Flood Hazard Overlay District Ordinance Amendment
Flood Hazard Overlay District Ordinance Amendment
*7/16/2024 Update*
Zoning Ordinance Amendments Adopted
This webpage will no longer be updated. Please see the Inspectional Services webpage for permit information and the the new C-ROD informational page for additional mapping and details for the C-ROD ordinance.
The Salem City Council approved second and final passage of the zoning amendments on July 11, 2024. The ordinance text will be incorporated into Salem's zoning ordinance hosted by Municode. In the meantime, see the following links for the final approved ordinance language: Sec. 8.9 C-ROD | Sec. 8.1 FHOD | Sec. 2.2 Overlay Districts.
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*4/9/2024 Update*
Joint Public Hearing of the City Council & Planning Board
Monday, 4/29/2024 | 6:30 P.M. | City Council Chambers
The Salem City Council will hold a joint public hearing with the Planning Board in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 93 Washington Street, 2nd floor, Salem, MA, on Monday, April 29, 2024 at 6:30 P.M. in accordance with Chapter 40A, Section 5, of the Massachusetts General Laws. In person shall be the primary method of public access to such meetings. A secondary method of public access may be provided, if technologically feasible through Salem Access Television, and/or remotely through zoom. Please see the agenda when posted for the zoom link. The purpose of the public hearing is to provide interested parties with an opportunity to comment on the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments.
Full notice and summary of ordinances can be found at this link.
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*3/13/2024 Update*
Zoning Amendment Submitted to City Council
Mayor Pangallo has filed the proposed zoning amendment with City Council for its March 14, 2024 meeting. Follow this link to access the complete filing. An interactive map displaying the boundaries of the overlay districts is available here. And PDFs of the proposed zoning map are available here: All Districts | C-ROD only. The City Council is anticipated to refer the matter to a joint public hearing with the Planning Board. Details of that meeting will be posted here.
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Presentation to the City Council Committee of the Whole | 6/21/2023
Recording | Slides & Meeting Notes
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Flood Resiliency Ordinance Public Forum | 4/10/2023
Video | Slides | Spanish Audio
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As part of the City’s ongoing effort to address projected climate change impacts, the Departments of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) and Sustainability and Resiliency are preparing an amendment to the City’s Flood Hazard Overlay District (FHOD) Special Permit zoning ordinance for the City Council's consideration. Construction in areas within FEMA's 100-year flood zone is regulated by the state building code, the state Wetlands Protection Act, Salem's local wetlands ordinance, and the FHOD.
The FHOD amendment builds from recent resiliency related initiatives including the Beverly & Salem Resilient Together Climate Action & Resilience Plan, the Resilient Together: The Point initiative, and the wetlands protection ordinance update. Input from the general public, working groups, experts, and City staff identified the need to review the current FHOD ordinance in light of projected increased flooding resulting from climate change.
In May 2022, the Salem City Council authorized funding for the ordinance amendment, and the City has hired Beals + Thomas to provide expert support for the effort. In addition, DPCD and the Sustainability Department have convened an advisory group comprised of staff from the DPCD, Engineering, Building, and Sustainability Departments, representatives from land-use boards, local environmental groups, the development community, and the general public.
Prior to submitting a draft ordinance amendment to the City Council, the City will host a public forum and publish a draft for the public’s review.
Staff Contact
For questions and comments, please contact Tom Devine at tdevine@salem.com or 978-619-5685.
Links of Interest
- Massachusetts Coastal Flood Risk Model
- Mapping Future Flood Risks in Salem (hosted by Salem Sound Coastwatch)
- MA CZM MC-FRM Training #1: Model Overview and Level 1 Data: Video | Slides
- MA CZM MC-FRM Training #2: MC-FRM Level 2 Data, Application, and Usage : Video | Slides
- Current FHOD ordinance
- Beverly & Salem Resilient Together Climate Action & Resilience Plan
- Resilient Together: The Point
- Wetlands Protection Update
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center
- MA DCR Model Ordinance
- MAPC Example Ordinances
- City of Boston Coastal Flood Resilience Guidelines & Zoning Overlay District
- City of Cambridge Climate Resilience Zoning Task Force
- Secretary of the Interior's Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings
- Cape Cod Commission Flood Area Design Guidelines