Build It Back Meeting At Coney Island Hospital Tonight

A home in Seagate after Sandy.
A home in Seagate after Sandy. (Photo by Erica Sherman)

There is an extremely important meeting happening tonight at Coney Island Hospital regarding the Build it Back recovery program.

The meeting will be held from 7pm-9pm in the auditorium of the Coney Island Hospital at 2601 Ocean Pkwy.

Build it Back and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be discussing an amendment to the proposed action plan.

“The Small Business Grants allocation has decreased by $93.5 million,” reads the amendment. “This program is closed to applicants, and the decrease in the allocation accounts for revised Program data and unmet need analysis based on data of Program applicants.”

The $93.5 million will be reallocated to the NY Rising Homeowner Recovery, Condominium and Cooperative and Public Housing Assistance, according to the amendment.

The NY Rising Homeowner Recovery program will get $344,965,900 in total to address the budgetary and unmet needs of the Program. The Rising Condominium and Cooperative fund will be increased by $6 million to bring it from $69 million to $75 million.

NY Rising Administration & Planning: allocation will increase from $30,034,100 to $220,844,100, which reflects the full 5 percent of New York State’s $4.4 billion Superstorm Sandy allocation to which the State is entitled under the terms of the March 5, 2013 Federal Register Notice, according to the amendment.

The community members will get an opportunity to listen to these plans and ask questions. Questions can be filed online at the NYC Recovery website.

The Build it Back program has been a source of contention since its inception after Superstorm Sandy. This is a prime opportunity for community concerns to be addressed and for residents to hold city official’s feet to the fire.