(A) (1) (a) The “F-M” Floodplain Management District shall include and consist of the Floodway, Floodway Fringe, and General Floodplain Overlay Districts. The purpose and intent of this district is to protect property and the public health, safety and welfare by regulating areas of the city that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined to be subject to the hazards of flooding. Areas that are subject to such hazards shall not be developed or used in any manner that may increase or worsen flooding.
(b) Persons and property shall be reasonably protected from losses due to flooding, and public health, safety and general welfare shall be preserved by enforced compliance with the following standards and other requirements of this Code.
(2) Sufficient floodplain area shall be reserved and restricted in use and development to enable flood flows to be conveyed without substantially increasing flood depths, extent or velocities.
(3) Uses and activities that are dangerous to health, safety, welfare or to property in times of flood, or which may cause excessive increases in flood depths, extent or velocities, shall be prohibited or restricted.
(4) Uses and development that are vulnerable to floods or flood damage shall be prohibited, or restricted and regulated by requiring such development or uses to be designed and constructed to be protected from flood damage, including public utilities and infrastructure that serves such development uses, and to be properly and perpetually maintained to provide such protection for as long as threats from or by flooding continue to exist.
(5) Property that is located within any flood hazard area shall be regulated to prevent its use or development that in any manner that may cause loss of property value or be detrimental to public health, safety and welfare because of hazards from flooding.
(6) Measures shall be taken and continued to assure that property owners in the city are eligible to purchase flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.
(B) The standards required by this district shall be deemed reasonable for regulatory purposes, but the adoption and enforcement thereof shall not be deemed to represent or imply that any property will be free from flooding or flood damages, whether located within or outside of the areas that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined to be subject to the hazards of flooding. This chapter shall not create liability on the part of the city or any officer or employee thereof for any flood damages that result from reliance on this chapter or any administrative decision lawfully made there under.
(C) Lands to which this district applies. The provisions of this Overlay District shall apply to all lands which are designated as FLOODWAY, FLOODWAY FRINGE, and GENERAL FLOODPLAIN within the jurisdiction of the City of Urbandale, Panel Nos. 19153C0165F, 19153C0167F, 19153C0168F, 19153C0169F, 19153C0186F, 19153C0187F, 19153C0188F, 19153C0189F, 19153C0305F, 19153C0310F, 19153C0326F, and 19153C0327F dated February 1, 2019 which were prepared as part of the Flood Insurance Study for Polk County and is hereby adopted by referenced and declared to be the official floodplain zoning map. The flood profiles and all explanatory material contained with the flood insurance study are also declared to be part of this chapter.
(Am. Ord. 2018-18, passed 1-2-2019)