44.05.020 Conditions for Variances

(a) Variances may be issued for the reconstruction, rehabilitation, or restoration of structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the State Inventory of Historic Places, without regard to the procedures set forth in the remainder of this section.

(b) Variances shall not be issued within the identified floodplain if any increase in flood levels during the base flood discharge would result.

(c) Variances shall only be issued upon a determination that the variance is the minimum necessary, considering the flood hazard, to afford relief.

(d) Variances shall only be issued upon:

(1) a showing of good and sufficient cause;

(2) a determination that failure to grant the variance would result in exceptional hardship to the applicant; and,

(3) a determination that the granting of a variance will not result in increased flood heights, additional threats to public safety, cause fraud on or victimization of the public as identified in Section 44.05.010(d), or conflict with existing local laws or ordinances.

(e) Any applicant to whom a variance is granted shall be given written notice that the structure will be permitted to be built with a lowest floor elevation below the base flood elevation and that the cost of flood insurance will be commensurate with the increased risk resulting from the reduced lowest floor elevation.