Marblehead Planning Board supports proposed flood zone bylaw overhaul

MARBLEHEAD – Article 33 is seven pages long, the longest article in this year?s Town Warrant, but it may attract the least debate – it received a favorable recommendation from the Planning Board Tuesday night after a 30-minute public hearing.The only zoning matter before the May 7 Town Meeting is an overhaul of the town?s Flood Plain District and Zoning Bylaw, a Federal Emergency Management Agency requirement for each of the country?s coastal communities.It is proposed locally by the Planning Board and was supported by all four Planning Board members who attended the hearing.Four flood zone maps were included with the proposed bylaw, part of a detailed program overhaul that will eventually allow homeowners to look their property up online to see if their address falls within a flood plain district, instead of consulting government agencies whose records may not always agree, Devereux Street resident William Burke told the board. “It takes some of the question marks out of it,” he said.Building Commissioner Robert Ives told the Planning Board if the town does not adopt FEMA?s flood plain law town homeowners will be ineligible for flood insurance, and the town will be ineligible for federal grants, disaster assistance and guaranteed loans for the repair of flood damage.Ives estimated that the law affects 3 percent of the town?s 8,500 homes at most, or about 250 homes.?A lot of this law has to do with new construction or renovations of 50 percent of existing homes,” he said, noting that houses already occupy most of Marblehead?s buildable shoreline.Supporting the amendment were Planning Board Chairman Phil Helmes and members James Bishop, Russell Beck and Karl Johnson. The board noted that it was Johnson?s last meeting. He will not be seeking re-election in the May 14 town election.