Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, front left, announced last week that the governor signed his bill that streamlines the
rebuilding process for hundreds of Breezy Point residents whose homes were destroyed in Hurricane Sandy. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup
Armed with signs emblazoned with such phrases as, “We are done keeping calm,” and “Gov. Cuomo: Let the rebuilding of homes and hearts begin,” the hundreds of people who gathered in Breezy Point last week for what was expected to be a rally erupted into cheers when they discovered they would not need to convince the governor to sign a bill allowing them to begin reconstructing homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.
While residents planned to rally in favor of the legislation – sponsored by Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway) and recently passed by the Assembly and Senate – that expedites repairs to Sandy-damaged homes, they learned, to great relief, that Cuomo had signed the bill almost immediately before last Thursday’s event was to begin.
“This is about people, it’s about our homes – it’s about building Breezy Point back better than ever,” Goldfeder said, his final words nearly being drowned out by the crowd’s clapping and cheers.
More than 350 homes in Breezy Point were decimated by Sandy, with about 135 of those being ravaged by a blaze that firefighters could not reach because of flooding from Sandy. Not one of those homeowners have been able to rebuild their houses as of yet because they had to receive a variance from the city Board of Standards and Appeals – which can take as long as a year and a half – before being able to apply for permits from the city Department of Buildings. Many Breezy Point homeowners have to get the variance because their houses are not on the maps the city uses to determine who can receive a building permit.
Now, however, with the new legislation, the need to get a variance will be waived for a year for Breezy Point owners who experienced substantial property damage.
“Signing this law cuts through unnecessary bureaucratic red tape, giving New Yorkers an easier way forward as they continue to restore their homes and neighborhood,” Cuomo said in a prepared statement.
State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) also joined Goldfeder last week and praised both the assemblyman and the governor for helping to streamline a process that has kept hundreds of families from returning home. Many of those Breezy Point residents have had to seek refuge with family and friends – or fork over money for rent, often on top of having to continue mortgage payments.
“It’s important to get to the point where we were in Breezy before Sandy,” Addabbo said.
Ulrich said he plans to work with residents and city officials to ensure they can quickly receive DOB permits.
“We will make sure the permits are expedited and that the homes are rebuilt,” Ulrich said.
Arthur Lighthall, the general manager for the Breezy Point Cooperative, worked with Goldfeder on the legislation and said the governor’s signature is a silver lining on a cloud that has been dark for Breezy Point residents for much of eight months following Sandy.
“Now, rather than spend the summer swimming in a sea of red tape, we can start rebuilding the hundreds of homes tragically lost during Hurricane Sandy,” Lighthall said. “If there is one thing that Breezy Point has shown time and time again, it is that we are a resilient community. We will rebuild and come back stronger than ever.”
This sentiment was echoed time and again on Thursday, with residents saying that there is nothing they want more than to return home.
Allison Puckhaber, whose twin brother’s house burned in the Breezy Point fire during the hurricane, said her entire family is thrilled at the news that her brother – a firefighter and Marine who served twice in Iraq – will be able to build a place he can, once again, call home.
“The variance just stretched it out and out,” Puckhaber said. “It’s so good to have that gone.”
Karen Krause and her family had a summer home in Breezy Point for 63 years – and they, too, said they cannot wait for the day that a shovel hits the ground for their home.
Until then, Krause and her husband, Danny Krause, travel from Long Island to Breezy Point once a week to teach an arts and crafts program they have run for 16 years – and the weekly trips are, they said, an important reminder of a place they love.
“It means so much to us, Breezy Point,” Krause said. “We need to rebuild.”
By Anna Gustafson
