Grandview Heights Taken ‘Off the Map’

Most communities look forward to being “put on the map.” But in Grandview Heights, Ohio, property owners are thrilled that most of their city has been taken off!

In March 2004, more than 300 commercial and residential property owners in this Columbus suburb were removed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 100-year floodplain map thanks to the work of B&N’s Water Resources Group.

As a result, property owners no longer are required to have flood insurance, and the city will be able to drop stringent building and remodeling standards that have made it difficult to attract businesses.

Approximately one-third of the city previously had been designated in the floodplains of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers. In September 2002, B&N’s Water Resources Group Director, Dan Hill, PE, presented information to the city indicating that FEMA’s maps were incorrect.

The city submitted that information to FEMA and in December 2002, FEMA notified the city that the maps would be changed. FEMA’s revised Flood Insurance Rate maps became effective on March 16, 2004.

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