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0 <br />ity of TukwflaAllan Ekberg, Mayor <br />Public Works Department - Henry Hash, Director <br />INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee <br />FROM: Henry Hash, Public Works Director //// <br />BY: Ryan Larson, Senior Program Manager <br />CC: Mayor Ekberg <br />DATE: November 15, 2019 <br />SUBJECT: Starfire Sports Athletic Center Improvements <br />Resolution approving an Administrative Variance to allow Wet-Floodproofing <br />ISSUE <br />Approve a Resolution providing an administrative variance to Tukwila Municipal Code Chapter 16.52 to <br />allow wet-floodproofing of improvements to the Starfire Athletic Center within Fort Dent Park. <br />BACKGROUND <br />The City of Tukwila participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. This program requires that <br />the City adopt floodplain management standards and a floodplain construction permit process to <br />ensure that all new developments and redevelopment within flood hazard areas meet federal <br />standards. These standards require that when development is proposed within a flood hazard area, all <br />structures must either be elevated or floodproofed one foot above the base flood elevation. <br />Floodproofing is not allowed for residential construction. <br />The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) standard for floodproofing is a method known <br />as dry-floodproofing. Dry-floodproofing requires that the structure is watertight one foot above the base <br />flood elevation and prevents the inundation of floodwaters into the structure. Wet-floodproofing is <br />allowed for certain situations and is accomplished by letting flood water inundate the structure. The <br />structure is constructed of materials that will not be damaged by floodwaters to an elevation one foot <br />above the base flood elevation. All materials subject to damage must be located above this elevation. <br />Since wet-floodproofing is not the standard established by FEMA or included in our City TMC, a <br />variance must be issued by Resolution to allow the use of this method for floodproofing a structure. <br />Resolution No. 1526 granted the original variance that allowed the construction of the Starfire Athletic <br />Center to be within a flood hazard area using wet-floodproofing techniques. This new proposed <br />Resolution will allow an administrative variance for improvements to the Athletic Center that will <br />enclose areas below the stadium currently used for storage and provide more secure storage and <br />covered flex areas for practice. <br />DISCUSSION <br />City staff have reviewed FEMA guidelines, the City's TMC, and sought guidance from the State <br />Department of Ecology who administers flood control issues for FEMA and determined that wet- <br />floodproofing is permitted under limited situations. These situations include: <br />• The applicant desires to wet-floodproof <br />• Notification to the applicant that a variance will not alter the actuarial rating of a structure for <br />flood insurance purposes <br />• That a lesser degree of floodproofing will not subvert the goals of floodplain management <br />WAPW Eng\PROJECTS\♦- DR Projects\Starfire Sports - Flood Variance\Info Memo Wet Floodproofing Variance.docx <br />81 <br />