APPENDIX C: MITIGATION ALTERNATIVES
only agricultural facilities, temporary facilities and minor storage facilities are allowed to have their lowest floors at the BFE. North Carolina has state mandated building codes overseen by the North Carolina Building Code Council. The current codes are the 2018 codes, which are based on the 2015 IBC. COMPREHENSIVE OR LAND USE PLAN Building codes provide guidance on how to build in hazardous areas. Planning and zoning activities direct development away from these areas, particularly floodplains and wetlands. They do this by designating land uses that are compatible with the natural conditions of land that is prone to flooding, such as open space or recreation. Planning and zoning activities can also provide benefits by simply allowing developers more flexibility in arranging improvements on a parcel of land through the planned development approach. All communities in Wake County have comprehensive land use plans in place to manage growth and development. OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION Keeping the floodplain and other hazardous areas open and free from development is the best approach to preventing damage to new developments. Open space can be maintained in agricultural use or can serve as parks, greenway corridors and golf courses. Comprehensive and capital improvement plans should identify areas to be preserved by acquisition and other means, such as purchasing an easement. With an easement, the owner is free to develop and use private property, but property taxes are reduced, or a payment is made to the owner if the owner agrees to not build on the part set aside in the easement. Although there are some federal programs that can help acquire or reserve open lands, open space lands and easements do not always have to be purchased. Developers can be encouraged to dedicate park land and required to dedicate easements for drainage and maintenance purposes. Open space preservation is already pursued in several of the participating jurisdictions. For example, the City of Raleigh has an extensive park and greenway system and defines a broad vision for the entire park and greenway system primarily through two documents: the City of Raleigh 2030 Comprehensive Plan and the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources System Plan. The documents provide a vision, goals, objectives and policies that guide staff. The System Plan is a supplemental document to the Comprehensive Plan and is the strategic system plan that guides the growth and development of the City's park and greenway system. Future park needs are compared with an existing inventory of park facilities over a twenty to thirty-year horizon. Included within this plan are recommendations for new park development, maintenance and continued renovation of existing parks and facilities, and guidelines that will allow the system to provide ample recreational opportunities for all citizens while remaining flexible to change with recreational trends, significant development opportunities and Raleigh’s growing population. A system plan is developed every five to ten years. ZONING ORDINANCE All participating communities have zoning ordinances in place as part of unified development ordinances (UDO) designed to consolidate all development related regulations and procedures in a single ordinance. Zoning regulations divide the jurisdictions into zoning districts, including various residential, commercial, mixed-use and industrial districts, and describe what type of land use and specific activities are permitted in each district and how to regulate how buildings, signs, parking, and other construction may be placed on a lot. Zoning regulations also provide procedures for rezoning and other planning applications.
WSP June 2024 Page C.3
Wake County, NC Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
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