Parks Coppell FS-CS 880503 Federal Emergency Management Agency
Region VI, Federal Center, ~ North Loop Denton, Texas 76201-3698
NTII May 3, 1988 ......... i~-'F-~'~
Mr. H. Wayne Ginn, P. E.
City Engineer
City of Coppell '
Ginn, Incorporated ..
17103 Preston Road, Suite 100
LB 118
Dallas, Texas 75248
Dear Mr. Ginn:
This letter is written to you in your offtcial capacity as City Engineer
and Floodplain Administrator for the City of Coppell, and documents a
nmeting in our office on April 27, 1988, to discuss specifically the portion
of Cottonwood Creek upstream of Denton Tap Road, known also as Parks of
Coppell Joint Venture II. Those in attendance were Maryetta Cunntngham
and 8ill Kuno of this office, Fir. Dan Dowdy and yourself.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss that provision of the City's
Floodplain Ordinance which allows exception to the more stringent design
criteria in cases where a "prior conditional approval from FEMA has been
obtained prior to enactment of the ordinance."
As explained in our previous letters dated March 30 and April ll, 1988,
a thorough search of files in our office and by the engineering staff
in Washington did not identify that a proposed floodplain modification
for that portion of Cottonwood Creek had been submitted t6 FEMA or that
any Conditional approval for a proposed project had been issued by FENA.
I~owever, our research did docunmnt and verify that a submittal was made
on June 28, 1982, by Carter & Burgess of more refined technical data which
showed the FEMA study and maps to be in error for that portion of Cottonwood
Creek with which Mr. Dowdy is concerned. That submittal resulted in our
evaluation and approval of the submitted technical data and our issuance
of a preliminary and final map revision to incorporate the Carter & Burgess
data.
It is the role of the City of Coppell to evaluate any request for exception
from the more stringent design criteria of its ordinance under the basis
established for such exception; i.e., "the obtaining of a conditional
approval from FEMA" prior to enactment of the ordinance. If the City
of Coppell determines that the subject submittal of technical data and
resultant issuance by FEMA of a preliminary/final map revision for that
Wayne Gtnn, P.E. 2
portion of Cottonwood Creek constitutes a "prior Conditional approval
from FE~", then the City could Justifiably allow the exception to the
property owner. I must emphasize, however, that this is an Interpretative
decision Lo the ordinance which must ultimately be made by the City of
Coppell rather than the Federal Emergency ~nage~nt Agency.
Should you need further assistance in this matter or in other concerns
of the City's floodplain management program, please contact First. CunnJngham
at the above address or by telephone at 817-898-g161.
Sincerely,
Alton S. R Chief
Natural and Te~nologtcal
Ilazards Division
Copy to: Dan Dowdy
Shorhe Danesmand
City of Coppell