At the Tuesday, April 29 Town Meeting residents will be asked to vote to adopt a proposed Lynnfield Floodplain Zoning Bylaw, intended to remove and replace Ch. 260 Town of Lynnfield Zoning Bylaw Section 9.1 Flood Plain District.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a voluntary program offering flood insurance to all properties in communities that comply with minimum standards for floodplain management. For Lynnfield residents to be eligible for flood insurance, the Town must adopt and enforce a floodplain management bylaw to regulate development in the floodplain. The bylaw must contain particular language and reference the most recent FEMA maps to comply with the National Flood Insurance Program. The proposed bylaw language and the most recent maps are on the Conservation Commission and Planning Board web pages.
According to Planning & Conservation Director Emilie Cademartori, there are currently multiple homeowners in Lynnfield with over $10 million in insured assets, and, over $245,000 in claims have been paid to Lynnfield residents by FEMA.
Adoption of this warrant article at Town Meeting will allow residents to qualify for insurance. Failing to do so will render all Lynnfield residents ineligible. “If adopted, there is no cost to residents who choose not to purchase flood insurance”, notes Planning Board member Ed Champy. “However, not voting for this article would deny all residents the ability to purchase this insurance.”
