The Scituate Town Council took the first of two required steps Thursday toward changing the town's flood plain rules, holding a public hearing at which no member of the public spoke.
The council met July 30 and worked through two related items on the same subject: proposed amendments to Chapter 75, Article 4, Section 4.9, the Flood Plain District Regulations in the Town of Scituate Code of Ordinances. Flood plain district regulations set what can be built, and how, in areas mapped as likely to flood. They typically govern elevation of structures, fill, and permitting requirements for property owners in those zones.
Plan Commission advisory came first
The council first sat with the Plan Commission, which under state law must review a proposed zoning change and tell the council whether it fits the town's comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan is the town's long-range land use blueprint; a zoning amendment is supposed to be consistent with it.
The presiding officer opened a public hearing on the commission's recommendation. No one in the audience asked to speak, and the hearing was closed. A council member noted the sequencing on the record, explaining that the Plan Commission's advisory opinion comes first and addresses only how the ordinance comports with the comprehensive plan.
Local sponsorAffordable photography lessons in Newport, Jamestown, or your town.E.L. Photo RIThe commission then approved a motion recommending the flood plain amendments as consistent with the comprehensive plan's hazards chapter. The motion carried by voice vote. One commission member offered a comment afterward, saying the subject matter is specialized engineering work and that the review benefits from that specialized training. The remarks were partly inaudible in the published recording, and the specific concern raised is not clear from the audio.
The joint session with the Plan Commission was then adjourned by voice vote.
First reading by the council
The council next opened a public hearing on the first reading of the same proposed amendments. A first reading is the initial formal presentation of an ordinance change; a second reading and a further vote are ordinarily required before an ordinance takes effect.
Again, no member of the public spoke, and no council member raised discussion. The motions to open and close the hearing each passed by voice vote. The published recording does not include a final adoption vote on the ordinance itself at this meeting.
The council announced at the outset that virtual participation was not permitted on the public hearing items, meaning residents wanting to comment had to attend in person.
What happens next
Because this was a first reading, the flood plain amendments are still a proposal, not adopted law. Residents who own property in the mapped flood plain and want to weigh in should watch the council's posted agendas for the second reading. The full text of the proposed amendments to Chapter 75, Article 4, Section 4.9 is available through the town clerk's office.
The meeting was adjourned by voice vote. This account is drawn from the Scituate Town Council's published meeting recording.