Regarding “65K new Houston-area properties built in floodplains since Harvey,” (Sept. 19, 2026):
The Houston Chronicle recently highlighted concerns about homebuilding in floodplains but overlooked key facts about how builders, developers, engineers and local governments are working to make communities more resilient.
Homebuyers today expect more than trendy amenities. They expect homes and neighborhoods designed to withstand flooding. Builders, many of them Houstonians themselves, share that priority. Today’s homes and communities now often feature elevated foundations, flood-resistant materials, engineered drainage systems and other strategies that far exceed standards from a generation ago. By contrast, older neighborhoods, built before floodplain maps existed, remain most at risk.
Harris County began requiring “Conforming Subdivisions” in 2009, mandating that lots sit above the 100-year flood elevation with proper infrastructure. Between 2009 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017, about 75,000 homes were built under these rules, and only 467 flooded during Harvey. While each flooded home matters, the relatively low number cannot be ignored. Since Harvey, requirements have only grown stricter.
Local governments now require higher elevations and expanded detention capacity. Houston mandates homes be built two feet above the 500-year floodplain. Harris County requires nearly an acre of detention per acre of development, and Montgomery County recently adopted more rigorous drainage criteria.
When developers mitigate these floodplains through detention, fill and drainage improvements, they submit Letters of Map Revision. But FEMA maps update only once a decade, or longer than that, and won’t reflect these changes. As far as I know, no one is being permitted to build in active floodways.
Developers are investing millions in resiliency features such as detention basins, oversized storm sewers and open green spaces that double as flood buffers. Many are also embracing green infrastructure, including bioswales and naturalized drainage corridors, which slow and absorb rainfall instead of pushing it downstream.
Homebuilders are not ignoring the lessons of Harvey. They are elevating homes, redesigning drainage and prioritizing safety. The Houston Chronicle asked the right question: How do we grow safely? The full answer includes recognizing the significant steps already being taken to protect future homeowners.
See Original Publication Here
