PHOTO: Mayor de Blasio (at lectern) and Build it Back Director Amy Peterson (de Blasio’s l.) this week announced that the once-beleaguered program has completed 1,000 construction projects. File Photo
The Build it Back program last week announced the completion of its 1,000th construction project since Mayor Bill de Blasio overhauled it last spring.
Build it Back representatives last Friday also touted the progress of the past 18 months: 1,691 construction starts – compared to none at the start of 2014; 4,477 reimbursement checks sent to Superstorm Sandy victims, amounting to $85.8 million – compared to no checks and $0 at the start of 2014; and 1,042 construction completions – the 1,000th on Sept. 14 – all also compared to none at the beginning of last year.
Over 50 percent of active homeowners have now been served, according to the program.
“The progress of the last year has laid the groundwork for the city to complete the rebuilding and recovery of Sandy impacted neighborhoods,” said Amy Peterson, director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery. “We have implemented a number of creative and bold initiatives to push forward construction – none greater than the onboarding of three new construction managers this spring to quadruple our design and construction capacity. We are grateful to our local partners for their continued support and partnership as we continue to progress in the city’s Sandy recovery.”
In May 2015, HRO quadrupled its design and construction capacity through neighborhood-based construction management contracts for Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. These new Construction Managers focus on construction challenges, including elevations of attached homes. The CMs have started design on 835 homes, according to HRO, resulting in a 50 percent increase in the number of elevations in design this summer.
To date, construction procurement packages have been issued to the Department of Design and Construction Pre-Qualified List of Contractors by all three CMs. Packages were issued to over 40 contractors on the under $300K list and over 40 contractors on the over $300K list. Another 48 contractors have submitted applications for enrollment on the PQL and are currently under review, HRO indicated.
In other Sandy recovery news, in August, the City Council passed a Zoning Text Amendment introduced by HRO, Department of City Planning, and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The amendment simplifies the process for documenting non-compliances and non-conformances; removing disincentives for property owners to make resilient investments; and establishes a new zoning envelope for narrow and shallow lots, where homes are to be reconstructed, that more accurately reflects the existing neighborhood character.
Build it Back also announced continued progress on the Sandy Recovery Workforce1 program, which connects Sandy-impacted residents with high quality jobs and workforce training. This fall, 27 Sandy-impacted New Yorkers graduated from pre-apprenticeship programs paid for through Sandy Recovery Workforce1, and have been connected with apprenticeship training with unions throughout the city.
As part of the program, Build it Back will be co-hosting its second Sandy Recovery Opportunity and Resource Fair in Coney Island on Oct. 20.
“Let’s face it, when I came into office and before this team was even assembled, it was quite clear that Build It Back was failing homeowners,” de Blasio said last October. “And, there had been no construction starts, there had been no reimbursement checks. A program that was supposed to help people in need had literally produced a zero and a zero. So we overhauled the entire system.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
