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HomeMy WebLinkAbout190827_PolicyTradeoffsThe CITY of EDINA Policy and Planning Trade-offs Flood Risk Reduction Strategy August 2019 “Floods are ‘acts of God’, but flood losses are largely acts of man.” The CITY of EDINA www.EdinaMN.gov 2 Tradeoffs with regulation Regulation Efficiency Flexibility Equity Regulation Efficiency Flexibility Equity The CITY of EDINACommon flood policy objectives Resilience (risk reduction) www.EdinaMN.gov 3 Efficiency (benefits exceed cost) Legitimacy (political, public support) Capacity to resist flooding to prevent adverse impacts Capacity to absorb and recover quickly from a flood-related stress Capacity to adapt and transform in response to flood impacts, flexibility Avoiding overlap between levels of government Lower Cost benefit ratios are prioritized (Pareto efficiency) Avoiding instruments that require significant human or administrative resources to operate/implement Degree of support from elected officials, community Extent to which benefits and burdens are fairly distributed Instrument should align with other policy objectives The CITY of EDINA www.EdinaMN.gov 4 Decision-making, policy, and planning The CITY of EDINARelated/Existing City Policies The following policies of the City of Edina provide language targeted toward flood reduction. •Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan •Street Sweeping Plan (no longer active, but some good language) •Living Streets policy •Draft Comprehensive Plan •Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan •Floodplain Development & Floodplain Overlay Ordinances www.EdinaMN.gov 5 The CITY of EDINA www.EdinaMN.gov 6 Common municipal policy mechanisms Land use regulation Development conditions Green infrastructure Stakeholder engagement/risk communication Flood mapping Flood warning system Flood hazard disclosure Corrective tax Stormwater charge Subsidies Credits Compassionate grants Property buyouts Special surcharge The CITY of EDINAFlood Risk Management Objectives Resilience (risk reduction) www.EdinaMN.gov 7 Efficiency (benefits exceed cost) Legitimacy (political, public support) Capacity to resist flooding to prevent adverse impacts Capacity to absorb and recover quickly from a flood-related stress Capacity to adapt and transform in response to flood impacts, flexibility Avoiding overlap between levels of government Lower Cost benefit ratios are prioritized (Pareto efficiency) Avoiding instruments that require significant human or administrative resources to operate/implement Degree of support from elected officials, community Extent to which benefits and burdens are fairly distributed Instrument should align with other policy objectives https://issuu.com/cigi/docs/pb_no.147web The CITY of EDINA 8 Green infrastructure/ low impact development Low impact development practice Flood protection Clean water Cost efficiency Sustainability indicators Impervious cover reduction High Medium Very high/savings Reduced materials and energy, reduced heat island effect Soil/turf/trees Medium Low High Reduced heat island effect, wildlife habitat, reduced energy, reduced noise Bio-retention/Rain gardens Medium Medium Medium Reduced heat island effect, wildlife habitat, reduced energy, increased maintenance burden Pervious pavements Medium Medium Very low Reduced heat island effect, wildlife habitat, reduced energy, increased maintenance burden Undergroundsediment/infiltration Low Medium Low Reduced heat island effect, increased maintenance burden, reduced land use Swales, filters/other Low Medium Medium Reduced land use, increased materials, reduced energy and maintenance burden Natural area creation, protection, restoration High High Very high/savings Provides wildlife habitat, reduced heat island effect Regional ponds and wetlands High Medium Medium Increased wildlife habitat, increased species diversity, reduced erosion, reduced maintenance burden/emissions Pollution prevention Low High Very high Materials and waste control, increased recycling and reuse materials, regional material preference, reduced soil hauling The CITY of EDINADevelopment Conditions: Floodplain Development & Flood Insurance (FEMA) www.EdinaMN.gov 9 •Reliance on local enforcement/loopholes/variances •Equity concerns •FEMA modeling is sometimes inaccurate Weaknesses •FEMA provides base-line protection to structures located in the floodplain •Applies to all new development and many retrofit/redevelopment. •Coordinates well with other building codes and inspection requirements •Reduce solar heat gain and provide green space Strengths In order to receive affordable flood insurance, communities must adopt and enforce floodplain development standards. Edina has a Floodplain Development ordinance which guides development within the 1% annual chance floodplain provided by FEMA. See Edina’s floodplain ordinance. The CITY of EDINAHard Cover Requirements www.EdinaMN.gov 10 •Not very effective for large events (see Barr modeling) •Can be political, impacts property owners who can afford certain amenities •Imperviousness is challenging to measure on a lot-by-lot basis •Requires political buy-in, staff enforcement Weaknesses •Effective at reducing on-site runoff, especially for smaller small events •Improve longevity of storm sewer infrastructure •Flexible by land use •Exceeding limits/seeking variance can trigger additional requirements, secondary benefits Strengths Hard cover requirements are often incorporated into existing city policies (zoning, building requirements, floodplain regulations, etc.). Edina’s Planning Commission is currently reviewing options for hard cover regulations. The CITY of EDINALand Use Planning & Zoning www.EdinaMN.gov 11 •Additional requirements/costs to developers may get passed along to residents •Enforcement for existing nonconformities •Requires technical mapping of hazard area •Requires zoning amendment, political Weaknesses •Prohibits dangerous uses in new developments •Avoids negotiating flooding issues on a case-by- case basis. •Can be implemented in concert with comprehensive planning/existing zoning regulations •Relatively easy to maintain over time. Strengths Municipalities may impose restrictions within their zoning code to encourage or discourage certain land uses within sensitive areas. Zoning mechanisms include the creation of floodplain districts, setbacks, overlay districts, hard cover limitations, density/elevation requirements, etc. Note: Floodplain overlay district to apply area-specific standards and/or conditions in flood- prone localities. These can provide requirements for setbacks from a resource, stormwater management, imperviousness, size of development, land use, etc. The CITY of EDINASecondary benefits to flood policies www.EdinaMN.gov 12 Note: These benefits specifically refer to imperviousness requirements, but are also applicable to many other policies that reduce flood risk at the city level.