City of Homer

Planning & Zoning           Telephone        (907) 235-3106

491 East Pioneer Avenue                      Fax                  (907) 235-3118

Homer, Alaska 99603-7645                E-mail             Planning@ci.homer.ak.us

                                                            Web Site          www.ci.homer.ak.us

MEMORANDUM 07-43

 

DATE:             February 27, 2007

 

TO:                 Homer City Council

 

THRU:             Walt Wrede, City Manager

 

FROM              Beth McKibben, City Planner

 

SUBJECT:        Sensitive Areas Ordinance

 

Discussion

 

This ordinance will create a new chapter in title 21, Sensitive Areas Provisions. If adopted, it will be a place in code for all area wide regulations for additional development regulations. For example, most zoning districts in the city have steep slopes, and frontage on Kachemak Bay, but the performance standards for construction vary by district.   The City has, for a long time, planned to create steep slope regulations that would apply throughout the city to areas that are either identified on a map, or meet a set of specified criteria.  Another example of a “sensitive area” is a flood plain.   There are areas throughout the city that require review for consistency with the flood plain regulations to protect the public health, safety and welfare. 

 

As new regulations are crafted they can be incorporated into this new section of code one time, rather than in each and every district.

 

The first inclusion for this new section will be moving the flood plain regulations out of Title 12, Building and Construction, and into title 21.

 

Planning staff and the HAPC have discussed the concept of a “Sensitive Areas” chapter in Title 21 for some time.  With the discussion of city regulations for wetlands, and the need for a steep slope ordinance it seemed timely to create this chapter and move the flood plain regulations.  The topic was first formally introduced to the HAPC at the regular meeting of November 2, 2007.  It was discussed at the November 15 and December 6 meetings.  The HAPC held a public hearing on the draft ordinance on February 7, 2007.  No public comments were received.  The Commission voted to add some language to the Flood Damage Prevention section of the chapter.  The HAPC’s recommended language is shown as bold underline.  Otherwise the Flood Damage Prevention section has been moved in its entirety from Title 12 to Title 21.    

 

 

Recommendation:

 

Schedule for public hearing and adopt.

 

 

Fiscal note:

 

No change.