Pols say Sandy victims hit with building code violations
More than three years after Superstorm Sandy swept into New York City, homeowners are still suffering, this time in the pocketbook, according to two Brooklyn lawmakers who said that property owners are being hit with violations as they struggle to rebuild.
Homeowners have been hit twice, first by the storm itself and then by unfair fines for building code violations, according to Councilmembers Mark Treyger and Alan Maisel.
Treyger and Maisel, both of whom represent districts that sustained heavy damage in the storm, have introduced bills aimed at protecting property owners from the fines.
Treyger (D-Coney Island-Gravesend-Bensonhurst), who serves as chairman of the Committee on Recovery and Resiliency, sponsored a bill that would prevent property owners, lessees or occupants from receiving civil or criminal fines on Department of Buildings (DOB) violations while city-operated recovery programs are evaluating or have already scheduled their properties for repairs.