(a) The appeals board shall hear and decide appeals and requests for variances from the requirements of this article.

(b) The board of appeals shall hear and decide appeals when it is alleged there is an error in any requirement, decision, or determination made by the floodplain administrator in the enforcement or administration of this article.

(c) In passing upon such applications, the board of appeals shall consider all technical evaluations, all relevant factors, standards specified in other sections of this article, and:

(1) The danger that materials may be swept onto other lands to the injury of others;

(2) The danger of life and property due to flooding or erosion damage;

(3) The susceptibility of the proposed facility and its contents to flood damage and the effect of such damage on the individual owner;

(4) The importance of the services provided by the proposed facility to the community;

(5) The necessity to the facility of a waterfront location, where applicable;

(6) The availability of alternative locations, for the proposed use which are not subject to flooding or erosion damage;

(7) The compatibility of the proposed use with existing and anticipated development;

(8) The relationship of the proposed use to the comprehensive plan and floodplain management program for that area;

(9) The safety of access to the property in times of flood for ordinary and emergency vehicles;

(10) The expected heights, velocity, duration, rate of rise, and sediment transport of the flood waters and the effects of wave action, if applicable, expected at the site; and

(11) The costs of providing governmental services during and after flood conditions, including maintenance and repair of public utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electrical, and water system, and streets and bridges.

(d) Any applicant to whom a variance is granted shall be given written notice over the signature of a community official that:

1. The issuance of a variance to construct a structure below the base flood level will result in increased premium rates for flood insurance up to amounts as high as twenty-five dollars for one hundred dollars of insurance coverage; and

2. Such construction below the base flood level increases risks to life and property. A copy of the notice shall be recorded by the floodplain administrator in the office of the county of Monterey recorder and shall be recorded in a manner so that it appears in the chain of title of the affected parcel of land.

(e) Generally, variances may be issued for new construction and substantial improvements to be erected on a lot of one-half acre or less in size contiguous to and surrounded by lots with existing structures constructed below the base flood level, provided (1) through (11) in subsection (c) of this section have been fully considered. As the lot size increases beyond the one-half acre, the technical justification required for issuing the variance increases.

(f) Upon consideration of the factors of subsection (c) of this section and the purposes of this article, the board of appeals may attach such conditions to the granting of variances as it deems necessary to further the purposes of this article.

(g) The floodplain administrator shall maintain a record of all appeal actions, variance actions, including justification for their issuance, and report such variances issued in its biennial report submitted to the Federal Insurance Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency. (Ord. No. 1835 (NCS), § 1; Ord. No. 2037, § 15; Ord. No. 2276 (NCS), § 10(B); Ord. No. 2383 (NCS), § 1.)