroachment approach that accounts for similar development that could be anticipated in the future.

2. Construction or reconstruction of residential structures is prohibited, except for the following. The following exceptions must still meet all other requirements in this chapter, including subsection (A)(1) of this section:

a. Repairs, reconstruction, or improvements to a residential structure that do not increase the ground floor area, providing the cost of which does not exceed fifty (50) percent of the market value of the structure either, (1) before the repair or reconstruction is started, or (2) if the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occurred. Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications that have been identified by a local code enforcement official, and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions, or to an historic structure, may be excluded from the fifty (50) percent calculations.

b. Repairs, replacement, reconstruction, or improvements to existing farmhouses located in designated floodways and located on designated agricultural lands that do not increase the building’s total square footage of encroachment and are consistent with all requirements of WAC 173-158-075;

c. Repairs, replacement, reconstruction, or improvements to substantially damaged residential dwellings other than farmhouses that do not increase the building’s total square footage of encroachment and are consistent with all requirements of WAC 173-158-076; or

d. Repairs, reconstruction, or improvements to residential structures identified as historic structures that do not increase the building’s dimensions.

B. In the A and AE Zones where no floodway has been delineated:

1. Encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements and other development, are prohibited unless the permit applicant provides:

a. A certification by a registered professional engineer that the cumulative effect of the proposed development will not increase the water surface elevation of the base flood more than one (1) foot at any point. The certification shall be done in accordance with standard engineering practices, using hydraulic and hydrologic analyses. It must incorporate the equal degree of encroachment approach that accounts for similar development that could be anticipated in the future.

b. A map that shows the area impacted by any increase in the level of the base flood caused by the development.

c. Notarized statements from the owners of the impacted properties (other than the permit applicant) that they have no objections to the increase in flood heights on their properties.

2. The provisions of subsection (B)(1) of this section do not apply to the following:

a. Projects that do not require a development permit as listed in Section 15.55.100(B);

b. Improvements or repairs to an existing structure that do not change the structure’s external dimensions;

c. Special flood hazard areas designated as Zone AH; and

d. Special flood hazard areas designated as Zone AE that are inundated by coastal flooding, which are defined as:

(1) Areas mapped Zone AE that are downstream of the city limits on the Chehalis River;

(2) Areas mapped Zone AE that are downstream of the city limits on the Wishkah River;

(3) Areas mapped Zone AE that are downstream of Cherry Street on Fry Creek;

(4) Areas mapped Zone AE that are downstream of Tyler Street on Wilson Creek; and

(5) Areas mapped Zone AE that are downstream of the Wishkah Road on Stewart Creek.

C. Except in areas defined in subsections (B)(2)(c) and (2)(d) of this section, no filling or grading shall reduce the effective flood storage volume of the SFHA. A development proposal shall provide compensatory storage if filling or grading eliminates any effective flood storage volume. Compensatory storage shall meet the following three (3) criteria:

1. Provide equivalent volume at equivalent elevations to that being displaced. For this purpose, “equivalent elevation” means having similar relationship to ordinary high water and to the best available ten (10) year, fifty (50) year and one hundred (100) year water surface profiles;

2. Be hydraulically connected to the source of flooding;

3. Provide compensatory storage in the same construction season as when the displacement of flood storage volume occurs and before the flood season begins.

D. All newly created compensatory storage areas shall be graded and vegetated to allow fish access during flood events without creating fish stranding sites.

(Ord. 6605 § 2, Added, 01/25/2017)