Greenfield announces its building moratorium is now in place.

The City of Greenfield announced on June 10 that the building moratorium Greenfield City Council passed in 2025 is now in place after receiving the approval from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The moratorium became effective immediately. 

“This action is necessary to protect public health, safeguard the environment and ensure compliance with state and regional water quality requirements while the city advances critical wastewater infrastructure improvements,” said Greenfield City Manager Paul Wood. 

City officials emphasize the moratorium is temporary. The council will review the moratorium every six months and evaluate if it should continue or be repealed based on the wastewater plant’s capacity. 

There are some projects that will be exempt from the moratorium, including those required by court order, projects with a valid permit as of the moratorium’s effective date (currently about 116 development projects have building permits), grant-funded projects that could lose funding eligibility and the city’s wastewater project. 

The Council approved the moratorium in August 2025 to make sure the city’s wastewater treatment plant operated within capacity. Its implementation took longer than expected and it was halted for several months pending HDC’s approval. 

The city is in the process of increasing its wastewater capacity from 1.2 to 2 million gallons. It’s planning a new wastewater treatment plant which has a price tag of $111.3 million that has been in the works for several years. 

To fund the project, the city raised sewer rates last year from $63.36/month to up to $91.24/month to improve its chances of securing grant and loan funding. (Base rate is currently $34.99 and $11.25 per additional 1,000 gallons). 

In May, Greenfield City Council approved a $4.6 million contract with BKF Engineers to manage the city’s new wastewater treatment plant construction project. The contractor will oversee the project's timeline, construction and communications.  

A month prior, the city secured a $75 million grant and a $36.3 million, 2.2-percent low-interest loan from the state’s revolving fund over a 30-year period.