Howard Beach Community Reconstruction
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Howard Beach Community Reconstruction Conceptual Plan October 2013 This document was produced by the Howard Beach Planning Committee as part of the NYRCR Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program within the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery. The NYRCR Program is supported by NYS Homes and Community Renewal, NYS Department of State, and NYS Department of Transportation. Assistance was led by the following consulting firms: Parsons Brinckerhoff and HR&A Advisors, and supported by SCAPE Studio, OpenPlans, and Hammes Company. All photographs were taken by the planning team unless otherwise noted. Howard Beach Conceptual Plan Foreword The New York Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) program was established by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to provide additional rebuilding and revitalization assistance to communities damaged by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee. This program empowers communities to prepare locally-driven recovery plans to identify innovative reconstruction projects and other needed actions to allow each community not only to survive, but also to thrive in an era when natural risks will become increasingly common. The NYRCR program is managed by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery in conjunction with New York State Homes and Community Renewal and the Department of State. The NYRCR program consists of both planning and implementation phases, to assist communities in making informed recovery decisions. The development of this conceptual plan is the result of innumerable hours of effort from volunteer planning committee members, members of the public, municipal employees, elected officials, state employees, and planning consultants. Across the state, over 102 communities are working together to build back better and stronger. This conceptual plan is a snapshot of the current thoughts of the community and planning committee. The plans will evolve as communities analyze the risk to their assets, their needs and opportunities, the potential costs and benefits of projects and actions, and their priorities. As projects are more fully defined, the potential impact on neighboring municipalities or the region as a whole may lead to further modifications. In the months ahead, communities will develop ways to implement additional strategies for economic revitalization, human services, housing, infrastructure, natural and cultural resources, and the community’s capacity to implement changes. Implementation of the proposed projects and actions found in this conceptual plan is subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Inclusion of a project or action in this conceptual plan does not guarantee that a particular project or action will be eligible for Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding. Proposed projects or actions may be eligible for other state or federal funding, or could be accomplished with municipal, nonprofit or private investment. Each NYRCR Community will continue to engage the public as they develop a final plan for community reconstruction. Events will be held to receive feedback on the conceptual plan, to provide an understanding of risk to assets, and to gather additional ideas for strategies, projects and actions. October 31, 2013 Table of Contents | 3 NYRCR Program NYRCR Communities Find out more at: StormRecovery.ny.gov/Community-Reconstruction-Program 4 | Table of Contents Howard Beach Conceptual Plan Contents I. Introduction—6 Program Overview 6 Approach to Public Outreach 8 II. Community Context—12 Geographic Scope 12 Community Overview 14 III. Storm Impacts and Risk—16 Summary of Storm Impacts 16 Recovering from the Storm 16 Future Risk 18 IV. Rebuilding and Resiliency Planning —20 Process Overview 20 Community Asset Overview 21 Needs and Opportunities 26 Community Vision 33 V. Additional Considerations—34 Regional Perspectives 34 Existing Plans, Studies, and Projects 36 VI. Preliminary Projects and Strategies and Next Steps—41 Preliminary Projects 41 Next Steps 43 Table of Contents | 5 NYRCR Program I. Introduction Program Overview The New York Rising Community • Identify Assets, Risks, Needs, York State planning team includes: Regional Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program was Opportunities Leads Claudia Filomena and Chelsea Muller; NYC established to provide additional rebuilding • DefineCommunity Vision Lead Planner Steve Ridler; and Howard Beach and revitalization assistance to communities • Identify, evaluate, and Prioritize Projects Community Planners Bonnie Devine and Amy that were severely damaged by Superstorm and Actions DeGaetano. The planning team for Howard Beach Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm is being led by Parsons Brinckerhoff (planning, • Identify Funding Sources and develop Lee. The NYRCR Program will enable communities coastal protection, infrastructure engineering, and Implementation Plan to identify reconstruction and resiliency projects natural/coastal management) and HR&A Advisors • Create Final Community Reconstruction that address current damage, future threats, (project management, community planning, Plan and the community’s economic opportunities. In economic development, and housing analysis). connection with the program, New York State They are being supported by SCAPE Studios has allocated funds for community planning in 50 The NYRCR Program will focus on needs, (landscape architecture), OpenPlans (participatory community planning areas across the state, 10 of opportunities, and projects that address six mapping), and Hammes Company (healthcare). which are in New York City. recovery functions: By the end of this process, the NYRCR Program will New York State has allocated up to $18.4 • Community Planning and Capacity Building produce two public deliverables: million to Howard Beach in Community • Housing Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery • Economic • Conceptual Plan, Fall 2013 – This (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of document summarizes the work to date on • Health and Social Services Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These Howard Beach’s opportunities for rebuilding • Infrastructure Systems funds can be used for a wide variety of projects, and resiliency after Superstorm Sandy. Led and Howard Beach will likely be eligible to receive • Natural and Cultural Resources by the Howard Beach Planning Committee, additional project funding from federal, state, and this plan is based on deliberation during local sources. The purpose of the NYRCR Program Each NYRCR community is led by a Community three planning committee meetings and one is to develop a prioritized list of projects for the Reconstruction Planning Committee (Planning public meeting that were held in September allocated CDBG-DR funding and other sources. Committee), made up of community leaders and and October 2013. A minimum of two more residents. The Planning Committee takes the lead planning committee meetings and three As shown on the opposite page, this process will in developing the Conceptual and Final Plans. more public meetings will be held through include five steps: March 2014 to refine the plan and to propose The state has also provided each NYRCR community concrete projects and actions and develop with a planning team to prepare a plan. The New 6 | Introduction Howard Beach Conceptual Plan NYRCR Work Schedule Planning Committee Meeting Public Meeting Deliverable Due Date Deliverables Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Work Plan Vision, Assets & Risk Assessment 1 Conceptual Plan 2 1 List of Strategies 3 2 List of Priority Projects Community Reconstruction Plan 4 3 5 4 5-Step Process NYRCR Communities in NYC Identify, evaluate, Identify Funding Create Final Identify Assets, Define Sources and prioritize Community Risks, Needs, Community and develop Projects and Reconstruction Opportunities Goals & Vision Implementation Actions Plan Plan Breezy Point Introduction | 7 NYRCR Program a final Community Reconstruction Plan. Reconstruction Strategies Approach to Public Outreach ▪ Community Planning and Capacity The contents of this plan include the Building Extensive public outreach and involvement following: is a key component of the NYRCR Program’s ▪ Economic Development 1. Introduction planning process. This is a community-driven ▪ Health and Social Services process that believes that outreach and community 2. Community Context ▪ Housing engagement are critical to creating neighborhood- 3. Storm Impacts and Risk specific ideas, setting direction, and ensuring the ▪ Infrastructure 4. Rebuilding and Resiliency Planning overall success of the program. ▪ Natural and Cultural Resources 5. Next Steps Implementation Schedule At the heart of the public-outreach process • Final Community Reconstruction Plan, ▪ Schedule of Implementation Actions is the Planning Committee. The Planning Spring 2014 – This document will include Committee is responsible for facilitating public more in-depth discussion of above, as well Appendices discussion and providing a meaningful link between as: ▪ List of CR Planning Committee Members the planning team and the local community. At the Overview Geographic Scope of Plan ▪ Description of Public Engagement inception of the program, New York State appointed ▪ Description of Storm Damage Process the following Howard Beach Planning Committee ▪ Critical Issues Community Vision ▪ Description of Priority Projects and their members: Costs and Benefits ▪ Relationship to Regional Plans Inventory of Assets • Frances O. Scarantino (Co-Chair) Assessment of Risk and Needs ▪ • John Calcagnile