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The following minimum standards shall apply for all construction and development proposed within any identified floodplain area.
(A) Fill. If fill is used, it shall:
(1) Extend laterally at least 15 feet beyond the building line from all points;
(2) Consist of soil or small rock materials only. Sanitary landfills shall not be permitted;
(3) Be compacted to provide the necessary permeability and resistance to erosion, scouring or settling;
(4) Be no steeper than one vertical to two horizontal feet unless substantiated data justifying steeper slopes are submitted to, and approved by the Floodplain Administrator; and
(5) Be used to the extent to which it does not adversely affect adjacent properties.
(B) Drainage facilities. Storm drainage facilities shall be designed to convey the flow of stormwater runoff in a safe and efficient manner. The system shall ensure proper drainage along streets, and provide positive drainage away from buildings. The system shall also be designed to prevent the discharge of excess runoff onto adjacent properties.
(C) Water and sanitary sewer facilities and systems.
(1) All new or replacement water supply and sanitary sewer facilities and systems shall be located, designed and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damages and the infiltration of flood waters.
(2) Sanitary sewer facilities and systems shall be designed to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into flood waters.
(3) No part of any on-site waste disposal system shall be located within any identified floodplain area except in strict compliance with all state and local regulations for such systems. If any such system is permitted, it shall be located so as to avoid impairment to it, or contamination from it, during a flood.
(4) The design and construction provisions of the UCC and FEMA #348, “Protecting Building Utilities From Flood Damages” and “The International Private Sewage Disposal Code” shall be utilized.
(D) Other utilities. All other utilities such as gas lines, electrical and telephone systems shall be located, elevated (where possible) and constructed to minimize the chance of impairment during a flood.
(E) Streets. The finished elevation of all new streets shall be no more than one foot below the regulatory flood elevation.
(F) Storage. All materials that are buoyant, flammable, explosive or, in times of flooding, could be injurious to human, animal or plant life, and not listed in § 153.058, shall be stored at or above the regulatory flood elevation or floodproofed to the maximum extent possible.
(G) Placement of buildings and structures. All buildings and structures shall be designed, located and constructed so as to offer the minimum obstruction to the flow of water and shall be designed to have a minimum effect upon the flow and height of flood water.
(H) Anchoring.
(1) All buildings and structures shall be firmly anchored in accordance with accepted engineering practices to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement.
(2) All air ducts, large pipes, storage tanks and other similar objects or components located below the regulatory flood elevation shall be securely anchored or affixed to prevent flotation.
(I) Floors, walls and ceilings.
(1) Wood flooring used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be installed to accommodate a lateral expansion of the flooring, perpendicular to the flooring grain without causing structural damage to the building.
(2) Plywood used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be of a marine or water-resistant variety.
(3) Walls and ceilings at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be designed and constructed of materials that are water-resistant and will withstand inundation.
(4) Windows, doors and other components at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be made of metal or other water-resistant material.
(J) Paints and adhesives.
(1) Paints and other finishes used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be of marine or water-resistant quality.
(2) Adhesives used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be of a marine or water-resistant variety.
(3) All wooden components (doors, trim, cabinets and the like) used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be finished with a marine or water-resistant paint or other finishing material.
(K) Electrical components.
(1) Electrical distribution panels shall be at least three feet above the base flood elevation.
(2) Separate electrical circuits shall serve lower levels and shall be dropped from above.
(L) Equipment. Water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning and ventilating units, and other electrical, mechanical or utility equipment or apparatus shall not be located below the regulatory flood elevation.
(M) Fuel supply systems. All gas and oil supply systems shall be designed to prevent the infiltration of flood waters into the system and discharges from the system into flood waters. Additional provisions shall be made for the drainage of these systems in the event that flood water infiltration occurs.
(N) Uniform construction code coordination. The standards and specifications contained 34 Pa. Code (Chapters 401 through 405), as amended, and not limited to the following provisions shall apply to the above and other sections and divisions of this chapter, to the extent that they are more restrictive and supplement the requirements of this chapter.
(1) International Building Code (IBC) 2009, or the latest edition thereof, §§ 801, 1202, 1403, 1603, 1605, 1612, 3402 and Appendix G.
