STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Notwithstanding the city's promise that its "Build it Back" initiative will replace hundreds of Staten Island homes destroyed or ruined by Hurricane Sandy, some borough residents discouraged by endless setbacks in the recovery process and betraying an overall lack of confidence in government programs doubt they'll ever actually return to their properties.
"We're still living the same [as] Tuesday after the storm. We still can't go home," said Nicole Chati, a displaced New Dorp Beach resident.
She was one of several dozen storm victims who attended an information session on rebuilding held Wednesday evening inside St. Charles School, Oakwood.
City officials laid out the program's initial details, fielded questions and discussed what options are available to homeowners.
It's expected that the contractor, The Bluestone Organization, will rebuild between 150 and 250 storm-damaged homes on the Island, according to Peter N. Spencer, a spokesman for the mayor's office.
Eligible applicants who choose to rebuild with Bluestone would select from a number of designs offered by the developer, which would then build a house that meets the new building codes -- including new flood elevations.
The property owner must maintain ownership of the home for up to five years; failing that, he or she would be required to pay back part of the mortgage, according to city officials.
"The goal of NYC Build it Back is to make that task as easy as possible, by managing all aspects of construction from planning and permitting to completion. That starts with these developers working with the eligible families to assess and meet their individual housing needs, and engaging the community to create home designs that fit the character of the neighborhoods," said Brad Gair, the director of the Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Operations.
But it's unclear just how long homeowners must wait before they can actually start picking out the curtains, so to speak. During Wednesday's meeting, Bluestone representatives said they're still working on finalizing designs for the model homes.
For now, homeowners must first register with Build it Back, then meet with a housing recovery specialist to have the damage to their home assessed. After that, the homeowner must sign a letter of intent to participate in the program.
Once that's done and the designs are completed, the homeowners will meet with the developer to discuss the specifics of their new house, although there will be limited design modifications available, according to city officials.
Rebuilding through Bluestone -- a family-owned business based in Queens -- is just one of several options for homeowners applying to the Build it Back program.
QUALIFY FOR REPAIRS
Spencer said that depending on eligibility and the damage to their homes, folks can also qualify for home repairs, receive reimbursement for repairs they've already completed or sell the property for a "strategic redevelopment."
The latter of those deals sparked the interest of Midland Beach resident Patricia Vanwagoner at Wednesday's session.
She said she has no desire to return to the area due to what she called an overly complicated recovery process.
"I'm looking to just end this whole thing," she said. "It's like being on a seesaw -- the rules change every day. It's been 10 months and we're in the same spot we were at the start. I had 40 good years there, but I don't ever want to go back after all this."
Much of the skepticism over city programs stems from problems associated with Rapid Repair.
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