Houston Chronicle by Mike Snyder Aug. 31, 2018
Houston’s new requirements for elevating new or substantially renovated buildings in floodplains, set to take effect Saturday, will impose an “unreasonable and unbearable burden†on low-income families, a housing advocacy group says in a new report.
The report by the Texas Low-Income Housing Information Service, an Austin-based nonprofit also known as Texas Housers, urges the city to improve drainage in these neighborhoods rather than burden residents with elevation costs that could total as much as $112,500 for a 1,500-square foot home.
The new rules apply to all newly constructed buildings within the 500-year floodplain, which is deemed to have a 0.2 percent chance of being inundated in any given year. The elevation standards also will apply to additions larger than a third of a home’s original footprint and to reconstruction of flooded homes if the damage is more than half the value of the home.
The report recommends that the city provide grants to residents who choose to remain in the affected neighborhoods and elevate their homes; for those who want to leave, it says, the city should offer buyouts with sufficient benefits for the owners “to afford a quality affordable home or appointment in a neighborhood of their choice.â€
More:
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-s-new-floodplain-rules-will-place-13195059.php
