living near the bay (Annapolis, Accokeek: renting, insurance, new home)

[karenkaye]

can someone knowledgable about living near the bay in places like shady side, north/chesapeake beach, huntingtown comment on flood insurance? Is it hard to get?

also, in looking at properties, is it more desireable to purchase a house that sits higher on its foundation? e.g., a house that has 10 plus stairs to get up on the porch versus 3-5 stairs?
thanks.
karen

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by karenkaye

can someone knowledgable about living near the bay in places like shady side, north/chesapeake beach, huntingtown comment on flood insurance? Is it hard to get?

Not all houses in either North Beach or Chesapeake Beach require flood insurance. Only a couple streets in North Beach have that requirement and it's likely the same for Chesapeake Beach. Huntingtown, unless you're right down on the Patuxent or one of the feeder streams to it, isn't even in a flood zone.

also, in looking at properties, is it more desireable to purchase a house that sits higher on its foundation? e.g., a house that has 10 plus stairs to get up on the porch versus 3-5 stairs?
thanks.

Your call. If you get a house in North Beach in the flood plain it will be (if it's new or lifted. There are still a few that aren't) roughly 8 ft. plus 2 ft. above finished grade (8 ft. is about the 100 year flood level for most of those houses and FEMA requires 2 more feet of freeboard above that). That is for the houses that are right on the Boardwalk and Atlantic and Annapolis Aves. plus a short stretch of Bay Ave. West of those streets lifting isn't required.

I'm just outside the zone and am not required to have flood insurance. My house sits about 3 ft. above finished grade.
karen

Shadyside is similar.

Remember that North Beach and Chesapeake Beach are municipalities with delineated town limits. Huntingtown and Shadyside are zip codes and both cover large areas, some near the water and some miles away from it.

[karenkaye]

thank you, NBP, for that information. I'm in southern AA county now, renting, and the area -- Harwood, Lothian Woods, basically south of Edgewater -- is very high dollar.

we're attracted to the areas close to the bay, and the farther south you go from annapolis housing is more affordable. But we've never lived close to a body of water that can be flood-prone.

southern maryland is either on the bay/on the river, or in the middle adjacent to routes 2/4. and it's either open country/farmland, or swamps, or newer developments. we'd prefer an older, well-maintained and upgraded home, as opposed to a new home. and preferably in a neighborhood, not open country.

There are some lovely older houses in Upper Marlboro that have been well-kept and modernized, but I used to work in Upper Marlboro and every day of the work-week upwards of 5,000 people descend on that tiny town to work. not to mention the absolute gridlock that occurs every spring at graduation time at the equestrian center. and ditto for gridlock when there's a heavy rain and 2 out of the 3 ways into town get flooded.

[North Beach Person]

Not to mention the school system.

[karenkaye]

schools aren't an issue as our kids are grown.

what's it like living in CB/NB during the summer when all the people come for the beaches? is it a mini ocean city or outerbanks?

[North Beach Person]

No. If you're in North Beach and don't live right on the Boardwalk you won't even notice it. Even then it's just people walking. You might notice it traffic wise going to Chesapeake Beach but that's still mostly local people going somewhere.

If you're familiar with the area you know the beach in Chesapeake Beach is somewhat isolated. The people that come to the beach in North Beach tend to stay there or around it (maybe across the street to get a drink or ice cream. Very rarely does any one venture off Bay Ave.). As I mentioned people will sometimes walk down the boardwalk by the houses along it and maybe to the end of Atlantic Ave. but those people are mostly there just to walk. There are quite a few people who come from elsewhere (Huntingtown, Ches. Beach, even, believe it or not, Accokeek) just to take a walk.

The worst regular day for traffic in North Beach is the Friday Night Farmer's Market every week in the summer. That jams people in. The Fourth of July in both towns is busy. But again, if you're back past Chesapeake Ave. you'll never notice either the Market or the Fourth.

I spent last night on the Beach doing the movie and while we had around 300 or 400 people at it (this was after dark of course) you wouldn't have known anything was going on unless you were right there.

[karenkaye]

thank you so much, NBP. you've been very helpful.