Back in August, engineer and licensed surveyor, Kenneth Hrica appeared before the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) to present a plan for the blighted Country Village Shops. But it was a short meeting as the commission informed Hrica part of the parcel in question was actually a flood zone and may be under FEMA's control. On September 20, 2023, Hrica was back with more information and a plan for self-storage.
Representing Alta Property and Thomas Briggs, Hrica said he found a FEMA letter with an amended map, saying that FEMA took portions of the parcel out of the flood zone. Specifically, Hrica showed FEMA still has most of the property in the flood zone, but that an amendment in 2007 took some structures out of Flood Zone A. FEMA also took one structure out of Flood Zone B. The remaining structures are in Flood Zone C. And the entire property is directly adjacent to Stafford Self-Storage.
Here's how FEMA defines those zones:
Zone A - Areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding and a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30‐year mortgage. Because detailed analyses are not performed for such areas; no depths or base flood elevations are shown within these zones.
Zone B - Area of moderate flood hazard, usually the area between the limits of the 100‐year and 500‐year floods. B Zones are also used to designate base floodplains of lesser hazards, such as areas protected by levees from 100‐year flood, or shallow flooding areas with average depths of less than one foot or drainage areas less than 1 square mile.
Zone C - Area of minimal flood hazard, usually depicted on FIRMs as above the 500‐year flood level. Zone C may have ponding and local drainage problems that don't warrant a detailed study or designation as base floodplain.
It is worth noting that climate change is impacting the frequency of big storms and the resulting floods. As NPR points out, the way we talk about flood risk is becoming outdated and may be misleading. "Many people assume that, if their area has experienced the 1-in-100-year flood, that means that, for the next 99 years, they need not worry about flooding," Alice Hill, who studies disaster resilience, told NPR. That's not true, though. The program went on to explain that there's a 1% chance it will happen each year. So, even if you get a 100-year-storm this year, there's still a 1% chance it will happen next year.
At an ARPA Commission meeting earlier this month, Director of Public Works, Devin Cowperthwaite, said Stafford has experienced three 25-year-storms this year.
Hrica went on to say FEMA determined the elevation of the flood zone is 509.0. He explained that if there is a proposal to build in Flood Zone A, you can build a residential building in a 100-year flood zone, but any commercial buildings must be one foot above the flood zone. He said they always planned to build at an elevation of 510, putting the building at one foot above the flood zone. He did note that a small comer of the building is in Flood Zone A, so he will need to go before the PZC to show the plans meet requirements.
The deterioration of the site over the years has led to other issues that need to be remedied before work can commence. For instance, catch basins at the back of the plaza designed to help protect a pond, and the wetlands are failing. Hrica noted a washout behind one of the catch basins which created a gully. This will need to be fixed, and the area will need to be stabilized as it is encroaching on the wetlands.
Alta Properties' plan proposes to remove Building 32 and replace it with a self-storage building. Overall, the proposal would reduce the amount of impervious coverage on the site, gaining about 5,000 square feet of pervious areas, and moving the pavement further from the wetlands.
Commission chair, John Wilson, said the team needs to address the washed-out area first. As it is well understood that the property has not been maintained, the problems that are impacting the pond must be corrected. Wilson said he would want that to be a condition of any approval. Kenneth Hrica agreed that it needed to be repaired as soon as possible. Hrica also noted that originally the site had a silt fence, but he has since added a row of hay bales behind the silt fence.
Dr. David Mordasky made a motion to approve the wetlands application of Thomas Briggs at 30 West Stafford Road as presented with the condition that the washed-out area at the southeast corner of the property be repaired as soon as possible prior to any other work starting on the property. Wilson also asked that the applicant notify the building/zoning office when the work is done so the zoning enforcement officer can be sent out to inspect it. Stafford, however, does not currently have a full-time zoning enforcement officer. The motion was seconded by Dave Smith. All were in favor and the plans can move on to the next step.
Support Local News - Tip a Journalist
Opmerkingen