Property in floodplain remains unsold
Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2008
BENTONVILLE - Not a single hand went up when a group of realestate agents were asked if they had been able to sell any property located in the FEMA-defined floodplain this year.
Ashley Pope, director of Benton County Planning, posed the question as she met with a group of agents at Exit Pinnacle Realty on Tuesday morning. The subject: Benton County's floodplain.
The last time anyone could remember selling property located in the county's floodplain was more than a year and a half ago, and then only a small segment of the property was located within the floodplain.
The nation's flood-insurance program, which began in 1968, found its footing in the early 1970 s with the purpose of the program to promote the wise and effective use of floodplains, to protect structures from damage and to prevent people from drowning, Pope said.
All properties located within a floodplain must have an elevation certificate, a federal form that gives all information about structures on the property, including the property's base flood elevation and the elevation of a 100-year flood.
Benton County, a member of the flood-insurance program since 1991, requires all structures to be 1 foot above the 100-year flood elevation, Pope said.
All of the county is zoned in two ways, either zone A or zone AE. Areas that are zoned AE have had detailed hydraulic studies conducted to determine the base flood elevation. The areas zoned A have not had base flood elevations calculated, Pope said.
"The elevation certificate is now being required and requested by mortgage companies on the front end. Insurance agents want it to assess rates," Pope said, noting that if the Federal Emergency Management Agency has determined property to be within a floodplain, the mortgage and insurance companies will want an elevation certificate on file.
When people are looking to purchase property in Benton County, Pope recommends they visit the Benton County Planning Office to look at the county maps and determine if the property is in the floodplain and if it is zoned A or AE. From there, potential buyers should ask about the property's elevation certificate - the county or city where the property is located will have one on file if it has ever been done. If the property does not have the elevation certificate, one should be done, Pope said.
A problem that has come to light with the flood-insurance program in Benton County is the county's unique terrain, Pope said.
When FEMA published redefined floodplain maps for Benton County on Sept. 28, 2007, a greater portion of the county found itself within the floodplain. Because FEMA did not look at each piece of property, some properties that are now shown inside the floodplain actually are not, Pope said.
An example would be a home that sits high on a cliff around Beaver Lake - a spot that obviously will never flood. In this situation, the homeowner should contact Pope, and in her role as floodplain administrator, she can reassess the property and issue a letter to have the mandatory flood insurance waived.
Those who have questions about the floodplain and whether it affects their property may call the Benton County Planning Department at (479 ) 271-1003.
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