Joseph Daniel Shea, a principal with Granite City Partners, told the Quincy City Council Monday that new preliminary FEMA flood maps — if adopted by this body — will take effect on July 8, 2025, and will remove about 300 properties from the federally designated floodplain.

The update matters because floodplain designation can trigger mortgage‑holder requirements for flood insurance and because city engineering work included in the new modeling — notably the Deep Rock Tunnel and the Quincy Center Street flood relief system — reduced the area FEMA now marks as at risk, Shea and city staff said.

Why it matters: the maps directly affect whether homeowners with mortgages are required to maintain federal flood insurance and how much those policies cost. Quincy officials said the city’s longstanding flood‑mitigation investments and a proactive mapping effort have already reduced insurance costs for ratepayers and that the updated maps preserve prior map corrections.

Shea and Al Grazioso, commissioner of the Department of Public Works, told the council the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map methodology changed in 2014, which initially expanded the mapped floodplain for Quincy; the city then pursued repeated amendments and reached a corrected map in 2017. The consultants said the 2025 preliminary maps reflect engineering work the city performed since then and show “no backsliding” on prior corrections.

City staff and the consultant cited specific results: the updated modeling that properly accounts for the Deep Rock Tunnel and the Quincy Center Street relief system will remove roughly 300 houses overall from the floodplain and about 200 houses in the Brook Road/Water Street neighborhood (largely in Ward 4). The city also said the maps add a small number of individual properties — “a half dozen” or so — in locations that staff believe are correctly mapped into the floodplain.

Shea described how residents can check their status online: the city’s GIS property viewer (linked from the City of Quincy website under the Business tab) allows users to enter an address and compare the 2017 and 2025 flood‑map layers. He said the DPW can also generate targeted mail notifications from the GIS database and that translations of outreach materials will be provided.

Councillors pressed staff on how homeowners will be notified and on the timing of future map adjustments tied to completed infrastructure. Councillor Campbell asked whether FEMA could reject the city’s technical work; Shea said the posted maps are the result of negotiated settlement with FEMA and “the maps as posted will not change,” while also noting the city may pursue interim letters of map revision to capture additional projects (for example, the Adam Shore Seawall) before the next 5–7 year map cycle.

City staff said Quincy participates in FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS) and that Quincy’s current CRS rating provides a 15% premium discount for about 3,500 flood‑insurance policyholders, a saving the consultant estimated at roughly $530,000 annually across those policyholders. Shea said only Wareham and Sandwich achieve a 20% discount in the state.

Near‑term steps recommended by staff included a public advertisement and community meeting on the new maps, the City Council’s formal adoption of a zoning amendment to incorporate the new maps into the Floodplain Overlay District (zoning code §8.1), and targeted outreach to homeowners whose mortgage companies may act first to require or release flood insurance. The city asked the council to move the zoning amendment for advertisement and referral to the ordinance committee.

Votes at a glance

- Order 2025027 — Amend zoning code §8.1, Floodplain Overlay District: Motion to move the proposed ordinance for advertisement and referral to the ordinance committee (mover not specified; seconded by Councillor DeBona). Roll call recorded unanimous support; motion passed. (See action entry below.)

Other council actions taken at the March 3 meeting (brief roll‑call approvals): statements of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for Point Webster Middle School (2025028), Francis W. Barker Elementary School (2025029), Broadmeadows Middle School (2025030), and Atlantic (as recorded in the minutes) (2025031); nominations to the Park & Recreation Board (Paul Bergoglian, Kevin Esdell, Thomas Lester); a resolution urging preservation of the federal tax‑exempt status of municipal bonds (2025033); and acceptance of a modest gift to the city (2025034). All were approved on roll‑call votes.

What councilors and staff said: Councillor McCarthy thanked staff and engineers for the behind‑the‑scenes work that he said saves residents money. Councillor Harris and others asked that outreach be quick and consistent; staff said the GIS database can be sorted by ward and can be used to generate targeted mailings and translated notices.

Background and next steps: FEMA’s map updates typically follow a 5–7 year cycle; the consultant said the current process began about four years ago. The new maps are preliminary and will be formally adopted into local regulation if the council approves the zoning amendment and completes the advertised ordinance process. Staff noted some mitigation projects — for example the Manet (Manatee/Manet) Avenue seawall and the Adam Shore Seawall — were not fully credited in this cycle but could be incorporated later through letters of map revision or in the next general map update.

Officials encouraged homeowners who are on the edge of the mapped floodplain to consult the city’s GIS viewer and their mortgage company or insurance agent. Staff also recommended property owners whose floodplain touches land but not an occupied building contact DPW about possible insurance adjustments.