Hurricane Harvey Changed Construction Rules, But The Permitting Flood Is Giving Developers Headaches
When Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas Gulf Coast five years ago this week, swaths of buildings along the coast were damaged and images of a waterlogged Buffalo Bayou made national headlines.
Now both the city and its developers are bogged down by the permitting process intended to forestall future widespread property damage.
Jeanette Shaw, AIA, RID, LEED AP, is a project manager at Powers Brown Architecture, which has projects throughout the area, including in Houston. Shaw said the requirements make building in the city a challenge, with longer, costlier wait times for plans to get through to review.
