The FEMA seclusion zone designation is ‘indefinite.’ However, in February 2024, the City submitted a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) request with supporting documentation based on the as-constructed levee system that asks FEMA to return the flood hazard classification within Foster City limits to moderate risk – Zone X Protected by Levee. This process may
Other municipalities have unsuccessfully challenged the scientific basis behind hydrodynamic and wave modeling studies FEMA used to determine flood hazards applicable in San Mateo and Foster City. Cities and agencies that have lost their appeals against FEMA’s San Francisco Bay coastal analysis include the City of Alameda, the City of Belvedere, the City of Redwood
Our focus is on protecting the Foster City community, and we are in communication with neighboring communities around the common goal of flood protection. Other jurisdictions are in various stages of addressing this need. Foster City is leading the way in implementing these improvements, thanks to the foresight of our community members, who approved Measure
Please visit the project homepage or the menu above for the project description, background, and links to documents and reports related to the Levee Improvements Project.
Measure P included fiscal accountability provisions. An independent citizens’ oversight committee ensured all funds were spent as promised on voter-approved projects, and all funds stayed local to improve the Foster City levee system. No funds from the measure was used for administrators’ salaries.
Foster City voters passed the Levee Improvement Bond Measure P in 2018, authorizing the City to issue $90 million in general obligation bonds to fund these critical levee improvements. The Measure P levy will start appearing on Foster City property tax bills starting this fall (2020) and will continue for 30 years. The first-year rate
The project will maintain FEMA accreditation of the levee and protect Foster City homes, schools, businesses, and essential City services and infrastructure during storms and high tides, and from future sea level rise. The improved levee will be more resistant to earthquake damage, and will prevent FEMA designation of the City as a flood zone,
Although the levee withstood storm/tide surge challenges, it was in need of critical upgrades and safety improvements. In 2014, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determined that Foster City’s levee system did not meet minimum requirements for flood protection. Further, in order to obtain the necessary permits to implement needed improvements, regional regulations say that
The Foster City Levee, owned and maintained by the City, surrounds the majority of the outer bay-front perimeter of the City to provide flood protection. The Levee Improvements Project is the largest public works project in the City’s history and will structurally and aesthetically improve and enhance the levee. The project will increase the height