Coastal Flood Hazard Development Permit Area

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) Board has approved the adoption of the bylaws to guide new building construction and subdivision in the coastal floodplain at its September 10, 2024, meeting. The official community plan and zoning bylaw amendments will provide residents and developers with clear direction, earlier in the development approvals process to help reduce the potential impact of coastal flooding on new homes. This change applies only to electoral areas A, E, G and H.

If you would like to learn more about coastal flood hazards, building and/or subdividing a parcel of land in the RDN's electoral areas, please contact the Planning Department at:

Telephone: 250-390-6510

Toll Free: 1-877-607-4111

Email: askplanning@rdn.bc.ca

On June 25, 2024, the RDN Board received information from the engagement held to establish a Coastal Flood Hazard Development Permit Area and directed to proceed to a public hearing on the proposed amendment bylaws.

If adopted, the bylaws will provide a consistent standard to reduce the potential impacts of flooding for new buildings, alternation of existing buildings, and parcel subdivision located in the coastal floodplain.

The public hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 @ 6 P.M. RDN Administrative Office 6300 Hammond Bay Rd Nanaimo BC

A notice of the public notice will appear in local newspapers and on the main RDN webpage: www.rdn.bc.ca/public-notices

Residents are invited to review and provide feedback on the proposed bylaws to create a coastal flood hazard development permit area by attending one of the open houses happening in February and March for electoral areas A, E, G and H prior to preceding to third reading of the bylaws. Details of the events are posting on the RDN webpage and in the Parksville - Qualicum Beach and Nanaimo newspapers.

The core information provided will be the same for each Open House, so there is no need to attend them all.

If you cannot attend an open house, submit your input here.

On July 11, 2023, the Board adopted Flood Hazard Mitigation Bylaw 1872, 2023.

This bylaw provides updated information on floodplain mapping incorporating climate change and sea level rise for used in development approvals for new construction in Electoral Areas A, C, E, F, G and H. This bylaw replaces RDN Flood Management Bylaw No. 1469, 2006.

The RDN is pleased to announce the completion of the Nanaimo River flood hazard mapping project. This is the fourth successfully completed flood hazard/risk project lead by the RDN and is considered a significant milestone in understanding present day and future flood events in the region.

The project approach includes three key elements summarized as analyzing the flood hazard; representing the findings on a regulatory river floodplain map with Flood Construction Levels (FCLs) and conducting a high-level risk assessment informed by participatory engagement to incorporate key flood concerns in the study area.

The next stage is to include this information in existing land use bylaws to better inform the safe location and design of new buildings in relation to known river and coastal flood hazards. Look for the draft bylaws in July 2023. Updates will be communicated on the RDN Get Involved webpage, RDN Board agenda and via local media.

Integrated flood management applies a systems approach to flood risk reduction that considers all natural flood hazards - river, overland (e.g., culverts) and the sea.

The Province of British Columbia advises coastal communities to plan for at least one metre of sea level rise by the year 2100, and two metres by 2200. To better understand the implications of sea level rise and future land use, the RDN retained Ebbwater Consulting Inc. along with Cascadia Coast Research Ltd. in 2018 to develop flood mapping for the coastal area. The mapping information was released in June 2020. Revised mapping information followed in October 2021. The revised documents and supporting information are located on the RDN webpage here: Sea Level Rise Adaptation Program

As we learn more about coastal flooding and sea level rise it is anticipated that the coastal maps will be reviewed and periodically revised along with the applicable land use plans and regulations.