A new ordinance introduced on first reading at the June 26 council meeting may have implications for residents living in flood zone areas of Cherry Hill.
The proposed measure will update the definition of such zones, including establishing a floodplain administrator position and setting the standard for engineering and construction projects.
The new legislation would repeal part of the previous ordinance on a floodplain overlay zone and is based on a model required by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“FEMA has come down with new regulations, which went down to DEP, which we are now required to meet, so we are amending our ordinance as such and we will be amending to allow those residents who are in the flood areas to obtain flood insurance as needed,” explained Business Administrator Erin Knoedler.
Director of Community Development Cosmas Diamantis explained that the proposed measure is required to resolve inconsistencies found in an audit between what FEMA required on a federal level, what the state required and what the construction code required regarding flood zones.
“The ordinance that we are required to adopt by the DEP was prepared by FEMA and the DEP, so they can effectively ensure that all these different laws are coordinated in their implementation and enforcement at the local and state level,” Diamantis noted. “And as Erin said, adopting these regulations is required for properties that do have structures in the flood zone, to continue to maintain them and insure them.
“It’s also worth pointing out that most mortgage companies will not mortgage a property if it’s in a flood zone and is without flood insurance,” he added, “and any federally backed loans absolutely require flood insurance if you have structures located within the flood zone.”
Residents can determine whether or not they are in a flood zone via a new page on the Cherry Hill website that features a map of the town, along with hazard areas and a full version of the proposed ordinance. There will be a second reading and public hearing of the measure at council’s meeting on Monday.
That session has been rescheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., with caucus at 6 p.m. to accommodate a public forum on cannabis that will take place immediately following the session. No action will be taken during the meeting. Speakers will include Mayor Susan Shin Angulo, Council President David Fleisher, Police Chief Robert Kempf, Diamantis and a professional planner from Pennoni Associates engineering company.
“As we stated previously, it will be a very thoughtful process with an emphasis on mitigating any impact on our neighborhoods, and quite frankly, learning from neighboring towns who have chosen to opt in (on cannabis sales) right away. And those towns are in the middle of their learning curve right now,” Fleisher pointed out.
“We think it bodes well for our community that we can work collaboratively and observe what’s working and what’s not before moving forward.”
The cannabis forum will include a Q&A and public input, and Fleisher emphasized it is just the beginning of the discussion. There will be other opportunities for public input at future council and planning board meetings.
To learn more about the flood zone measures, visit https://chnj.gov/1401/Flood-Hazard-Ordinance.
This article was updated on July 5, 2023.
