Lincoln Park, NJ

In the heart of Morris County, New Jersey, Lincoln Park is no stranger to floodplain challenges. With over 25% of its land lying in flood-prone areas, floodplain compliance is a key priority. Overseeing these efforts is the Director of Development and Floodplain Administrator, Christopher Taormina. With a quarter of Lincoln Park’s land situated in a floodplain, Christopher’s daily tasks are centered around floodplain compliance, zoning, and urban development.

Chris, like many floodplain administrators, wears a lot of hats - his day to day involves issuing construction permits and ensuring compliance with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) regulations. NJDEP imposes rules that monitor what homeowners can do within a flood zone, which helps increase resilience, but adds a bit of complexity to development efforts. When analyzing ways to save time and simplify workflows, Forerunner emerged as a revolutionary tool for Lincoln Park’s floodplain management needs.

Manual Processes Highlight the Need for Forerunner

Prior to adopting Forerunner, Lincoln Park’s floodplain management process was highly manual. The office relied on preliminary paper flood maps from the 1980s, making the review of construction permits for floodplain compliance time-consuming and prone to error. Christopher and his staff had to manually overlay paper maps with Google Maps imagery to identify properties and assess their flood risks. Their processes for managing construction permits, reviewing soil-moving plans, and ensuring floodplain compliance were time-consuming and imprecise, making it difficult to work efficiently and issue permits confidently. Lincoln Park also lacked digital tools to store and manage elevation certificates, relying on physical files stored in accordion folders.

Lincoln Park learned about Forerunner’s floodplain management software through a County initiative, and Christopher first connected with Forerunner at the New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM) conference. Christopher saw the potential of Forerunner’s platform to streamline many of the time-consuming tasks that affected the Lincoln Park development office.

Christopher was initially intrigued by the software’s ability to digitize flood maps and Elevation Certificates (EC), and to automate EC error detection. Lincoln Park eventually adopted Forerunner after a trial period, and Christopher quickly integrated the software into his daily workflow. 

Revolutionizing Lincoln Park’s Floodplain Management Processes

Forerunner has transformed Lincoln Park’s floodplain management operations. By simply typing an address into the software, Christopher and his team can instantly access the necessary flood zone data, eliminating the need to count houses on maps and cross-reference outdated images. Christopher estimates that Forerunner has saved his office “hours of time” by transitioning from physical folders to a fully digital archive, which has allowed them to streamline the storage and retrieval of ECs and make permit review more efficient. With an average of three to four inbound permits daily, Forerunner’s ability to quickly locate and assess properties in flood zones simplifies Lincoln Park’s permit review process. 

Additionally, Forerunner supports Lincoln Park’s participation in the Community Rating System (CRS) program. The software’s digital mapping and document storage capabilities contributed to the town’s CRS credits, helping Lincoln Park maintain its Class 5 rating, which offers residents a 25% discount on their flood insurance premiums. Forerunner’s ease of use and efficiency are valuable to Christopher and his team when completing CRS documentation. Christopher enthusiastically shared, “Forerunner is revolutionary to this office,” by helping the team to save significant time and reduce the possibility of errors. 

Looking Ahead: A Vision for Future Floodplain Management

As Christopher pursues his Master's in Architecture, he is creatively thinking of ways to improve floodplain management in Lincoln Park and the greater community. In the coming years, Lincoln Park hopes to upgrade its CRS class to Level 3 by focusing on NJDEP-required stormwater permits, conducting studies, and developing a watershed master plan. 

As extreme weather events continue to affect Lincoln Park, Christopher anticipates using more of Forerunner’s advanced features, such as its inspection and substantial damage estimation tools. With the town situated between two rivers and prone to flooding, these features will be crucial in future flood events. During a major flood event in December 2023, the power grid required proof that the electrical systems in Lincoln Park were not compromised before re-powering. Christopher sees Forerunner as instrumental in similar damage assessment scenarios and inspection processes in the future. 

By replacing manual processes with a digital and automated system, Forerunner has saved Lincoln Park time and effort, while also contributing to their advancement in the CRS program. With use of Forerunner’s functionalities and evolving features, Lincoln Park is excited to continue to enhance its floodplain management practices and build resilience.