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The city needs to make headway on flood protection efforts in order for the federal government to lift a moratorium on building in Natomas, Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency banned development in Natomas in 2008 because of the threat of flooding. Johnson said at his weekly press conference that flood protection will be one of his priorities in 2010.

“We have to make progress so that (FEMA) will lift the moratorium,” Johnson said.

New building in Natomas would generate dollars for the city’s general fund, he said.

“If we want to grow revenue, we’ve got to find ways to have more economic development opportunities,” he said.

Still, he noted that the city should “diversify” because it relies too heavily on jobs in the public sector and the real estate industry. He indicated that he may create an environmental initiative to provide more "green jobs" that could play a role in the city’s economy.

Natomas development and FEMA rules have been a key issue for the city in recent weeks.

Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai, a third-party law firm, and the city are investigating the Community Development Department’s approval this year of 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone. In a Dec. 15 letter to FEMA, City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office noted that the city’s approval of the permits broke federal rules.

Photo by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.