Communities around the country including New York City, the Massachusetts towns of Marshfield, Scituate, and Duxbury; Palm Beach County, Fla.; Bethany Beach, Del.; New Orleans; and Belvedere, Calif. have challenged Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance rate maps.
The new maps place 80% more New York City homes and businesses in flood zones than the previous set of maps. New York City disputes the new maps and has come up with its own map that takes into account resiliency projects such as hardening of the shoreline. The city’s revised map would remove about 26,000 buildings from flood zones. It wants FEMA to revise federal flood zone maps according to the city’s map.
Builders in New Jersey who have permits that were grandfathered in may still move forward with their projects in flood zones, but are faced with tough decisions. Those who choose to build under outdated flood zone regulations may have their projects undervalued when buyers discover they have to pay high flood insurance premiums.
Professionals who deal with flood map revision requests say that the agency is open to good faith requests for changes to the maps. The process to get changes passed is a lengthy one, however.
Related Stories
Resiliency | Jan 29, 2016
Section of New Orleans will try new approach to flood control
The city will turn to a retain and control storm water strategy.
BIM and Information Technology | Jan 27, 2016
Seeing double: Dassault Systèmes creating Virtual Singapore that mirrors the real world
The virtual city will be used to help predict the outcomes of and possible issues with various scenarios.
Smart Buildings | Dec 7, 2015
AIA Baltimore holds rowhouse redesign competition
Teams competed to provide the best social and environmental design solutions for the city’s existing rowhouse stock.
Smart Buildings | Dec 1, 2015
LEED Steering Committee approves resiliency pilot credits
Three credits address planning, design, and survivability.
Smart Buildings | Nov 30, 2015
New neighborhoods in Hamburg, Germany resilient to flooding, carbon neutral
Mixed-use areas built on brownfields and derelict districts.
Smart Buildings | Nov 13, 2015
Miami Beach making plans to cope with rising sea levels, flooding
The city has turned to sea walls, raised streets, and pumping stations.
Smart Buildings | Nov 11, 2015
No eyes on the road: The impact of driverless vehicles
The idea that space can be repurposed by breaking dependence on the purchase, maintenance, and storage of a big machine is a great boon for the sustainable future of cities, writes SmithGroupJJR's David Varner.
Smart Buildings | Nov 9, 2015
White paper promotes incentives for improved disaster resilience
The white paper makes the case that the most cost-effective manner to achieve resilience is through a holistic and integrated set of public, private, and hybrid programs.
Smart Buildings | Nov 5, 2015
JLL names 10 emerging world cities
Mexico City, Shanghai, Istanbul, and seven other world-class cities have experienced rapid economic growth and real estate development.
Cultural Facilities | Oct 28, 2015
New York City’s underground 'Lowline' green space enters the testing phase
If realized, The Lowline would provide 1.5 acres of green space for the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
