Hurricane Sandy Buyout Program Completed For Suffern

Rockland Daily Staff 

Fifty-eight vacant, flood-prone properties along the Mahwah River have been transferred to the Village of Suffern.

The Housing Trust Fund Corporation transferred the properties after New York State's federally funded buyout program was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012. 

The properties are located in the Squires Gate neighborhood along Lonergan Drive and Temple Lane in Suffern.

Before Hurricane Sandy, about 140 structures were built on the floodplain. After the hurricane, homeowners with damage of at least 50% of their home's value were able to apply for a buyout. Purchased homes were subsequently demolished. 

According to Suffern's Mayor, Michael Curley, the destroyed properties will remain as open space. 

Curley said, "These properties have just been transferred, and we will make sure that nothing is built on them because we don't want to make flooding worse. These are now open parcels that we will take care of and maintain in order to protect the people who live in this neighborhood."

The properties were transferred to the Village of Suffern with deed restrictions, which limits their transfer and use. Property restrictions include the property being "open space in perpetuity". Any use must be compatible with open space, recreation, or wetlands management. Parks for outdoor recreation, nature preserves, cultivation, grazing, and camping are also permitted.

New structures cannot be built on the properties aside from public facilities open on all sides, public restrooms, and structures related to flood control. Unimproved and unpaved parking lots are also permitted. The properties can be transferred to a nonprofit, a conservation organization, or a private entity or individual. Still, any such transfer comes with these use and structure restrictions.