HOUSTON -- John Kleiber can almost hear the value of his land falling. “It’s a multi-million dollar property.”

But Kleiber says there’s not much need for raw land. “Last time I checked there wasn’t much value in grazing cattle in the City of Houston and that’s pretty much all it’s good for.”

His property is along White Oak Bayou. It’s located in the deep dark blue of the floodway map.

Kleiber and 10,000 other property owners are in a floodway.

New city rules say he cannot build there, but after a year of fierce complaints, the rules may be changing.

In the next few weeks, instead of banning all building in a floodway, the city would permit new pier and beam houses on vacant land—as long as they’re high enough for water to flow beneath them.

Owners will need insurance and pay a fee, possibly every two years, for inspectors to make sure they are in compliance.

This change satisfies some who called the old rules ridiculous.

City council could vote on this next month.