City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 17, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: ADRIANA CASTANEDA, DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of updates to the Flood Mitigation Pilot Grant Program.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of changes to the Flood Mitigation Pilot Grant to remove the requirement to provide documentation of past flooding for eligibility, and to increase the maximum allowable grant match for association common area properties.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council:
1. Remove the requirement to provide documentation of past flooding back to July 8, 2019, and allow all properties at risk of flooding to be eligible to apply for the grant regardless of whether the property flooded in the past; and
2. Approve the framework that increases the maximum allowable grant match for eligible flood mitigation measures on common areas from $5,000 to $25,000.
BACKGROUND: The Flood Mitigation Pilot Grant, the first in Virginia, debuted in August 2021. It's a feature of the new Flood Action Alexandria Program, representing a collaboration between the City and property owners. The initiative encourages property owners to undertake approved flood mitigation actions on their premises. It offers a matching 50/50 reimbursement grant, capping at $5,000 for every $10,000 expended on qualifying flood mitigation activities. However, cleanup and damage repair do not qualify under this program. The grant incentivizes property owners to implement these small-scale flood mitigation practices in the near term to protect their property while staff works on Large Scale Capacity and Spot Improvement projects that take longer to deliver.
Staff worked with the City's Legislative Director and a local state senator to introduce ...
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