SALEM — Mayor Kimberley Driscoll announced Monday that the city is working on an amendment to its flood ordinance as part of an ongoing effort to address the impact of climate change.
The amendment, which is being prepared by the Departments of Planning and Community Development and Sustainability and Resiliency, will adjust the city’s Flood Hazard Overlay District Special Permit zoning ordinance.
The FHOD amendment comes from recent climate resiliency related initiatives including the Beverly and Salem “Resilient Together” Climate Action and Resilience Plan; the Resilient Together: El Punto initiative; and the wetlands protection ordinance update.
“Salem’s current flood hazard overlay district ordinance only requires construction to be resilient to today’s flood risk,” said Driscoll in a statement. “Salem’s ordinance needs to be updated to reflect more recent modeling, which shows increased flooding risks in the future. This policy change will build on the recent wetlands ordinance amendment and help ensure that what we build to meet our housing, transportation, economic development, and recreation needs will be climate resilient. This is a necessary and important step to keep Salem vibrant, equitable, and strong as it faces the future.”
The need to review the current FHOD ordinance came from input from the general public, working groups, experts, and city staff.
Salem’s Sustainability and Resiliency Director Jenna Ide said this ordinance amendment is a critical part of that work to make sure that Salem grows sustainably and resiliently.
“Because Salem is projected to be impacted substantially by climate change, we are engaging the community and working to reduce carbon emissions citywide and incorporate climate adaptation into everything we do,” Ide said.
In March 2022, the City Council adopted an amended wetlands protection ordinance after a series of public forums and working group meetings held throughout 2021.
This updated ordinance increased the protection of Salem’s wetlands and flood zones, while giving the Conservation Commission authority to consider climate change adaptation and mitigation in its permitting review.
The wetlands ordinance mostly protects the ecological functions of resource areas, while the newly proposed zoning ordinance amendment will further protect human health, safety, and welfare within flood zones and was identified as a necessary next step.
The City Council approved funding for the flood hazard overlay district zoning ordinance amendment in May 2021, and the city has since hired Beals and Thomas to provide support for the effort. The city also convened an advisory group made up of staff from the DPCD; the engineering, building, and sustainability departments; members of Salem’s land-use boards; and representatives from local environmental groups and the general public.
The city launched a project webpage at PublicInput.com/SalemFHOD to share ordinance drafts and other project information with the public.
There will also be a public forum to supplement other ongoing climate related outreach and education initiatives, as well as to solicit feedback on the draft ordinance, which will ultimately be presented to the city council for their consideration and vote.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
