BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Black Mountain is sticking with its existing floodplain building standard rather than increasing the required elevation from 2 feet to 4 feet.
The decision came as the Town Council considered updates to its Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance Monday, nearly two years after Tropical Storm Helene sent floodwaters through the region.
The town’s planning board had recommended increasing the required freeboard — the amount a structure must be elevated above the base flood elevation — from 2 feet to 4 feet.
Town staff recommended keeping the 2-foot standard, and council members agreed.
That means Black Mountain will continue requiring structures in regulated floodplains to be elevated at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation rather than adopting the planning board’s recommended 4-foot standard.
Town staff told council that the experience of Helene provided some useful information when considering the change.
In some areas, Helene produced flooding that staff described as greater than a 1,000-year event. Yet staff said many structures that had been rebuilt or elevated to the existing 2-foot standard did not flood, including manufactured homes in the Woody Trailer Park area and the Christian Friends of Korea warehouse on Center Street.
That doesn’t mean Helene caused no problems for those properties or that flooding risk has disappeared. But town staff said the experience showed the existing 2-foot freeboard requirement performed as intended in those locations.
The updated ordinance also keeps Black Mountain’s existing rules for substantial damage and substantial improvements.
Under those rules, if a structure is damaged by more than 50 percent of its value, the entire structure must meet current floodplain requirements. If the damage is below 50 percent, repairs can generally proceed without bringing the entire structure up to current standards.
The town used FEMA’s substantial damage estimator after Helene, with 12 volunteer inspectors helping assess properties. Property owners can appeal those determinations with supporting information, including contractor estimates.
Council also discussed whether to prohibit the use of fill to elevate or support structures in the special flood hazard area.
Town staff said fill can displace floodwater and affect neighboring properties. FEMA allows fill in certain circumstances, and using fill can sometimes help a property qualify for a map change and potentially remove the federal flood insurance requirement.
The planning board had recommended prohibiting fill for elevating or supporting structures in the special flood hazard area. Council did not adopt that recommendation.
The ordinance also addresses other flood-related requirements, including anchoring or elevating tanks such as propane tanks and restrictions on converting below-base-flood-elevation spaces into living areas.
Black Mountain also considered whether to impose additional regulations on properties in the 500-year floodplain. Town staff did not recommend adding those requirements.
The floodplain ordinance was one of several stormwater-related measures before council Monday as the town continues updating regulations after Helene.