HOUSTON -- Houston’s City Council has delayed a vote to nearly gut Houston’s “ floodway ordinance,” the controversial rule barring renovation and new construction on private land located near areas prone to flooding.

The changes would allow new construction, as long as city engineers determined new buildings were built on elevated piers that would allow flood waters to flow beneath them. The new rules would also require residents to have their buildings checked every two years to ensure they remained in compliance with the floodway guidelines. The changes would also allow residents to renovate existing buildings, but only if they were damaged by a catastrophic event such as a flood, fire or hurricane.

Hundreds of residents had protested the original law, which rendered their creekside property suddenly worthless. Lawmakers who supported the ordinance said it was necessary to prevent catastrophic flooding downstream.

The changes are designed to strike a compromise between those residents and city engineers, who say the city needs a long-term plan to keep crucial floodways clear of construction.

On Tuesday, five City Council members voted to “tag” a vote on the new rules. Several told 11 News that the 31-page document only appeared on their desks Monday. Two landowners who have been affected by the ordinance testified Tuesday that they have only had a few hours to review the sweeping changes.

The “tags” mean the Council will take the issue up again next Wednesday, July 9.