In recent weeks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) for the area. It indicates that the designated area will no longer be considered part of a floodplain once infrastructure is in place to remedy the specific conditions accepted by FEMA. Future homeowners in the affected areas will not have to pay for flood insurance nor worry about damage that could come from large storms.
Reaching this phase in the process was not easy, requiring over a decade of coordination between the City of Maricopa, FEMA Engineers, landowners, as well as state and federal representatives. It also included conducting a comprehensive floodwater study of the entire city limits.
“It was just about four months ago that my fellow councilmembers and I sat in a room in Washington D.C. and met with FEMA representatives, urging them to seriously consider our submitted plans,” Mayor Nancy Smith shared. “It is great to see how our communication and our presence in D.C. changed the tide on this project and has moved it one step closer to reality.”
Special thanks go to Congressman Greg Stanton, Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, along with Congressman Eli Crane, for rallying behind the City’s efforts to move the plans ahead. The project also included concentrated efforts on behalf of El Dorado Holdings, the Gila River Indian Community, the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the University of Arizona, and Pinal County’s Floodplain Management team, each of whom participated in the process to reach final approval.
“With the support of our congressmembers, and our face-to-face meeting in D.C., we recently began having weekly meetings with the FEMA review team, in order to get progress updates and provide additional information,” Mayor Smith explained. “All of that work has led us here today, where we could see development expand into these areas that have been hindered by flooding challenges, and thereby creating the population densities necessary to attract retailers to this part of town.”
This milestone brings a renewed sense of optimism for Maricopa and will help guide the path to greater economic opportunities.
