Midland Beach Buyouts

By Mark E. Ruquet

The take away from last night’s meeting of the Midland Beach Civic Association was if you have any interest in having your house brought out by the state—get on the list. You are under no obligation to sell your home and no one will force you to do so.

Members of the civic association board met with city and state officials recently to discuss plans to buyout homeowners affected by Superstorm Sandy. What they had to say was both encouraging and discouraging. This process is taking too long, the board members said, but some homeowners are now closer to a resolution to their situation than they have been in over a year.

There are two buyout zones. One is the enhanced buyout where New York state buys the home and demolishes it. The section runs from Father Capodanno Blvd. inland to Haven Ave. within the area of the creek and wetlands. There will be no new construction on the site. The property will become part of the Blue Belt zone to become a natural drainage area that should resolve much of the flooding in the Midland Beach areas that continuously deal with this issue.

Homeowners in the enhanced buyout zone will receive the value of their home pre-Superstorm Sandy plus 10 percent for not re-building and an additional 5 percent if they remain in Staten Island. The committee wants homeowners interested in this portion of the program to get their letter in by this weekend. All that is required is name, address, lot and block number and a signature along with a note stating interest. The association has a pre-printed form that requires the homeowner's information as described, and nothing else.

For homeowners outside of the enhanced zone, there is the buyout for redevelopment. These homeowners will be eligible for a state buyout at pre-Sandy value. The state or city will attempt to sell the home to a contractor for rebuilding on the site. However, homeowners on lots of 20 by 100-the bungalows-may have trouble because city zoning forbids building on lots that size.

This is conjecture on my part, but the obvious solution would be to combine lots and make them acceptable for zoning laws and contractors. However, that is another battle for another day.

In the meantime, if you are a Midland beach resident and might have some interest in the state buying out your home, get the form from the civic association and get yourself on the list. The more that show interest the more compelling a story the civic association can tell to state and city officials.

You have to give credit to the board members of the Midland Beach Civic Association. They have worked hard for the benefit of residents in these neighborhoods. The least residents here can do is give them a round of applause and get on the list if there is only a hint of interest in your mind.