NEWBURYPORT — Stephen Karp's proposed development for the city waterfront will remain on hold until issues with new flood maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are resolved, according to a local representative for the developer.
While much of the impact stemming from the new Essex County maps is focused on added insurance costs for those now deemed to be in high-risk flood zones, building restrictions will result for some properties, as well.
The city believes as many as 1,400 properties could be affected by the new rules. City Planning Director Sean Sullivan said there is a "very real possibility" changes in the flood maps will impact new construction and additions onto an existing property.
Karp's development at Waterfront West, an 8-acre plot of land from the Black Cow Restaurant to the Route 1 bridge along the Merrimack River, falls almost entirely into a new high-risk zone, and his representatives have learned the new rules would significantly impact the plans.
The city filed an appeal of the flood maps, slated to take effect June 1, 2011, earlier this week on behalf of Karp and his company, New England Development.
New England Development's local project manager, Tony Green, said plans to develop that land are currently on hold and said this week the company can't move forward until it sees what happens with the flood maps.
The maps would cause any new buildings to be built at a higher elevation than they would have been, which can be a "multiple feet" difference, Green said.
If new buildings are a higher elevation, it wouldn't match what is currently in place, Green said.
Sullivan stressed yesterday that the public needs to pay attention to this process, noting that development of the waterfront will have lasting impacts. It is important to guarantee the flood maps are done accurately using correct science, he said.
Citizens who live in high risk areas will be most impacted, as will commercial properties, Sullivan said.
Under the proposed new maps, there are changes in the base flood elevation, which can change up to 6 feet depending upon where the property is located and what flood zone it is in. The zones range from a minimal, or low, to high velocity. The zone a property dictates one's insurance rate and whether the owner needs flood insurance at all.
Homeowners must buy the flood insurance at least 30 days prior to the enactment of the new maps in order to get grandfathered in at the current rate. That rate will then be transferable to a new owner if a homeowner sells the property.
The new base flood elevations will be in place for all new construction projects and will need to be complied with.
Mayor John Moak noted this week that the flood maps would alter the design and density of any development of Waterfront West. The flood plane would be pushed back 150 feet, Moak said, which would limit what could be done with the first floor of a building.
Green said New England Development hired a consultant to review the maps, and Waterfront West was studied from Route 1 to the Coast Guard station as was the research FEMA used, which looked east of the station.
The consultant looked at the actual elevation west of the Coast Guard station and the depths of the river, Green said. The result they got was different from what FEMA showed, he said.
For more information about the flood maps and the proposed changes, visit the city's Web site at www.cityofnewburyport.com and click on "Flood Maps Planning Department." The maps are also available for viewing in the Planning Office at City Hall.
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