I am building my own vacation home in the U.P. MI... just outside of Iron Mountain, MI.
Backgroud:
Had to acquire a construction loan mid way thru construction. At this time, the bank identified my area at risk of flooding. This was news to me, so I get the flood ins and move on.
Currently, I am one week away from the final inspections/occupancy. I call inspector and they tell me they have frozen my permit. They direct me to call the county board of commisioners. I call and discover that the flood threat is more serious than I thought. The Federal govt contacted the county about my home, telling them that there is a threat of loss of life if the dam were to be breached (My home is just off a lazy river). I got my hands on the letter that was sent from the Feds (NRCS) to the county. Ultimately, the NRCS tell Dickinson county that they either have to upgrade to dam to eliminate all threats to residential area OR they have to eliminate my home.
I have done everything to the letter of the law with this build. I purchased the land from a developer that acquired residential zoning. I also had to apply for residential zoning permit and received. I did all my due diligence to acquire all proper county permits and got my building permits. I have done everything legally and correctly.
Questions:
- I feel that the zoning board is mostly responsible for this, do you think I am correct? They gave me the permits for residential and now the fed is saying that it is not safe for residential. Do I have a case from this perspective?
- How can I find a good lawyer? I am not from MI so I am somewhat unfamiliar. I am looking for real estate lawyer correct? Can anyone refer?
- Can they just freeze my permit like this? I have construction loan timelines that I will violate if I can not finish.
- Please, any advice on this matter, I will appreciate so greatly. I am beyond concerned. I have worked on this for 2 years now and have sacrificed much for this. I dont know what to do.
Thanks in advance
Scott
Backgroud:
Had to acquire a construction loan mid way thru construction. At this time, the bank identified my area at risk of flooding. This was news to me, so I get the flood ins and move on.
Currently, I am one week away from the final inspections/occupancy. I call inspector and they tell me they have frozen my permit. They direct me to call the county board of commisioners. I call and discover that the flood threat is more serious than I thought. The Federal govt contacted the county about my home, telling them that there is a threat of loss of life if the dam were to be breached (My home is just off a lazy river). I got my hands on the letter that was sent from the Feds (NRCS) to the county. Ultimately, the NRCS tell Dickinson county that they either have to upgrade to dam to eliminate all threats to residential area OR they have to eliminate my home.
I have done everything to the letter of the law with this build. I purchased the land from a developer that acquired residential zoning. I also had to apply for residential zoning permit and received. I did all my due diligence to acquire all proper county permits and got my building permits. I have done everything legally and correctly.
Questions:
- I feel that the zoning board is mostly responsible for this, do you think I am correct? They gave me the permits for residential and now the fed is saying that it is not safe for residential. Do I have a case from this perspective?
- How can I find a good lawyer? I am not from MI so I am somewhat unfamiliar. I am looking for real estate lawyer correct? Can anyone refer?
- Can they just freeze my permit like this? I have construction loan timelines that I will violate if I can not finish.
- Please, any advice on this matter, I will appreciate so greatly. I am beyond concerned. I have worked on this for 2 years now and have sacrificed much for this. I dont know what to do.
Thanks in advance
Scott