With no discussion, League City City Council on July 26 updated its flood ordinance requirements, which were last updated in July 2018, partly in response to Hurricane Harvey. The 2018 update required developers to construct new homes over certain elevations to reduce the risk of them flooding.
However, this requirement has led to unintended consequences.
In August 2019, the Federal Emergency Management Agency updated its flood maps, updating areas anticipated to flood during 100- and 500-year floods, or floods that have 1% and 0.2% chances, respectively, of occurring annually.
“These updated elevations, when coupled with our requirement that residential homes should be a minimum of 3 inches above the 500-year elevation, has caused some problems in subdivisions that were constructed prior to July 2018,” a memo to City Council reads.
In these subdivisions, there are some lots that have yet to have homes constructed, and the 2018 ordinance update coupled with the 2019 flood maps updates can result in a new home being constructed several feet higher than its neighbors. In severe cases, these homes need to have costly retaining walls installed to not negatively affect neighbors, the document reads.
Overall, these homes cost more to develop and disturb the look of the neighborhood, and that could mean these vacant lots remain undeveloped, leaving unplanned gaps in older subdivisions throughout League City, according to the release.
The updated ordinance allows for owners in affected subdivisions to request a variance to exempt these fill-in lots from the requirements that the development be built 3 inches above the 500-year flood elevation.
