Natomas Building Moratorium Set To End On June 16; Building Permits Accepted April 1
NATOMAS (CBS13) — The Sacramento City Council took an important step toward restarting construction in the Natomas Area on Tuesday.
An ordinance to allow construction to resume for the first time since 2008 was approved by the council. The city's community development department will start accepting building permit applications on Wednesday.
Concerns over flooding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina were felt thousands of miles away in Natomas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency raised standards for levees after the 2005 hurricane. This put previously OK levees classified as substandard, which halted construction in Natomas in 2008.
The impact stretched beyond new homes. The moratorium also stopped a dozen families whose homes were damaged by fire from rebuilding.
While permits will be accepted on Wednesday, none will be issued until after June 16 when a revised FEMA flood map will go into effect.
The amount of construction will be limited for the first year and half as the city tries to prevent an unsustainable surge in building. That limit can be reconsidered at the start of 2017.
