Chapter 18.24 VARIANCE PROCEDURE

Chapter 18.24
VARIANCE PROCEDURE

Sections:

18.24.010 Nature of variances.

The variance criteria set forth in this chapter are based on the general principle of zoning law that variances pertain to a piece of property and are not personal in nature. A variance may be granted for a parcel of property with physical characteristics so unusual that complying with the requirements of this title would create an exceptional hardship to the applicant or the surrounding property owners. The characteristics must be unique to the property and not be shared by adjacent parcels. The unique characteristic must pertain to the land itself, not to the structure, its inhabitants, or the property owners.

It is the duty of the City Council to help protect its citizens from flooding. This need is so compelling and the implications of the cost of insuring a structure built below flood level are so serious that variances from the flood elevation or from other requirements in the flood ordinance are quite rare. The long-term goal of preventing and reducing flood loss and damage can only be met if variances are strictly limited. Therefore, the variance guidelines provided in this title are more detailed and contain multiple provisions that must be met before a variance can be properly granted. The criteria are designed to screen out those situations in which alternatives other than a variance are more appropriate. (Ord. 564 § 2, 2000).

18.24.020 Requests for variances.

A. The City Council shall hear all requests for variances.

B. In passing upon requests for variances, the City Council shall consider all technical evaluations, all relevant factors, standards specified in other sections of this title, and the:

1. Danger that materials may be swept onto other lands to the injury of others;

2. Danger of life and property due to flooding or erosion damage;

3. Susceptibility of the proposed facility and its contents to flood damage and the effect of such damage on the existing individual owner and future owners of the property;

4. Importance of the services provided by the proposed facility to the community;

5. Necessity to the facility of a waterfront location, where applicable;

6. Availability of alternative locations for the proposed use which are not subject to flooding or erosion damage;

7. Compatibility of the proposed use with existing and anticipated development;

8. Relationship of the proposed use to the comprehensive plan and floodplain management program for that area;

9. Safety of access to the property in time of flood for ordinary and emergency vehicles;

10. Expected heights, velocity, duration, rate of rise, and sediment transport of the flood waters expected at the site; and

11. Costs of providing governmental services during and after flood conditions, including maintenance and repair of public utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electrical, and water system, and streets and bridges.

C. Any applicant to whom a variance is granted shall be given written notice over the signature of a community official that:

1. The issuance of a variance to construct a structure below the base flood level will result in increased premium rates for flood insurance up to amounts as high as $25.00 for $100.00 of insurance coverage; and

2. Such construction below the base flood level increases risks to life and property.

3. It is recommended that a copy of the notice shall be recorded by the Floodplain Administrator in the Office of the Napa Recorder and shall be recorded in a manner so that it appears in the chain of title of the affected parcel of land.

D. The Floodplain Administrator will maintain a record of all variance actions, including justification for their issuance, and will report such variances issued in its biennial report submitted to the Federal Insurance Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency. (Ord. 564 § 2, 2000).

18.24.030 Conditions for variances.

A. Generally, variances may be issued for new construction, substantial improvement, and other proposed new development to be erected on a lot of one-half acre or less in size contiguous to and surrounded by lots with existing structures constructed below the base flood level, providing that the procedures of Chapters 18.16 and 18.20 CMC have been fully considered. As the lot size increases beyond one-half acre, the technical justification required for issuing the variance increases.

B. Variances may be issued for the repair or rehabilitation of “historic structures” (as defined in CMC 18.08.185) upon a determination that the proposed repair or rehabilitation will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as an historic structure and the variance is the minimum necessary to preserve the historic character and design of the structure.

C. Variances shall not be issued within any mapped regulatory floodway if any increase in flood levels during the base flood discharge would result. (Ord. 564 § 2, 2000).