Planning Board Discusses Flood Recovery

With just one item on the agenda on Monday night, the Parsippany Troy-Hills Planning Board meeting was brief.

On the front end of Monday’s 20-minute meeting, was the topic of flooding in Parsippany. After spending two weeks helping flood victims in the Lake Hiawatha area, board member and new Town Council President Michael dePierro brought two suggestions to the board to help those affected by floods now and in the future.

“I would like to propose that this planning board would recommend that the council adopt an ordinance that requires all future building in flood areas, to be build higher than the 500-year flood,” he said.

According to dePierro’s suggestion, altering the required levels based on their location in town could help avoid flood issues in future homes.

“I hate to say to residents, there’s nothing we can do,” dePierro said to his fellow board members.

The councilperson also inquired about the opportunity to research grants from FEMA and other government agencies, which have been created to help people raise the level of their existing houses to avoid future damages by floods. Zoning Officer Jennifer Collins said that was something that was already being looked into.

“I had a meeting today with FEMA and with the DEP,” Collins said, “and any property that is expanded to a substantial change, more than 50 percent, they are required to lift the house. So any new single-family dwellings, any additions more than a certain percentage, are already required to lift the structure.”

According to Collins, a mailing is currently being prepared, and will be sent to houses in flood areas.

In other business, Turan Ayaz was sworn in as an alternate member on the board as a replacement for former member Milin Shah. The board also unanimously voted to accept a request for conditional use by Morris County Freeholder and attorney Ann Grossi to use her home as an office.