In a unanimous decision, the City Council has given the thumbs-up for a new house to be constructed in a flood-prone zone of East Austin, despite it sitting squarely in the 100-year floodplain of Tannehill Branch Creek. The council's green light came after considering insights from the city’s floodplain administrator and remarks from the owner of the property at 1121 Ebert Ave., as reported by the Austin Monitor. Despite concerns, property owner Luc Pham has plans to erect a 2,400-square-foot residence with a detached garage.
The property previously had a home built in 1963, which later succumbed to fire, leaving the land vacant until now. Kevin Shunk, the city's floodplain bigwig, is convinced that the new structure will allow floodwaters to slip through without a hitch, granting peace of mind to prospective occupants and neighbors alike. According to Shunk, this design maneuver ensures there will be "no adverse impact on other properties," the Austin Monitor conveys.
City guides generally want homes hoisted at least two feet above the floodplain, but Pham's prospective abode aims higher with a finished floor 2.2 feet above. The major snag, nonetheless, lies with the property's access route during a flood. Indeed, a 100-year flood could leave the street under a foot of water, potentially stranding those inside, as Shunk detailed to city officials. Despite this, the ordinance passed claims these variances are "the minimum necessary to afford relief" and assures us that allowing them won't yield any extra flood risk, or other costly or dangerous outcomes, according to the approved document.
Council Member Paige Ellis vocally backed the variance but relayed a stark caveat to Pham about the substrate's importance—the very foundation that failed a neighboring homebuilder, crashing their occupancy dreams. "They didn’t build the substrate correctly," Ellis imparted with caution, an occurrence Shunk also warned Pham to take to heart, the Austin Monitor notes. With the variance sealed, Pham's project seems set to proceed under a watchful eye, navigating the turbulent waters of floodplain construction regulations and neighborhood concerns alike.