(2) International Residential Building Code (IRC) 2009, or the latest edition thereof, §§ R104, R105, R109, R322, Appendix E and Appendix J.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
(A) In accordance with the state’s Floodplain Management Act, and the regulations adopted by the Department of Community and Economic Development as required by the Act, any new or substantially improved structure which:
(1) Will be used for the production or storage of any of the following dangerous materials or substances;
(2) Will be used for any activity requiring the maintenance of a supply of more than 550 gallons, or other comparable volume, of any of the following dangerous materials or substances on the premises; or
(3) Will involve the production, storage or use of any amount of radioactive substances; shall be subject to the provisions of this section, in addition to all other applicable provisions. The following list of materials and substances are considered dangerous to human life: acetone; ammonia; benzene; calcium carbide; carbon disulfide; celluloid; chlorine; hydrochloric acid; hydrocyanic acid; magnesium; nitric acid and oxides of nitrogen; petroleum products (gasoline, fuel oil and the like); phosphorus; potassium; sodium; sulphur and sulphur products; pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides); radioactive substances, insofar as such substances are not otherwise regulated.
(B) Within any floodway area, any structure of the kind described in division (A) above shall be prohibited. Where permitted within any identified floodplain area, any new or substantially improved residential structure of the kind described in division (A) above shall be elevated to remain completely dry up to at least one and one-half feet above base flood elevation and built in accordance with §§ 153.055 through 153.057.
(a) Elevated or designed and constructed to remain completely dry up to at least one and one-half feet above base flood elevation; and
(b) Designed to prevent pollution from the structure or activity during the course of a base flood.
(2) Any such structure, or part thereof, that will be built below the regulatory flood elevation shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the standards for completely dry floodproofing contained in the publication Flood-Proofing Regulations (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers June 1972, as amended March 1992), or with some other equivalent water-tight standard.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
All subdivision proposals and development proposals containing at least 50 lots or at least five acres, whichever is the lesser, in identified floodplain areas where base flood elevation data are not available, shall be supported by hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analyses that determine base flood elevations and floodway information. The analyses shall be prepared by a licensed professional engineer in a format required by FEMA for a conditional letter of map revision and letter of map revision. Submittal requirements and processing fees shall be the responsibility of the applicant.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
(B) Where permitted within any identified floodplain area, all manufactured homes, and any improvements thereto, shall be:
(1) Placed on a permanent foundation;
(2) Elevated so that the lowest floor of the manufactured home is at least one and one-half feet above base flood elevation; and
(3) Anchored to resist flotation, collapse or lateral movement.
(C) Installation of manufactured homes shall be done in accordance with the manufacturers’ installation instructions as provided by the manufacturer. Where the applicant cannot provide the above information, the requirements of Appendix E of the 2009 International Residential Building Code or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Permanent Foundations for Manufactured Housing, 1984 Edition, draft or latest revision thereto and 34 Pa. Code Chapter 401 through 405 shall apply.
(D) Consideration shall be given to the installation requirements of the 2009 IBC and the 2009 IRC, or the most recent revisions thereto, and 34 Pa. Code, as amended, where appropriate and/or applicable to units where the manufacturers’ standards for anchoring cannot be provided or were not established for the proposed unit(s) installation.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
Recreational vehicles in Zones A, A1-30, AH and AE must either:
(A) Be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days;
(B) Be fully licensed and ready for highway use; or
(C) Meet the permit requirements for manufactured homes in § 153.060.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
ACTIVITIES REQUIRING SPECIAL PERMITS
In accordance with the administrative regulations promulgated by the Department of Community and Economic Development to implement the state’s Floodplain Management Act, the following activities shall be prohibited within any identified floodplain area unless a special permit has been issued by the city.
(A) The commencement of any of the following activities or the construction, enlargement or expansion of any structure used, or intended to be used, for any of the following activities:
(1) Hospitals;
(2) Nursing homes; or
(3) Jails or prisons.
