Breezy Point Home Elevation Study

DASNY / NYRCR / GOSR

Breezy Point, NY
2016

Goshow Architects worked as a subconsultant to Louis Berger to develop the Breezy Point Home Elevation Study for the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) on behalf of the NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program within the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR). Breezy Point is located at the westernmost tip of the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, NY. Surrounded on three sides by water, the peninsula acts as a barrier island. Approximately 500-acres in size, Breezy Point is home to 2,837 single-family homes. Superstorm Sandy devastated Breezy Point, with all homes suffering damage and more than 350 homes completely lost, including 135 from a widespread fire.

This study was initiated 3 years after Superstorm Sandy, and while some residents have rebuilt and elevated their homes, many remain confused by changing regulations and the disparity in information regarding the cost of elevating their homes. The purpose of this study is to assess elevation needs, provide design guidelines, and create a basis for community action from both an architectural and urban planning perspective.

In addition to documenting the existing conditions and sorting through all the applicable regulations, the study also focused on the unique social aspects of the Breezy Point community. Breezy Point residents have become accustomed to being a collective community, with small lots, shared outdoor spaces, and street-level social interactions. As some homes have been elevated, the community expressed a loss of this casual and spontaneous social interaction in addition to the visual disturbance of enclosed walls and high decks blocking sunlight. The report presented guidelines and suggestions for ways to achieve flood mitigation while maintaining a way of life that Breezy Point residents have become accustomed to.

Community engagement was a key element of this project, not only to inform our designs, but to give the community a sense of ownership. Multiple community meetings were held, and feedback was provided via interactive exercises, comment cards, and online questionnaires.

American Planning Association (APA) “Outstanding Technical Plan or Study”