Accounting for Flood Hazards in the Subdivision Approval Process
Zoning Practice — March 2016
By Chad Berginnis, James Schwab, FAICP
This article draws on a forthcoming PAS report to highlight specific areas of concern for updating subdivision standards and review processes to improve the management of flood risk.
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About the Authors
Chad Berginnis
Chad Berginnis is the executive director for ASFPM. With more than 20 years of experience, he is a recognized national expert in floodplain management and hazard mitigation, having participated on national research/focus groups, providing agency (FEMA, USACE, OMB, CRS, IG, CBO, and others) and congressional testimony. He was selected to participate on an advisory panel to the Chinese government on the development of a national floodplain management strategy. Berginnis previously served as an appointed planning commissioner for Licking County, Ohio.
James Schwab, FAICP
Jim Schwab earned MAs in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa. From 1985-1990, he was assistant editor of Planning, then moved to the APA Research Department as senior research associate. From 2007-2017, he served as manager of the APA Hazards Planning Center. Since leaving APA as of May 31, 2017, he has been principal of Jim Schwab Consulting LLC, as well as an author, speaker, and continuing his role since 2008 as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Iowa. He is an accomplished author and has been responsible in whole or in part for 11 different PAS Reports to date. In 2016, in recognition of his "pivotal role" in helping create the new subfield of hazards planning, he was inducted into FAICP. Two years later, the Association of State Floodplain Managers awarded him its highest honor, the Goddard-White Award, in recognizing his national impact on the field of floodplain management. He is currently chair of APA's Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Recovery Planning Division.