Homes on stilts might be on the way in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS – The City Council will take a look at allowing builders to build homes on piers, which the city's current zoning ordinance does not permit.

In a meeting of the council's Public Safety Committee, Mayor Ron Corbett reported Monday that some builders have asked about pier-built homes with the thought that they could use the technique to build in areas in the core of the city still at some risk of flooding.

John Riggs, a manager in the city's Code Enforcement Division, told the committee that the city's building ordinance allows pier-built structures, but the city's zoning ordinance does not. The zoning ordinance requires a home to have a continuous foundation.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said he wanted the idea vetted by several city departments before it is brought to the full City Council for discussion. Riggs said he also would seek input from the local homebuilders association.

In December, local builder Randy Dostal and local architect Jim Novak, unbeknown to each other, each said pier-built homes could work in the Cedar Rapids housing market. Novak had an idea for homes perched along the Cedar River above the possibility of flooding. Dostal said even storefronts could be built on piers.