Politics & Government

Proposed Regs Would Lift New Homes, Lower Insurance Rates

City Council will consider a revised ordinance on building heights.

The Planning Board got a first look last week at a proposed ordinance that would raise building heights and first-floor elevations for new homes and potentially lower flood insurance premiums for all homes in Ocean City.

City Council will consider the ordinance at a future meeting, and it would require two readings before it could be enacted.

The ordinance is a detailed revision of building regulations, but the general idea is to raise Ocean City homes above the level of a 100-year flood.

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That level — base flood elevation, or BFE (the height storm waters have a 1 percent chance of reaching in any given year) — serves as the baseline for building guidelines.

The existing ordinance requires the first floor of a home to be one foot above BFE. The proposed ordinance would require the first floor to be two feet above BFE. That would put horizontal structures such as floor joists a foot above BFE.

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The elevation of new homes could help put all of Ocean City (including existing homes, which would not be required to make modifications) in a new category in the National Flood Insurance Program. Homeowners could see savings of 15 to 20 percent on insurance premiums, according to a presentation made to the Planning Board. The dollar savings could be as much as a few thousand dollars a year.

With higher first floors, the proposed ordinance allows for higher roof peaks. The existing regulations cap roof elevations for a home on a 40-foot lot at 40.5 feet. The proposed ordinance would roof elevations of 43 feet and with greater roof pitches.

The Planning Board voted 8-1 to recommend the proposal with Sally-Jo DeLussa casting the dissenting vote.

DeLussa said she wasn't necessarily opposed to the revisions — but she suggested Planning Board should take more time to consider all the ramifications of the changes.

"The fact that zones were lumped together in the ordinance is especially troubling, because it will need additional time for careful vetting," DeLussa said later. "The height issue affects every property in this community — not only in terms of flood protection, but also in terms of overall building height."

 


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