Houston City Council members decided to delay taking action on an ordinance establishing new development regulations within the city’s 100- and 500-year floodplains at its meeting on Wednesday.

Council members who moved to delay the vote said they need more time to go over the specifics of the ordinance. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the item will be included on next week’s agenda.

The new regulations would require structures built within the 100- and 500-year floodplains to be built 2 feet above the 500-year floodplain. Under current regulations, there are no specific requirements within the 500-year floodplain, and structures built within the 100-year floodplain have to be built 1 foot above the 100-year floodplain.

In December, Harris County Commissioners Court approved similar changes to development regulations. In unincorporated parts of the county, structures built within the 100-year floodplain must be built 2 feet above the 500-year floodplain.

Some council members expressed concern over how much the proposed regulations would increase home construction costs. Turner said he is sensitive to the issue, especially because repeated flooding has occurred in some of the city's lower-income neighborhoods. However, according to documents attached to the agenda item, higher construction costs will be offset by saving on insurance and avoiding the costs associated with flood damage.

According to city documents, 31 percent of homes built to the 100-year floodplain standards—a total of 4,788 homes—flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Of those homes, 3,094 are located outside of the areas affected by the Addicks and Barker reservoir releases. One-third of homes in the 500-year floodplain were also affected by Harvey, according to city statistics.

A recent study by the city found that 84 percent of the structures in the 100- and 500-year floodplains might not have flooded if the proposed regulations were in place prior to Harvey.

Federal rainfall and flooding studies currently underway could increase the city's 100-year floodplain's elevation and expand the area it covers, according to city documents.

Before items on the agenda were considered, Turner provided council members with an update on flood mitigation projects the city is requesting funding for through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Grant Program. The $1 billion grant program was recently allocated to the state of Texas, which will accept proposals and decide which projects to fund.

Turner said Houston’s chief resilience officer, Stephen Costello, has submitted four of the 13 projects identified at the council meeting last week and will submit the remaining nine projects next week.

The 13 projects total $723 million and include a $185 million request for voluntary home buyouts. Other projects identified involve creating additional detention basins throughout the city.