(WBRZ News 2) Amid concerns of outdated flood maps governing building codes in East Baton Rouge, Metro Councilman Buddy Amoroso is looking to place a moratorium on subdivisions and rezoning for developments with property larger than about an acre.
Specifically, Amoroso seeks to temporarily ban developments with a property that exceeds 50,000-square-feet. An acre is about 43,000. The moratorium would be for properties in flood zones A, AE, AH, and AO and not apply to plans on property zoned PUD, TND, SPUD, SPUD and ISPUD or property that is not in a 100-year flood plain.
Amoroso is concerned about the data used to determine flood plains - some he said date back to 1992 and have not been updated.Amoroso told WBRZ, he decided to move forward with the moratorium following the August flood in hopes that the parish can update its building and flood codes.
The moratorium will first need to be introduced at an upcoming Metro Council meeting then, at a later meeting, discussed and voted on by council members.
The moratorium would last six months, Amoroso said, as the city-parish completes a six-month study on building and flood codes.
Click HERE to read the proposed city ordinance.