Bloomberg talks about development post-Sandy

From left: Mayor Bloomberg and storm damage in the Rockaways
From left: Mayor Bloomberg and storm damage in the Rockaways

During a major speech today about Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath, Mayor Michael Bloomberg reiterated his commitment to waterfront development, but said that the parts of the city most vulnerable to storm damage must undergo a “climate risk assessment” before new development takes place.

“We are not going to leave the Rockaways or Coney Island or Staten Island’s South Shore,” Bloomberg said. But we can’t just rebuild what was there and hope for the best. We have to build smarter and stronger and more sustainably.”

The risk assessment requirement, the mayor said, is “why the developers of Willets Point — and those building the new recycling facility in Red Hook — are required to elevate development out of the flood plain. It’s why the park being built on Governors Island is being elevated by four feet, and I’m happy to say it sustained no major structural damage in the storm, nor did Brooklyn Bridge Park, which we designed specifically to withstand major storms ‑ and I’m happy to say that it did.”

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During his speech, the mayor praised HUD secretary Shaun Donovan “who deserves the real credit for the resilience for our new developments,” he said.

In light of Hurricane Sandy, the city extended property tax deadlines interest free, as previously reported. [MikeBloomberg.com]