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City of Vancouver, Washington

As more people strive to develop and construct projects that meet stringent sustainability goals – such as increased water efficiency, use of renewable energy, and less toxic alternatives to conventional building materials – the more challenging it can become to maintain affordability and navigate through the current regulatory process. With a grant from the Washington Department of Commerce (formerly Community, Trade, and Economic Development) and assistance from Cascadia Region Green Building Council, Vancouver and Clark County have undertaken a study to identify barriers to sustainable, affordable, residential development and develop strategies for removing them. In the first phase of the study, we used the Living Building Challenge criteria and six case studies from our region to identify the barriers (Report 1 and Appendices A-D below). In the second phase, we worked with architects, developers, engineers, home builders, affordable housing developers, green building advocates, the trades, and local and state regulatory agencies to develop strategies for overcoming the barriers (Report 2 and Resource Package Parts 1-3 below). Finally, in Report 3 we summarized the benefits of implementing green building goals in the context of sustainable, affordable, residential development; the costs to Vancouver and Clark County of implementing the recommendations of Report 2; and the costs to developers and buyers of sustainable, affordable, residential projects.

Report 1

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

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Report 2

Resource Package - Part 1

Resource Package - Part 2

Resource Package - Part 3

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Report 3

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Flood maps are changing! - What does that mean for you?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has re-examined Clark County’s flood zones and prepared preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). DFIRMs show properties at risk of flooding and help you make informed decisions about personal safety and financially protecting your property. These maps are used to rate insurance policies and also help determine where and how new structures and developments should be built. 

FEMA's Response

FEMA notified the City that it is remapping the proposed new floodplain boundaries and reissuing preliminary DFIRMs for parts of Clark County.  FEMA anticipates issuing new preliminary DFIRMs at the end of February 2010. Following issuance, FEMA will hold public meetings to review and comment on the new preliminary DFIRMS. At the end of the public process, FEMA will issue a Letter of Final Determination and the City will have six months to adopt the new maps. FEMA expects the new, final DFIRMS to be effective by September 2010. We will continue keep you posted as the process moves forward.

Get More Information

FEMA held public open houses on January 23 and 24, 2007. Use the links below to view FEMA’s and West Consultants' open house PowerPoint presentations explaining the National Flood Insurance Program and how the preliminary DFIRMs were developed; provide information about money-saving insurance options. West Consultants did the engineering studies on which the preliminary DFIRMs are based.

FEMA’s Open House Presentation

West Consultants’ Open House Presentation

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Use the link below to view the current FIRM and Preliminary DFIRM designations. The link will take you to Clark County's Digital Atlas. Enter your property's address or tax lot number and click "GO." Then click on the "Layers" tab and in the drop-down box marked "Jump To" select "Soils and Wetlands Inventory." Then check the boxes for "Floodplains" and "Proposed Floodplains" to see how your property may be affected.

Current FIRM & Preliminary D-FIRM

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View the protest submitted by the City of Vancouver of the preliminary DFIRMs, below.

City Protests

Clicking this link will take you to a table of contents. Each item in the table of contents is a hidden link. Hold your cursor over the item you are interested in until the pointing finger appears. Then click on the link and it will take you to that item. Adobe Reader Required.