10/31/1985 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

In many older subdivisions, there are a number of houses which were constructed prior to the enactment of the existing regulations. Consequently, these homes have a lower finished grade than houses currently being built. To compound this problem there is a lack of drainage ditches, swales, and easements in these older subdi- visions, thereby reducing alternatives for diverting the runoff. In some cases, recently constructed homes have had their stormwater directed to the adjacent property, producing flooded conditions on those lots. Present County Policy For single-family homes in either recorded subdivisions or on metes and bounds lots, the County does not address drainage issues. In fact, most County ordinances, including stormwater management, landscaping, tree protection, and others, exempt single-family homes. While setback criteria, other zoning requirements, septic tank rules, and proposed right-of-way improve- ments are addressed on single-family homes, these are reviewed as part of the building permit application process. In. relation to the single-family stormwater runoff problem, the County has attempted to address the problem on a case-by-case, after -the -fact basis. Since"no current ordinance provisions give the County the right to require the submittal of drainage plans for sin- gle-family home construction or to enforce a no -discharge policy, the County has been precluded from taking action to prevent this problem before it occurs or to rectify the problem once it exists. ALTERNATIVES & ANALYSIS There are two principal alternatives for addressing this issue. The first alternative is for the County to continue its present policy and take no action. Under this scenario, stormwater runoff problems would need to be resolved by the homeowners involved; the County would not regulate stormwater on single-family lots. The second alternative is for the County to regulate stormwater discharges from single-family lots, requiring that a homeowner not adversely affect his neighbor with drainage and then enforcing this requirement. County regulation of stormwater runoff could take several forms. While single-family stormwater, requirements, if enacted, should be incorporated within the County's zoning code, these requirements could either mandate a drainage plan to be reviewed by the County as part of the building permit application process, or the regulations could mandate that no single-family lot may have runoff directed to an adjacent parcel, and the County could regulate this at the time of its certificate of occupancy inspection. With the former method, the County would need sufficient information to review the proposed drainage plan; it would require more staff time by the Public Works Department (the Department which would review the drainage plan as part of the overall interdepart- mental building permit review system); and it would require a site inspection by the Public Works Department prior to issuance of a CO. With the latter method_, the responsibility to design and construct an adequate drainage system would be the applicant's. The applicant would, at the. time of the building permitlapplication, certify that drainage will not impact an adjacent lot, and this system would be reviewed for adequacy only after it had been completed. 3 OCT 3 11985 Boa 62 589