(B) The commencement of, or any construction of, a new manufactured home park or manufactured home subdivision or substantial improvement to an existing manufactured home park or manufactured home subdivision.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
Applicants for special permits shall provide five copies of the following items:
(A) A written request, including a completed permit application form;
(B) A small scale map showing the vicinity in which the proposed site is located;
(C) A plan of the entire site, clearly and legibly drawn at a scale of one inch being equal to 100 feet or less, showing the following:
(1) North arrow, scale and date;
(2) Topography based upon the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, showing existing and proposed contours at intervals of two feet;
(3) All property and lot lines, including dimensions and the size of the site expressed in acres or square feet;
(4) The location of all existing streets, drives, other access ways and parking areas, with information concerning widths, pavement types and construction, and elevations;
(5) The location of any existing bodies of water or watercourses, buildings, structures and other public or private facilities, including railroad tracks and facilities, and any other natural and human-made features affecting, or affected by, the proposed activity or development;
(6) The location of the floodplain boundary line, information and spot elevations concerning the base flood elevation, and information concerning the flow of water including direction and velocities;
(7) The location of all proposed buildings, structures, utilities and any other improvements; and
(8) Any other information which the municipality considers necessary for adequate review of the application.
(D) Plans of all proposed buildings, structures and other improvements, clearly and legibly drawn at suitable scale showing the following:
(1) Sufficiently detailed architectural or engineering drawings, including floor plans, sections and exterior building elevations, as appropriate;
(2) For any proposed building, the elevation of the lowest floor, including basement, and, as required, the elevation of any other floor;
(3) Complete information concerning flood depths, pressures, velocities, impact and uplift forces, and other factors associated with the base flood;
(4) Detailed information concerning any proposed floodproofing measures;
(5) Cross-section drawings for all proposed streets, drives, other accessways and parking areas, showing all rights-of-way and pavement widths;
(6) Profile drawings for all proposed streets, drives and vehicular accessways, including existing and proposed grades; and
(7) Plans and profiles of all proposed sanitary and storm sewer systems, water supply systems and any other utilities and facilities.
(E) The following data and documentation:
(1) Certification from the applicant that the site upon which the activity or development is proposed is an existing separate and single parcel, owned by the applicant or the client he or she represents;
(2) Certification from a registered professional engineer, architect or landscape architect that the proposed construction has been adequately designed to protect against damage from the base flood;
(3) A statement, certified by a registered professional engineer, architect, landscape architect or other qualified person which contains a complete and accurate description of the nature and extent of pollution that might possibly occur from the development during the course of a base flood, including a statement concerning the effects such pollution may have on human life;
(4) A statement certified by a registered professional engineer, architect or landscape architect, which contains a complete and accurate description of the effects the proposed development will have on base flood elevation and flows;
(5) A statement, certified by a registered professional engineer, architect or landscape architect, which contains a complete and accurate description of the kinds and amounts of any loose buoyant materials or debris that may possibly exist or be located on the site below the base flood elevation and the effects such materials and debris may have on base flood elevation and flows;
(6) The appropriate component of the Department of Environmental Protection’s planning module for land development;
(7) Where any excavation or grading is proposed, a plan meeting the requirements of the Department of Environmental Protection to implement and maintain erosion and sedimentation control;
(8) Any other applicable permits such as, but not limited to, a permit for any activity regulated by the Department of Environmental Protection under § 302 of Act 1978-166; and
(9) An evacuation plan which fully explains the manner in which the site will be safely evacuated before or during the course of a base flood.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
(A) Within three working days following receipt of the application, a complete copy of the application and all accompanying documentation shall be forwarded to the County Planning Commission by registered or certified mail for its review and recommendations. Copies of the application shall also be forwarded to the City Planning Commission and City Engineer for review and comment.
(B) If an application is received that is incomplete, the city shall notify the applicant in writing, stating in what respect the application is deficient.
(C) If the city decides to disapprove an application, it shall notify the applicant, in writing, of the reasons for the disapproval.
(D) If the city approves an application, it shall file written notification, together with the application and all pertinent information, with the Department of Community and Economic Development, by registered or certified mail, within five working days after the date of approval.
(E) Before issuing the special permit, the city shall allow the Department of Community and Economic Development 30 days, after receipt of the notification by the Department, to review the application and decision made by the city.
(F) If the city does not receive any communication from the Department of Community and Economic Development during the 30-day review period, it may issue a special permit to the applicant.
(G) If the Department of Community and Economic Development should decide to disapprove an application, it shall notify the city and the applicant, in writing, of the reasons for the disapproval, and the city shall not issue the special permit.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
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