Re-Building after Hurricane Sandy

By Penny Laughlin

The Flood Zone requirements in a Post-Sandy world have been a bit of a moving target. Now, the DOB has finally posted a consolidated guide to development and rebuilding of projects in the Flood Zone after Sandy.

The first question all developers must ask is if their location falls within the Flood Zone. This information is now available through an online database, which is found here.

Those properties that will require flood resistant construction have new minimum requirements for drawing submission. Drawings must include the property location with respect to FIRM map, the elevation of the lowest occupied floor, the Base Flood Elevation, and a cost analysis to verify whether improvements constitute a “substantial improvement” to the property.

We’ve started to see instances of projects that have been audited to meet the Flood Zone Requirements. It’s a good move to prepare this information while in the planning stages to satisfy such requests.