4 The Courier sun • july 18, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com PHOTOS COURTESY OF SULLIVAN & GALLESHAW, LLP Governor Andrew Cuomo passed a bill allowing Breezy Point residents affected by Sandy to rebuild immediately. BREEZY RESIDENTS FACE LESS RED TAPE permit is approved by this single agency, building is permissible,” Goldfeder said. “Now, rather than spend the summer swimming in a sea of red tape, we can start rebuilding the hundreds of homes tragically lost during Sandy,” said Arthur Lighthall, Breezy Point resident and president of the Breezy Point Co-Op. “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 before.” BOROUGH BOARD VOTES DOWN RAISING HOMES BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The borough doesn’t want to raise the stakes on its homes. The Borough Board recently voted against a freeboarding requirement that would elevate homes in flood-prone zones an additional two feet higher than FEMA standards. “Our concern was the requirement to go above and beyond the recommended base elevation,” said Betty Braton, chair of Community Board 10. Additionally, areas such as Howard Beach are still awaiting zoning resolutions from FEMA and a specific elevation requirement that comes with each zone. Preliminary zone and evacuation maps are expected to be released by the end of the summer. Braton said another concern of the Borough Board was finalizing the freeboarding requirement before individualized elevation requirements are made final. “It wasn’t necessary that we approve this at this point in time,” she said. Although the southern region of the borough is no stranger to elevating homes, an additional height requirement will impact people who are in the process of trying to rebuild after Sandy, Braton said. Borough President Helen Marshall disapproved of the proposal as well, “until there is some consideration of providing financial assistance to homeowners” that will allow them to comply. The proposal was presented by the Department of City Planning and the Department of Buildings, which are carrying out an executive order, according to the borough president’s office. NEW LIFE FOR ROCKAWAY COURTHOUSE BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The gavel has struck, and the deteriorating, old Rockaway Courthouse can be completely rehabilitated into a new medical center. The long-abandoned, 28,000-square-foot site on Beach Channel Drive was an eyesore to the community. Last Monday, July 8, the Borough Board approved the $50,000 sale of the property to developer Uri Kaufman of the Harmony Group. Neighbors around the decaying structure said the new facility will be welcomed warmly. They said the site has not served any purpose in years, and that a medical center can only be beneficial. The Harmony Group plans to completely transform the existing building into a surgical center to be leased to medical tenants. The renovation will reportedly cost an estimated $10 million, with development scheduled to start in 2014. “The decaying building has lain dormant for years,” said Borough President Helen Marshall, who “wholeheartedly” supported the use of the building as a medical center. She added there is an “urgent need” for additional medical care on the Rockaway Peninsula, which has not only suffered from both Sandy and Hurricane Irene. It has also seen the closing of Peninsula Hospital Center, leaving St. John’s Episcopal Hospital as the only hospital for more than 100,000 residents. Garden Center • Seasonal Decor Landscaping • Irrigation 125 Crossbay Blvd. • Broad Channel IN REBUILDING BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com It’s time for Breezy to rebuild. Sandy left 135 homes incinerated and hundreds more damaged by flooding. Governor Andrew Cuomo passed a bill on Thursday, July 10 that will allow affected residents to waive the Board of Standard and Appeals (BSA) process and allow them to rebuild immediately. “Before today, Breezy Point residents faced the prospect of waiting up to a year for approval to rebuild homes devastated during Sandy,” Cuomo said. “Signing this law gives these New Yorkers an easier way forward as they continue to restore their homes and neighborhoods.” Breezy Point does not have street frontage. Instead, there are sandy pathways throughout the community. Due to this unique layout, many building and homeowners who hoped to reconstruct were previously required to file for a special permit through the BSA. The BSA process usually takes as long as 18 months to complete, said Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder, who drafted the legislation. “Now it’s a simple building process,” he said. “They won’t have to worry about the lengthy, bureaucratic BSA process.” Those looking to rebuild will submit a permit to the city Department of Buildings and “once the at the root of all your garden needs. 718.855.543.NURSERY (6877)
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