How High To Elevate Manasquan? Planning Board to Discuss Proposed Ordinance

The next step in determing how high at-risk and flood-damaged property will have to be raised will come tonight at the Manasquan Planning Board meeting.

At its regular meeting tonight, the planning board will discuss zoning changes such as how high garages, stairways and homes need to be raised.

A proposed ordinance would establish new building codes after a storm surge from Hurricane Sandy destroyed much of the borough. The new elevations are in part based on Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps from FEMA and discussion at a borough forum held Jan. 19.

The proposed changes include raising V Flood Zones to 38 feet, which is up from 35 feet. V Flood Zones include Beachfront, parts of First Avenue and Riverside in Manasquan, according to borough officials.

For the A Flood Zones — which include the so-called "fish" streets of Glimmer Glass area, Rogers and Sims — is currently at 35 feet for conforming buildings but the proposed change is 38 feet.

The borough council will vote on the ordinance after public discussion at its Saturday morning meeting, but Tuesday's planning board meeting will have board members weigh in during the public meeting as well.

Borough Attorney Mark Kitrick will interpret the proposed ordinance for the board, and the discussion is one of the last items on the planning board's agenda, which is attached to this article.

To view your homes elevation and provisional base flood elevation from FEMA, click here.

The agenda for the Planning Board and the post-forum rebuilding plan is attached to this article as .pdf files.

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