The City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises on Monday approved the Special Regulations for Neighborhood Recovery text amendment which will introduce special zoning rules that apply specifically to Sandy-damaged residences in targeted areas within the flood zone so that Build it Back can speed up the pace of resilient building in the Rockaways, south Queens, south Brooklyn, and Staten Island.
The amendment is a product of collaboration between the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of City Planning.
According to City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), chairman of the subcommittee, the amendment simplifies and expedites the process of elevating and/or reconstructing one- and two-family homes. The process for reconstruction approval of homes that were officially non-compliant will be simplified. The amendment will also establish a new zoning envelope for narrow and shallow lots to allow appropriate contextual new construction in these waterfront neighborhoods, Donovan said.
“This text amendment is the light at the end of the tunnel for many homeowners still struggling to rebuild their homes nearly three years after Sandy,” Richards said. “The removal of these regulatory barriers eliminates the majority of the red tape that deterred property owners from elevating their homes and moving forward in the Build it Back program. I would like to thank Amy Peterson and the Department of City Planning for these comprehensive provisions that will result in safer, more resilient homes.”
The Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery anticipates this amendment to help elevate and rebuild 2,000 homes while lowering the cost of flood insurance for residences within the flood zone.
Peterson, director of Housing Recovery, noted how the “idea for the amendment came out of a community-level meeting in Queens, it was produced with collaboration across agencies, and it is being passed to help homeowners who were stuck because of burdensome regulations so that their homes are rebuilt and their neighborhoods made more resilient. It is one more piece of a comprehensive program overhaul that has enabled almost every homeowner to receive an offer, and that has ensured that over 4,000 have received reimbursement and over 1,400 have started construction—both compared to 0 when this administration took over.”
City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) added, “This will remove many of the barriers homeowners have faced in trying to rebuild their homes and navigate through the Build it Back program. By streamlining the process and approving the inclusion of thousands of homes that would have otherwise been non-compliant, we will make it easier for people to rebuild and move back into their homes.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
