Special Called Floodway Property Owners Meeting
with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Saturday June 23 at 2:30pm
West 19th Street Office

The meeting was very productive. We easily had 20 people there. Thank you so much if you were able to attend. It mattered that you were there. We filled the room. Everyone was well spoken and well informed. We hit most if not all the high points. Congresswoman Jackson Lee validated our concerns and wholly supports our need to protect our property rights.

We had a conference call with FEMA Ross Richardson Branch Manager. He confirmed that the City of Houston could have opted for less restrictive regulations that allowed for sensible building requirements. Neither the no build nor the 10 year accumulated 50% substantial improvement/damage clause was required or even recommended by FEMA. Instead FEMA requires a no-rise certificate and substantial damage per event not a running total over ten years. It is very clear that they (FEMA) recommend a community-wide decision process for adopting the floodway/floodplain building restrictions.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee questioned that 2 volunteers per council district was a sufficient representation for the entire city, particularly since there were no floodway property owners involved. She stated the city's volunteer group might have been labeled a task force but not a stakeholders group. There were at least 2 or 3 Super Neighborhood leaders there who were not notified about the ordinance. She noted that clearly no one affected were ever informed of either the process of changing the ordinance or the change itself. Most still are unaware of their precarious circumstance. None of these issues escaped Sheila Jackson Lee's notice or her understanding of the ramifications.

She asked for the group to choose between amending the ordinance or buyouts. We opted to change the ordinance. She supports a reasonable building code that does not threaten home/property ownership or valuation. She supports those of us who live in the city and thereby provide for its vitality.

She asked that we gather a huge city-wide meeting of 900 people within the next few weeks in order to express our concern to the Mayor and City Council. Currently we are targeting a Saturday afternoon late in July. This will be the one to turn out for, as this will be the show of force necessary to overturn the ordinance. Stay tuned!!

This information will be posted on the website along with an email sent to all of our members.