Foley is moving to strengthen its floodplain regulations to help protect homes and other properties from flooding while making development requirements clearer for builders.

Foley City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance updating the city’s flood damage prevention rules. The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading and a vote on final passage in November.

Although some streets flooded during heavy rains earlier in October, rising water did not damage homes or other buildings, Mayor Ralph Hellmich said. He credited ongoing flood prevention efforts, including city crews clearing ditches to improve drainage capacity.

After Foley received the equivalent of 2 inches of rain in 20 minutes on Oct. 4, city crews worked around the clock to clear ditches and reduce the risk of flooding ahead of the expected landfall of Hurricane Isaias.

"The big thing to take away from that is that the ditches are clean and at their maximum capacity," Hellmich said. "We fixed things upstream and the houses along there are really not in jeopardy of flooding. That's our goal, to make sure we don't have houses that flood."

Hellmich said the proposed ordinance would make development regulations easier to understand and apply.

"This gets us on a common-sense approach to addressing some issues that require them and helps the developers make sure they adhere to these elevations," Hellmich said.

He added that some contractors have already expressed approval of the updated regulations.

Jonathan Cottis, Foley's chief building official and floodplain administrator, said the ordinance would require new developments to meet the flood elevation requirements of nearby areas.

"We're looking to implement a 150-foot floodway buffer," Cottis said. "Basically, if you're within 150 feet of the floodway, you just have to meet the elevation requirement that's nearest to it."

The proposed regulations would also allow stem walls, which are concrete or concrete block foundation walls, in areas designated as Coastal AE Flood Zones. The adopted residential building code already permits stem walls in these areas. The change would align the floodplain ordinance with the building code by establishing consistent requirements under both sets of regulations.

The ordinance would also change the name of the city's Flood Damage Development Ordinance to the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. The updated name would bring the city's terminology in line with guidelines recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Another change would revise the process for appealing city decisions involving flood damage prevention. Under the proposed ordinance, property owners could appeal rulings to the Foley Construction Board of Appeals rather than taking appeals directly to the City Council, as they do under the current process.

The ordinance is part of the city's ongoing effort to improve flood protection, clarify development requirements and reduce the risk of property damage during heavy rainfall.