City Council calls for changes to NY Rising

Makes recommendations to help Sandy victims

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The City Council expressed its ongoing frustration with New York Rising last week, calling on the agency to cut more red tape that has brought the recovery process to a standstill for many homeowners, more than two years after Hurricane Sandy.

The move came after NY Rising, which was tasked with distributing $1.7 billion in federal Sandy aid, changed design requirements for thousands of Sandy-damaged homes, which will force residents who are trying to elevate them to start over.

Last year, the program finally allowed some homeowners to begin reconstruction and receive funding. But in December, residents said NY Rising announced that it would no longer cover major building elements, such as walls, flood vents and concrete slabs. The new standards require that elevated homes be supported on piers, and that no more than 20 percent of the area under a house be enclosed.

Homeowners claim there has been no explanation for the changes, and council members said they have been inundated with calls from residents who say that their plans are now in limbo, especially for those who had completed design work or were in the process of finalizing it. “Months of work, money and effort have been tossed to the side, and applicants and design professionals are being asked to change their previously approved plans with some projects already under way,” Council Vice President Fran Adelson said in a statement.

Officials said that elevation plans that were not approved by Dec. 31 are now subject to the new rules, though NY Rising grandfathered in previously approved building plans and permits.

“It has been tremendously frustrating to those of us who are still struggling through the complex and confusing NY Rising process only to be sent back to the drawing board after completing so much of our work,” said Councilman Anthony Eramo. “Intermediate rule and procedural changes by NY Rising and inconsistencies from caseworkers causes grief to people who are already at their wits’ end.”

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